Good reasons to charge more not less for your copywriting expertise

[Mark Andrews]

I'm the first to hold up my hand...

...and tell you, in my copywriting business, I've made lots of mistakes. Mistakes which in the past have cost me, and more importantly, my clients dearly.

A freelance experienced copywriter encompasses much more than simply supplying sales copy. All of the experienced copywriters on this forum are extremely adept marketers in their own right. Adept at changing their business reflexively to changes in the market place - we all have an insatiable curiosity for more knowledge which can help our clients achieve the results they want and demand from their business.

Whether it be positioning, branding, uncovering your unique USP, discovering the hidden hook or storyline in your business and effectively communicating your unique benefits to your target market not to mention sharing killer traffic generation techniques and delivering strategies for highly targeted leads to your business - copywriters like us are in very high demand.

When I first started out copywriting (and some way in I might add) I like many others felt that potential clients might be attracted to my offer on price alone and I considered this to be of paramount importance. Especially so when trying to help out the smaller independent Internet marketing individual with their business. A fatal mistake.

An expensive mistake which, yes admittedly, has cost me dearly in more ways than one.

To be really and I mean to be really committed to each client you need to spend plenty of time with this individual to fully understand their business model inside out. Perhaps better than the business owner themselves. In other words, I want to understand every little sinew of their business and marketing plan and charging cheap prices, simply doesn't give you this opportunity.

When you charge too little for each copywriting project you take on, it simply becomes a numbers game, knocking out as much sales copy as you can to keep yourself afloat and ahead of your bills. This is no way to serve your clients needs effectively.

By charging just a few hundred dollars, no way on this earth can you dedicate to each client the attention to detail they deserve.

Look at it this way, which would you rather have?...

Charge let's say $300 to each client you take on and how many sales letters do you need to write to make decent moolah at the end of the month?

You want to make $6,000 at the end of the month, why you'd have to write 20 sales letters to achieve your goal of $6k at month end.

20 sales letters! That's 20 individual leads you have to first find and convert from goodness knows how many inquiries which need to be generated first. There's half your month gone already. Not to mention the research time needed for each individual client plus of course writing the copy itself, editing it ruthlessly etc.

You want to run yourself ragged into the ground? This is a recipe for disaster!

Instead...

Focus in like a laser on your unique skills.

Concentrate all of your energy on what you can do best.

Don't look at the broad horizon. Narrow your focus, define your market and portray yourself in the best light possible for the skills which will add explosive growth not just to your business but in the interests of each client you take on.

Not only will you see much more satisfying results in your own business but you rest easier knowing your looking after each client with the full attention they deserve when you start truly valuing your own sense of self worth.

For example, a web hosting company just contacted me asking me to write 'some copy' for their web pages. I quoted them $15,000. Ouch! But then $15k stops me from watching the clock constantly. For $15k, I can afford to give this client my full undivided attention for a whole month. A whole four weeks, 30 days or so, every waking hour, every minute completely dedicated to their business and nothing else.

And the return on investment?

Gone is the risk factor just knocking any old copy out, doing the best I can in a few short hours by charging much less. By charging more, you are in fact increasing exponentially the chance that your client will have a runaway success story on their hands.

Anyone willing to invest this much in their business, you can be guaranteed is totally and completely immersed in making their business a storming success! Just the kind of client you want.

Someone who is hungry for success, highly motivated, doesn't mind spending time with you and is prepared to pull out all the stops, will listen to your advice knowing full well their investment in you is worth every last cent.

When you simply bang out copy for the sake of it, it's a very hit and miss affair. And what you want are massive hits! Massive hits, runaway success stories which aid your reputation, increase your credibility, provide you with peer respect and recommendations from other top copywriters for the niche you're working in.

Question is... what do you consider your self worth to be valued at?

Please feel welcome to discuss...

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews

[Steve The Copywriter]

...let's simplify it with an analogy.

We've all decided to become builders. And we are ultra good at our craft.

So, the customer wants their roof fixed, but on the cheap.

Can we do it?

Yes.

Will we do it?

No.

Because if we did, we know a few weeks later the ceiling will collapse.

And we don't want to be party to that ever happening.


Steve

[Mark Pescetti]

We can also look at it from the perspective of belief...

Here's what I mean:

If someone calls me with a BIGvision and they're only allocating $1,000 for their sales copy...

...they can try to verbally convince me about how much they believe in their product or service all they want.

However...

Nobody who wants to produce a massive impact in their targeted niche is going to realistically expect a copywriter to devote his or her time to hitting the ball out of the park for so little.

At least...

Nobody with any REAL marketing experience and previous successes as an established entrepreneur.

When a client can only scrounge up enough money to minimally invest in your copywriting services...

...you're left with the decision to take on the project to help them out of the kindness of your heart or decline because nobody in their right mind should expect to profit 6 figures for a $1,000 investment.

