Today I have a quick story for you. It’s about hiring copywriters. And a dumb mistake someone made in regard to hiring me. (Yes, I know that sounds really cocky.)
But the lesson is MUCH bigger than that. So even if you don’t regularly hire copywriters (or you’re not a copywriter looking to get hired), do me a favor and read to the end anyway, before deciding whether or not this is relevant to you. (And whether I’m cocky, right, or both.)
First, the story…
So a while back I was approached by a client looking to hire a copywriter. They’d been quite successful already, with okay copy. Not great, but it got the work done.
I did a paid strategy session with the client, and we laid out what I thought was a sound strategy going forward to significantly increase their business. I was excited. They had a good product. I could stand behind it. The client seemed pretty sharp. I thought they had a proven track record of investing in business growth.
And in a short two-hour phone call, we’d uncovered both a way I identified to immediately increase sales… And a long-term strategy that would allow us to go out and acquire customers on an aggressive basis, in ways they’d never imagined.
As part of my initial strategy session, I submitted a plan outlining what we’d do. Step 1, step 2, step 3, and so on…
And I told them how much my fee would be to start with the first part of the project.
Then, I waited…
And waited…
And waited…
I followed up a few times in there, but was given vague responses about “figuring it out.”
I never even got a “No.” Much less a reason for it.
Well, I’m busy enough. I don’t have much interest in chasing clients around. I’m fortunate that I have clients who recognize my value and chase me. So I eventually stopped following up.
Here’s the thing.
The direct response world is pretty dang small.
People know people. And they talk.
So eventually, the story of what happened came back around.
Turns out this client-to-be couldn’t stomach my high fees.
And they’d turned around and hired a cheap copywriter who charged by the hour.
I pity the fool.
Especially after visiting their updated website… And seeing some of the copy this low-rent copywriter is churning out.
(That may sound like an insult — but this copywriter is literally renting themselves out on the cheap. So even if you think it’s an insult, it’s also an accurate description.)
Here’s this client’s dumb mistake: being penny-wise and pound-foolish…
“If only I hadn’t insisted on spending as little as possible on something so important, I might be in your shoes today!”
You’re familiar with the saying? In the interest of saving money today, they’re killing their future revenue opportunity.
I can’t even be mad at it. I just feel sorry for them! I went on and sold my time to someone else, who was willing to pay my high fees, knowing what they were paying for…
As a result, their dumb decision is no longer having an impact on MY business…
But trying to get a service like copywriting “on the cheap” will impact their business for a long, long time.
And whether we’re talking hiring copywriters…
Other service providers…
Key employees…
Buying business equipment…
Or making other crucial financial decisions in your business or your life…
It’s time to double-check…
Are you being penny-wise and pound-foolish?
I hope not! I hope that — for the important decisions — you are willing to invest in things that are…
Reassuringly expensive!
In writing about Marty Edelston, who founded Boardroom, Inc., and built it to over $100 million per year, I found one fact absolutely fascinating…
That he was always ecstatic to pay his top copywriters MORE in a year than he took home as the owner of the business. In fact, he felt that if he didn’t do that, it was a sign he was doing something wrong!
That was one of his secrets to such rapid growth of the business…
Hire the best…
Write the big checks…
Don’t think twice…
(I told the story of the first big check he wrote in the beginning of the Titans of Direct Response seminar promotion.)
He paid exorbitant fees to top copywriters, and knew they were worth every penny.
In fact, he would often hire two or three of the best, pitting them against each other… Knowing he’d only end up using one of the copywriters’ work after the first test.
That’s an investment mentality.
Knowing the best is worth paying for.
The best clients think this way.
I’m happy for clients who don’t think this way to darken another copywriter’s door.
And… While I’m thinking about it…
The survey!
A little over a week ago I sent you a survey where I asked you if you’d like to learn the copywriting methods I use on every project… To write the kind of copy that makes my five-figure project fees a smart investment for my clients… That earns me substantial royalty checks — some continuing to show up like clockwork years after I wrote the copy… (And that can do the same for you. OR if you’re a business owner, that you can use to write your own highly-effective ads and sales letters.)
And specifically HOW you’d like to learn those methods…
Whether through a book…
An online training program…
In-person events…
Etc…
And here’s what I discovered…
The most popular requests were for live, in-person training… (Today I have a phone call that’s a big step in getting this set up.)
And yet the most popular prices people wanted to pay were in the $0-$99 range!
Warning: if I do an in-person training, it will NOT be for the penny-wise and pound-foolish…
I’ll end up charging far less than it’s worth, I’m sure. But it’ll still be reassuringly expensive. The people who selected answers in the $500-$5000 range are more on target.
But also, this has me thinking about how I can break up the lessons a bit…
And deliver them in chunks…
In such a way that you don’t have to put down a huge pile of moolah up front.
It will NOT have the same impact as an immersive experience. Serious students will want to do BOTH.
And yet — if the price of a “live” experience is a bank-breaker for you — it will also be a way that you can get access to some of the same systems and thinking on how to be a more effective copywriter and marketer.
More on this to come.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets
