I'm going to share these short stories with you because they're instructive. And if you haven't already found yourself in one or more of these sticky situations, you'll be there sooner or later... and glad you read this newsletter!
Sticky Situation #1:
One of my colleagues, "Rose," a health copywriter, reported that her longtime client surprised her with an unusually hard negotiation for home page copy. This client had been a loyal client for years. Perplexed, she decided to come down on price, but not to the exact price the client wanted. To her shock, the client walked and went with a competitor... all to save $75.
After mulling it over, Rose emailed the client, and this is what she said (names changed to respect privacy)...
"Thanks for your response, Eric. I've been think about this. My base rate is $125.00 an hour. It's been that rate for years (no increase.) This is a mid-range for copywriters. I estimated 5 to six hours for your job.
"If I did it for $500 that would mean I'm working for $96.15 an hour. That's less than when I first started in this business. There are copywriters who write for that (you can find them on job boards, Linked In, Twitter, etc.).
"I know John is always trying to save money, and that's a good thing. It's important, but not at the expense of someone else's income. I wouldn't expect you to sell me Joint Rebuild for $9.99 with free shipping.
"The other alternative would be to spend 4 hours on it and send an invoice. You won't get quality work that way, and I'd never present myself that way.
"I think the world of you Eric, and appreciate your thinking of me. But, I can't afford to work for what your budget is. The only time I've ever done much bargaining over price was when I lived in Thailand. I was willing to split the difference because it's you asking. I don't do it for anyone else."
Rose's email must have hit a nerve because Eric quickly wrote back that the next job was hers. Then she got a new lead from a potential client who wanted references. She emailed Eric and asked him to be a reference. He said "No problem Rose... I would be happy to."
So what's the lesson here? Most freelancers would be disappointed in a client's choice to go with someone else over such a small savings, and after a price reduction on top of it. They would feel hurt and consider the client "gone."
But Rose decided to confront the situation, and used logic to her benfit. By doing so, she shone light on the foolishness of severing a long-term relationship over a few bucks. And by asking Eric to be a reference, he will be in the position of affirming Rose's worth. This is great selling on Rose's part. I predict that Eric will hire Rose for the next copywriting job and that all will be restored to good health.
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Sticky Situation #2:
In another negotiation, a potential new client did everything he could to diminish my student. He wanted her to come down in price. He wanted to know how fast she works to make sure he gets the most for his money. And the last straw was that he changed all the terms in her Fee Agreement and even wrote in copy that would make her liable in the event of a lawsuit!
(Her standard copy says she is not liable and that should a dispute arise, it would be settled in a court of law on her turf; he changed the copy to read that she would be liable should a lawsuit ensue and that should it, she would have to travel to a court of law on his turf.)
To add insult to injury, he also misspelled her name in 16 place (which — ha ha — might have kept her out of a lawsuit?).
Very upset, she came to me for advice. And I said "Meg, you don't really need this business do you?" And she said "No, not really." And I said "Then this is a perfect time to learn another valuable lesson about how to deal with clients. Walk away. You don't need a client like this." And so she did. She wrote the client that with all of the insults he had hurled at her that she was withdrawing the Fee Agreement and did not want to work with him.
Well, even I was surprised at what happened next. The client blamed his legal department and backtracked faster that a Michael Jackson moonwalk. Today he is one of Meg's best clients. I thought Meg's response would simply kill the deal and save her boatloads of anguish.
Lesson learned? Be willing to walk away from a bad deal. Also realize that good clients are oftentimes made — by you.
Sticky Situation #3:
I received this email just last week, from a new student whom I'll call "Teresa". I'll let her tell her story in her own words since the email is still sitting in my inbox...
"I obtained a client who wanted me to re-do the copy on her website but was very, very particular about how she wanted it to sound., i.e. not too salesy or hyped up. I spent hours and hours poring over her materials, a lunch meeting and a meeting at her company before even beginning the copy. The material was complicated and again she was very particular about the 'writing style' but I was up for the challenge.
"In the meantime she had advised me that she had also hired another copywriter with a very different approach than mine to come up with another version of the copy. I began writing the home page and finished it. She said she 'loved it' and would get back to me with other directions on how to proceed after she worked with her web designer, etc. Six weeks passed before she got back to me due to delays, business trips, etc. I had only charged her the first half ( 50% of my substantial fee).
"I become so irritated that I called her cell phone (again) and was finally able to reach her. She advised me that most of the copy had been done by the other CW and that they would be 'dovetailing' my copy with hers. An idea that made my skin stand straight out. When I reviewed the copy it was radically different than anything I had written and infused with massive amounts of data I had not been given since my project was to be on a per page basis. She was unclear as to the direction of the project so I could not proceed until she gave me the OK.
"The client then advised me that she was going to use the other CW’s copy and that she would use the rest of my first 50% on maybe a sales letter or other marketing piece. I was stunned and felt like I had been thrown a very hard KO punch to the gut. I really didn’t know how to handle this and told her I would be glad to dismiss the 2nd half of the 50% payment and provide some other sales material for the 1st half 50%!
"I’m not sure where this project went wrong but I think after viewing the other CW’s work I wanted to fire this client and move on even if it meant not getting paid the rest of my fee. My contract is very clear but I think some of the takeaway messages here are to:
#1. Be crystal clear that there is a timeline for this project ( I have now included that in my contract)
#2. Do not accept a project if there is another copywriter also working on the same materials
#3. Never back down on your stated contract or fees — a signed agreement is a signed agreement
#4. Do not let the client control the copywriter or flow of the project
#5. Do not work with a client who is massively confused about the direction of the project."
WHEW! Lotsa lessons here! One of the most important documents a copywriter has is the Creative Brief. This forces the client to get it all down on paper so there is clear direction for the project. That would have taken care of #5.
My coaching program also supplies a very strong Fee Agreement. It protects the copywriter from many common problems, including #1 and #3.
Do not let the client control the copywriter or flow of the project (#4) is something you have to learn. You should always take control of the project. If you don't the client will. (But they don't really want to.)
And #2 - Do not accept a project if there is another copywriter also working on the same materials - is a new one for me. But there could have only been trouble in this case.
So if you find that more than one copywriter is working on the same project, get more information in order to protect yourself. I have worked on projects in the past when clients have "pitted me" against others. But at least I knew they were keeping the integrity of my work. My work was mine, and it would be tested against others' work. It would not "dovetail' with mine.
And finally, Teresa should not offer to "write something else" for the 50% fee she did get. She wrote it already. The right thing is to cut that project off at its knees and start over with this client (if possible). A good Creative Brief for the next job, and a stronger Fee Agreement could turn a frustrating client into a client worth staying with.
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First Time Price Reduction for Leading Resource for Health Marketers...
Speaking of lawsuits, marketers and copywriters need to be aware of what they can and cannot legally say about a health product or service.
Pam Magnuson's book, What to Say When You Can't Say Anything, is the leading resource on the market for copywriting that keeps you and your client out of trouble with the FDA and the FTC. She recently repackaged the book to bring the cost down... and the savings is being passed on to you! So if you want to save $50 off the old price of $247, now's the time to buy!
Not only can you now add this "must have" resource to your library, but you can also make three easy payments of just $65.66. I highly recommend it, and so does copywriting guru Bob Bly, who say: "An essential tool for health marketers -- no one who writes direct response copy to sell dietary supplements should be without it." So visit this link to get the goods:
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How to Save Money on Printer Ink
Boy... I could make a million on this tip, as it is my own very personal serendipitous discovery.
Are you ready? Here's my amazing money-saving tip of the year:
DON'T throw away, recycle, or turn back in your printer ink cartridges. They're not empty! I've had five "empty" HP cartridges sitting on my desk for months, waiting to go back to Office Depot or Staples.
One day I run out of ink and I have no new cartridges. So out of desperation I reinstall an "empty" cartridge. It dumps ink onto my paper for at least a month. Then it dries out.
Ok, so then I move on to "empty" cartridge #2. Same deal. It hurls ink as though it were brand new. Bottom line: I have "scraped the bottom of the barrel" on five empty cartridges for five months before I truly ran out of ink. Do you know how much money this has saved me? Probably around $250! And over the course of a year, that could double.
So when your ink cartridge "runs out," let it sit for a while and then reinstall. See if you get the results I've been getting consistently on FIVE empty ink cartridges.
Congratulations to Past Student Randy Berry
Randy is now a first time author! You picked a great topic Randy — interviews with 50 video marketing pioneers. In reading your blog content, this book looks like a winner. You should be able to sell a lot of these! Readers, check out Randy's new book:
http://videomarketers.50interviews.com/
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