The investment must be substantial enough to BOTH give you the time and space to devote yourself to the project...

AND...

Demonstrate a high level of belief in their SOLUTION.

Anything less is mutual wanking.

Mark

P.S. I always tell people when you invest in my services, "you're reserving my time."

"How much of my time do you want?" I ask. The response plays a significant role in how much appreciation (i.e. money) I will quote for the project.

[alldaycreative]

The thing that really kills me is when the client asks for a sample before hiring me. "It'll only take a couple of hours," they say.

Research, tone of voice choices... just understanding the client's needs, the client's business model, that's half the job alone, and it's the half you have to do before writing a single solitary word. Good research takes days, even weeks sometimes.

So either they expect me to do half the job for free, or they expect me to just crank out any old copy in a couple of hours without fully understanding their business model or their objectives.

Bah.

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by alldaycreative

Bah.

Are you Welsh?


Mark Andrews

[JakeDaly]

Good topic, Mark. Would you mind telling us what the web hosting company replied back with to your quote?

[Mark Andrews]

Too cheap they told me and turned
me down instantly, told me I obviously
didn't know how to value my services
enough.

I might need to put my fees up.

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews

[arfasaira]

Originally Posted by alldaycreative

The thing that really kills me is when the client asks for a sample before hiring me. "It'll only take a couple of hours," they say.

Research, tone of voice choices... just understanding the client's needs, the client's business model, that's half the job alone, and it's the half you have to do before writing a single solitary word. Good research takes days, even weeks sometimes.

So either they expect me to do half the job for free, or they expect me to just crank out any old copy in a couple of hours without fully understanding their business model or their objectives.

Bah.

Then you're targeting the wrong clients or you're not qualifying your prospects properly.

Have a lead generation system in place and spell it on your website that you don't do free. Your time is worth something and should be spent on revenue generating activities, not producing samples to check whether you get hired or not.

You should also spell out who is NOT a good fit for you to help you weed out tire-kickers and freebie seekers.

It's all in how you position yourself in the market place - which should be as an expert in what you do. You wouldn't go to a private medical doctor and say 'oh by the way, why don't you do XYZ on me first and let me see how I feel and then I'll think about hiring you to do whatever...'

You'd respect their time and pay their fee - whatever it was if they were genuinely solving your problem. So this is how you should think of yourself, as someone who solves problems and is an expert.

This is how you get good prospects who turn into good clients.

[arfasaira]

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

I might need to put my fees up.

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews

Amen to that!

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by arfasaira

Amen to that!

$15k was too cheap Arfa.

Hence now putting my fees up again.

Really, I know now exactly the kind of person / company I want to work with and it's people who have a real get go attitude.

People who will do anything to succeed.

No if's.

No buts.

No faffing around.

No playing around at business or sitting on the fence.

I like working with straight talking, honest, down to earth individuals who value my time as much as I value theirs. So together we can build a win-win situation highly profitable for all parties involved.

Cheap doesn't cut it.

Cheap is an excuse to deliver sub-standard results.

Cheap has no place in this marketplace not when you consider the knowledge and skill which we bring to the table.

Money is money...

...skill is skill and should be valued, prized and cherished.

Whichever way one looks at it, the exchange of money is still simply just an exchange of energy between individuals.

When you think about it there is no really good reason to ever put a cap on your earning potential.

If you desire to be one of the best in the business delivering exemplary copy on behalf of your clients, for the massive return we can bring to the table, we're worth every last cent of whatever we decide to charge.

It's just about growing a pair of balls and getting on with it.

Doing whatever it takes to become the best.

The only limit to our skill and knowledge are the limitations we place upon ourselves.

Remove the limits and the world is our oyster.

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews

[Steve The Copywriter]

At last!

No more flickering matches.

Instead a 24c gold customized zippo lighter. And a castle on the Isle Of Skye.


Steve

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by Steve The Copywriter

Instead a 24c gold customized zippo lighter. And a castle on the Isle Of Skye.


Steve

Too right Steve. We only live once (as far as know).

I enjoy life. I'm happy. And I want the best lifestyle I can afford.

I don't want to always 'just make do'. Serving others from some altruistic angle just doesn't cut it anymore. I've ditched that way of thinking.

I want to follow my dreams, travel the world, meet new people, explore new cultures and yes a castle, you hit the nail on the head, would be a dream come true. Or at least having the money to afford my dream home. Truth is, I'm getting older. I need to think, really think about the future - the years I have left on this planet.

All of my experiences to date, my past, my knowledge - it's valuable. I know I can bring great value to the table but it can't be done by charging piffling amounts of money falsely thinking I'm helping some poor sod out by offering my core skill... copywriting out for mere pennies on the pound.

