Story #1: The wrong help…
I listened intently over the phone as she explained the predicament they were in. Various outlets were just not getting traction for the time and effort they’d invested so far. I’d taken a look over their efforts to date, straight away identifying areas where they could definitely improve. She said they needed my help, in the tone of somebody who’s worn down and out of ideas. Fortunately I felt confident I knew how to fix it. From there, agreeing on the service and sending the first invoice was fairly simple. Amongst other things, I’d edit their newsletter, make it shine before they sent it out to their carefully tailored database.
But sometimes it’s not just about changing words or finding new ones…
Something I don’t see discussed enough is how the copy itself is presented. It doesn’t matter how engaging and persuasive your copy is. It doesn’t matter how much it’s (supposed to) work on the technical front either – if it’s difficult for people to read then they won’t bother at all. The entire purpose of your copy is then pointless. Sometimes paragraphs trail on too long and subconsciously the reader feels overwhelmed. In this particular case, I noticed how difficult their existing newsletter copy was to read. The paragraphs weren’t especially long, but the copy itself was too faint. It was all in this colour. On top of that, no sentences were bolded. What exactly were the key points their audience was supposed to take from their newsletter?
So I went ahead and updated the copy along these lines- made the type darker, bolded certain sentences, made it stand-out. Made all the changes I would make for the client to achieve stronger reader engagement from their content. Yet (after submitting these updates), the client wanted it changed back and kept in line with what they had previously. There turned out to be other instances where I did what they were paying me for, only for them to contest the changes I made. They wanted different results, but not the different approach it required.
After a few months, they chose to pull the plug.
On one hand, you never set out to get fired by a client. For starters, it means there’s one less person you can rely on for a testimonial. On the other hand, I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. I could’ve kept on taking their money each month and doing things exactly how they wanted them done – but doing things that way was the whole reason they reached out to me in the first place! It wouldn’t sit right with me, to keep getting paid while consciously going against the very things they needed to act on to get results. Maybe I could’ve set an ultimatum: we do things how they want for 3 months, then they back my judgment for 3 months and see which approach brings them closer to their ultimate goal?
But it’d already become evident they weren’t the right match as a client, so I made little fuss. However I did stay on their subscriber list, out of curiosity to see what they did without my interference? I would check out their latest newsletter from time to time. Whether they got another copywriter on board or went back to their own efforts, I couldn’t tell the difference. Eventually, I un-subbed and I haven’t heard from (or of) them in years…
Story #2: The wrong guy…
In the second instance, a referral partner of mine linked me to a client. According to them, the client was having a website done and ready to go ahead with the copy. When I work in conjunction with referral partners I’m always happy to speak directly with the client, but if the client is happy keeping my referral partner as their go-to then it’s also fine with me. I’m flexible like that. In this case, the client was fine with me going ahead and doing my part to get their website ready, so they paid the invoice and away I went.
Or so I’d hoped…
The more I looked at the clients’ existing website, the more I noticed a dissonance between the feedback I had on their behalf and what I was capable of delivering on my behalf. Sure there were some improvements I could make to their existing copy, but not enough to justify treating it as a whole project. Unless there were other specific outcomes they were looking for that hadn’t been communicated with me?
So I requested to speak directly with the client, got their details from my referral partner and called them up. As I asked him more about what he needed from the website, the more it became apparent their logical next step was to get in touch with a web designer. I write the copy, but I leave the actual design or the mechanics of the website to the developers. As I heard more from the client I realised my hunch was correct: I couldn’t help this guy with what he needed, even if I’d wanted to.
What I did next was tell him to speak with my referral partner and see if they had web developers they could connect him with- and if not, get in touch with me (after all, I guarantee that even if I can’t help somebody with a specific business need, I can refer them onto someone who can). Then I refunded the invoice in full.
The would-be client (via my referral partner) was able to be redirected to his perfect match and get the job done like he’d intended.
How to avoid becoming one of these cases:
In an ideal world, every client I worked with would get exactly what they hoped for, results-wise, and I’d have the satisfaction of knowing I played a part. Stories like the first one I shared here could’ve been avoided if I’d played along with doing things exactly as the client wanted, pocketed the invoice each month and told them what they wanted to hear. But telling clients what they want to hear is at odds with the very essence of what I do.
I am paid to find solutions and invest my knowledge and energy doing just this. When a new client comes on board, their marketing becomes my marketing – that’s how I see it.
In the second instance, the run-around could’ve been avoided if I’d spoken with the client directly up front. A 15-minute conversation would probably have been enough to identity that I wasn’t the person they needed to get on board. I understand why people don’t always think it’s necessary to speak with the third parties involved in a project, but from experience it’s always beneficial. In this case, the would-be client could’ve enjoyed a few days head start in the direction they needed to go in.
The questions you should be asking instead:
For copywriting to stand the best chance of actually working, it’s a two way street. While the client needs to have some degree of flexibility with their existing/ proposed future content and be willing to brain dump as much as possible relating to what they do, how they promote themselves, how they do it etc, the person/ group responsible for making changes also needs to ask the right questions. Stuff like:
Who is your target audience?
What makes you different?
Why do people recommend you?
What would a successful strategy look like, in as much detail as possible?
Is there a strategy you considered going with, but put on the back burner?
Often you don’t need to re-invent the wheel. You just need to fit a new set of tyres.
In a perfect world, every new client would be the start of a success story. But even when that isn’t the case, it still presents an opportunity to learn and adapt. Unless you’re pretty certain what copy needs creating/ updating then the most fail-safe move is to at least have a consultation done first. This saves you from spending money and wasting time you can’t afford to. Your success story begins with asking the right questions:
0 Comments