3 Reasons Why The Copy You Hate Will Bring Profits You Love

Every copywriter's nightmare. We write beautiful copy for a client, who takes one look and says, "You can't be serious! This is too sales-y...or too simple...or too different..."

And I'm reminded of the days, many years ago, when I volunteered as a Pet Adoption Counselor with the San Francisco SPCA. Looking back, I must have been training for what I do now. I had lots of enthusiasm. People often teased, “You’re selling cats!” Sure enough, many visitors went up with a crate holding a furry bundle of joy.

Our Volunteer Coordinator kept reminding us, “Don’t judge the visitors. You’re not going home with this person. The adopter who drives you crazy may be the best thing that ever happened to a dog.”

True.

And copy works the same way. We don’t judge our friends the way their dogs and cats do. And we don’t read our copy like our own customers.

I tell my own clients, “You may not like this copy. But you’re not the target market, even if you think you resemble your clients.”

Here are 3 reasons why.

1. Customers live on a different planet.

If you hang around the Internet, you develop a unique lifestyle. For instance, some of my best friends are people I’ve never met. We exchange emails and phone calls for years. My favorite web designer is an American living in Brazil.

And you hear the same promises over and over. “Bring traffic to your website.” “Attract all the clients you can handle.”

But if you’re targeting ordinary people (i.e., those who have actually met their best friends in person), many of our ho-hum phrases will seem fresh and exciting.

“Hype-free marketing? I like that,” purred an earth-dwelling prospect recently. “That’s a whole new way of looking at marketing.”

Your world may not be the Internet. Maybe you live fitness, coaching, cooking, or finance. But chances are your familiar phrases will seem fresh and exciting to your target market.

2. Customers want to be sold.

They know you’re not putting up websites and creating brochures so you’ll feel good and collect gold stars for your Permanent Records.

And if they want your service, they’re looking for reasons to say “yes.” Think of all those Madison Avenue ads with the theme, “You deserve it.” Or, “You’re worth it.” They’re giving us permission to spend our money.

As long as you’re tasteful and – drum roll – meeting their real needs, your customers will actually appreciate learning about what you offer.

Recently I was pitching my services to “Frank,” a prospective client who sells fitness services. Hesitantly, I referred him to a website I’d written for “Tom” – a financial professional who was terrified we were selling way too hard.

Frank was impressed. “This isn’t the least bit pushy. It’s so warm and friendly! Tom sounds like such a nice guy.”

We’re still talking. But when Frank sees his own fitness site, I bet he says, “Um – do you think we’re selling too hard?”

3. Customers don’t want to stop and think.

Some words and phrases slow us down. For some good examples, pick up your college textbooks and maybe a couple of academic journals. You’ll see words like “moreover,” “counterintuitive,” “although,” and more. (I know. I wrote many.)

How did you read your college textbooks? I bet you read slowly, made marginal notes and hung on tight to your yellow highlighter pen.

Alas, website visitors don’t study our copy the same way. We have to help them create highlights and move along fast.

Which gets read more:

(a) “Although you can work very hard, you may not see results for a long time.”

(b) “But you can work really hard and wait forever for results.”

Bottom Line: Expect surprises when you unveil your copy to your clients, especially if you’re new to marketing yourself and your own products. When I first wrote the title Your 21-Day Extreme Career Makeover, I cringed: Was my site becoming the virtual equivalent of a used car lot?

But my target market – professionals and senior executives – started buying. And the rest, as they say, is history

5 Tips To Discourage Tire-Kickers And Attract Serious, Paying Clients

Do you feel that you're wasting valuable marketing efforts on tire-kickers: a large and growing market segment? They subscribe to all your free offers -- but leave their credit cards behind.

Early in my business life, I talked to anyone and everyone, enthusiastically. I gave away classes, e-books, articles and more.

But soon I was forced to confront the reality of opportunity cost. While I was chatting happily with the freebie-seekers, I lost the opportunity to update my websites, create new products and write more articles. -- activities that would most likely bring "real" paying clients.

1. Communicate “professional” and “commercial” on every page of your website.

Like many professionals-turned-marketers, I was nervous about sounding too sales-y. But when I began learning more about copywriting, especially copy for the web, my style became more direct. As soon as you arrived on my website, you knew: Sales were happening here.

What I learned: Serious buyers rarely got turned off. They want to be sold. Freebie-seekers and tire-kickers got the message quickly: You have to pay to play.

2. Create low-cost or no-cost products that deliver bite-sized portions of your expertise.

Serious buyers want to assess your style and expertise before buying. They may want to develop a relationship before handing over their credit cards.

So you need the basics: website content, ebooks, ezines and audio. You may even offer one-time consulting sessions so prospective clients can get a sense of your style.

3. Donate services for everyone’s benefit - not to help a single needy visitor.

Back in the early days, I felt sorry for everyone who called. But soon I discovered a hard truth. These “needy” folks were paying large sums to more experienced consultants who knew how to say "No!"

If you genuinely want to help others, donate your services through nonprofit and charitable organizations where you will get recognition, testimonials and possibly future referrals.

Sounds self-serving?

When I volunteered with a pet adoption center, many years ago, the coordinator warned, "Those who volunteer for selfish reasons will do better in the long run than those who bring dreams of saving the world." She was right.

Clients will get better service from a non-profit agency dedicated to filling their needs than from a reluctant but sympathetic consultant.

4. Clarify your business status as soon as anyone calls.

Some folks will call before they visit your website. Maybe they’ve seen an article or heard you speak – and they’re psyched. But often they're confused about what you offer.

Typically, your caller begins with, "I need help! Can you advise me about my career change?"

If you're a career consultant, your best answer will be, "Probably yes. Please visit my website and review my schedule of programs and fees."

Serious buyers will appreciate this message. "How much does it cost" is a signal of intention to buy.

5. Turn discount services into promotion tools.

Every so often clients present unique, interesting problems. They can’t pay -- but you’d enjoy the challenge of finding solutions.

You may be tempted to offer scounted service in return for a testimonial or referral. These clients rarely value what you offer, so they deliver lukewarm testimonials.

Instead, get permission to record a call, which you can use as a demo on your website. Or ask to write up their stories as a case study, which can be sold as a Special Report.

Finally, pay attention to the way you choose your own services. Most of us unconsciously send messages that attract people with similar attitudes.

Recently “Ernestine” asked me how to network with coaches she admired. “I’ve seen their websites,” she said, “and I’d love to chat with them as colleagues.”

I advised Ernestine to subscribe to their ezines instead. “Then maybe buy an ebook or two,” I suggested, “and perhaps take a class. But the days of free mentorship are long gone.”

One of Ernestine’s role models sent a warm thank-you following an ebook purchase. Ernestine responded and they had a brief email exchange. Another coach encouraged participation in a Q&A class.

Most of all, Ernestine's ebook purchases helped her decide how to choose her paid mentor. She didn’t waste her time – and theirs – and she presented herself as a professional, not a needy person.