This isn't creating value. This isn't helping myself or the clients and entrepreneurs I want to attract to my business. I want my business to offer exceptional value for money by helping provide them with a truly astonishing return on their investment.

When these individuals put their trust in me, I want to perform at the highest level possible, anything else, anything less is deceiving their faith in me to deliver on their behalf the results I know are within my capacity to deliver.

Anything less than delivering the best is lying to myself, lying to my clients and put quite simply is not the way to forge a strong, healthy working relationship.

If you have the skill - flaunt it.

It's not about boasting.

Or inflated ego.

It all comes down to enabling the best positive flow of energy in both directions. Energy which helps each party to the arrangement to benefit massively from working closely together.

So yes, I do want the best. I want to enjoy life and I deserve to give myself permission to truly succeed.

This, after all is said and done, is what life is all about.

And by helping myself adapt to this new mentality, way of thinking, who knows but I might just be in a better position down the road to help more people than ever. A life which without the monetary backup, to prove true to myself, might not be possible if I don't give myself this positive kick up the arse.

Warmest regards,


Mark Andrews

[Steve The Copywriter]

Yes, make the most of your life. I was talking to a client who is doing extremely well but getting on a bit age wise.

He said "Steve, I'm off to a very interesting seminar called "All About Reincarnation"

I said "That sounds fascinating, how much does it cost?"

The client said "It's over 3 days in a top class 5 star hotel, all gourmet meals included, with the finest wines, there's a luxury spa, a championship golf course with the most acclaimed speakers flown in from all over the world, all in all it'll be around $12,500"

I said "Wow, that's a fair chunk of money"

The client said "Well, you only live once"


Steve

[Jeremey]

I've taken your approach over the past week or so Mark...

When I get asked for a quote on a project, I'll consider the value I can add to the project, estimate how much of my time it will take, and add significantly to that figure to allow myself proper time to research and not freak about about having to find my next client. With that information in hand, the prospect then disappears without a trace...Leading me to believe I just wasn't charging enough for the value of my service, and the prospect must have sensed a lack of confidence on my part.

So then when I'm asked to provide a quote by a new prospect, I've asked even MORE than what I previously quoted. When that prospect disappears, I'll then repeat the process with the next potential client. I firmly believe that at some time in the near future I'll quote the magic number that will sweep a potential client off their feet, and retroactively spill over enough profit to make up for all the jobs I lost out on by quoting too low. At this rate I'll be a five figure copywriter sometime around Thanksgiving.

[zapseo]

One of my favorite recent stories has to do with sitting around in the airport, waiting to board your plane.

You see, you know how they say how early to get to the airport? Well, with "disability access" -- it's a LOT faster. So I still ended up at the airport when they said, but got to the gate WAY early.

So, while waiting, a struck up a conversation, which eventually got to "what do you do?"

"I write sales material."

her: "You mean you are the kind that gets me to give up my money?"

me: "No...I get you to exchange the value of your money for the even greater value of what you'll get."

She was then quite convinced that I knew my business ...

Early on, some years ago ... I gave what I thought was a reasonable quote (I had been referred by a VERY VERY well known marketer ... and thought that was practically all I needed. WRONG.) They turned me down.

On reflection, my mistake was not convincing my prospects of the value my copy would bring them.

Now the word "value" is, what in the nlp world would be called "fluff" - that is, it doesn't have a specific "complex equivalence" (whew!) -- put another way ... there's not something that you and I would agree is "value", unlike we would generally agree on what is a table. There's a sensory component to table, but not one for value.

(Which also means that I'm not going to delve into specific strategies for building value, because there are TONS of them ... both overt and covert.)

So the question becomes ... how do you persuade your prospect of the value that you will bring them?

Like with the lady I was talking to at the airport -- convince your prospects that what you bring to them is worth more (far more) than what they will invest ... in fact, make it look like a bargain -- and you'll have no problem getting the fees you desire.

Whether you are selling a product, or selling your services...it's about the value proposition; the exchange of value.

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[Andrew Gould]

Here's a good video from Harlan on how to start positioning yourself as a trusted advisor and building value when a prospect asks for a quote:

A Copywriter's Secret - Don't Answer That...

[dobermandan]

"When you charge too little for each copywriting project you take on, it simply becomes a numbers game, knocking out as much sales copy as you can to keep yourself afloat and ahead of your bills. This is no way to serve your clients needs effectively."

Amen, brother.

I have made sooo many mistakes.

It sucks to learn the hard way. I'm glad you're learning this stuff early.

Dan

[The Copy Nazi]

Originally Posted by Mark Andrews

I'm the first to hold up my hand...

...and tell you, in my copywriting business, I've made lot's of mistakes.

There's a glaring one right there. It's "lots" not "lot's".

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi

There's a glaring one right there. It's "lots" not "lot's".

Very funny Mal.

You however might want to check one or two of your own recent posts whilst you're at it. Only there's little point pointing the finger at other people for a tiny error here and there - when you're just as guilty as anyone making the same kind of mistakes yourself.


Mark Andrews

[laurencewins]

This concept of time and money doesn't only apply to copywriting, although copywriting can and usually does make a bigger impact than articles, content writing and even proofreading and editing. I have received a few comments from customers who have thanked me for "caring about their business." That gives me a great feeling. They pay what I ask without quibbling and are happy with the end result.

This thread is great and has made me think more about where I place myself. Thanks for starting this thought-provoking thread Mark.

[Jon Sullivan]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gould

Here's a good video from Harlan on how to start positioning yourself as a trusted advisor and building value when a prospect asks for a quote:

That was a really nice video and kind of put things in perspective.

It makes sense that when a person just asks for a cost that it would benefit you to sidestep the question and try to learn more about the business.

Change from just being another e-mail address in a list to being a person that actually cares about the other person's business.

[zapseo]

I pasted a search term from skype into my address bar and accidentally did a vanity search on myself

[yuk! A great way to ruin your productivity ... Wait? Someone referenced me ... (Okay, I will not mention the nice ego boost that I found Mr. Ditzel provided, way back in March ... and now I'm just discovering it ... sigh ... a belated THANKS ... maybe I should use that google alerts thing more often ... but that means I'd have to use email more often .. ) <-- how's that for an overly long digression?]

In the midst of this, I found a juicy article by John Carlton where he encourages certain kinds of behavior as necessary for writers:

I teach freelancers to walk into a client’s office and OWN the situation. Charge a gazillion bucks (payable immediately), and make the client like it. Set cushy deadlines that please you, order folks around, and generally run things like an asshole. Why? Because you’ve got to smack clients upside the head like that — and sometimes BE an asshole — to get the respect you require to do a good job.

You can find the full article here:
Sex, Fun, Money… and More Sex | The RANT

Just reading that article, my writing feels like it's getting a nice Energy Drink-style boost.

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[George Lee]

It takes just as much time to research the audience and the product for a $300 sales letter as it does for a $30,000 dollar one, if you do it correctly that is. The client is not buying a sales letter, they are buying results and your copy had better provide them or you won't be eating regular meals for very long. Charge for what you are worth lest you price your way out of a job.
Best,
George

[Quality Copywriter]

Hey guys

Anyone here ever write copy on the agreement to only get paid when the results come in?

Would like to see how common this is -if at all.

cheers

[Steve Faber]

In the video "If you give me a great price on this one, I'll be back with a whole lot more" is not only one ofthe great lies in copywriting, it is one of the great lies for business in general. Don't bite on it, it rarely pays off, no matter what service you're selling. All it does is erode your value proposition.

[abyssofseo]

Originally Posted by Quality Copywriter

Hey guys

Anyone here ever write copy on the agreement to only get paid when the results come in?

Would like to see how common this is -if at all.

cheers

I have never seen this or did it myself. Is there anyone that desperate or stupid really?

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by Quality Copywriter

Hey guys

Anyone here ever write copy on the agreement to only get paid when the results come in?

Would like to see how common this is -if at all.

cheers

That...would be called a "Joint Venture" and should be compensated accordingly ...

As John Carlton commented in Simple Writing System -- to business owners ... "How do you keep good copywriters around? Only one way: give 'em a piece of the company." (heavily paraphrased...)

If they can't afford your copywriting fees, they ALSO cannot afford to drive targeted traffic to the offer...and do the other necessary things appropriate to getting the copy in front of an appropriate audience.

Copywriting is like a keystone in an arch -- but the businessperson needs to provide the rest of the bricks and mortar to create that arch.

There are MUCH better ways to collect money on your copywriting efforts get paid on results alone -- on some FUTURE event. There are just too many things that can go wrong.

(I do favor royalty agreements, though -- some money upfront + a percentage makes sense...)

Personally, I write much better when I know that I have money to pay the light bills and mortgage...and the motivation of a royalty keeps a copywriter interested in the project and avoid "dialing it in."

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[MikeHumphreys]

Originally Posted by Quality Copywriter

Hey guys

Anyone here ever write copy on the agreement to only get paid when the results come in?

Would like to see how common this is -if at all.

cheers

Only for my own products or products that I'm a partner in.

I've never done a spec sales letter in my life. I don't recommend any other copywriters do them either.

Unless the client has some skin in the game (i.e. the money they've paid you) then they are under no obligation to use what you wrote.

If they've have some skin in the game, then they are equally committed to seeing the marketing you wrote get put into action so they can recoup their investment in you.

Take care,

Mike

[eugenedm]

I couldn't agree more with that. You must to charge more so you can value yourself. If you charge not enough money you need to stop that because the quality goes down.