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Steps to Follow After You Got Your First Client

by laura85
20 replies
Hello beautiful people! I hope you're having a highly productive day.

I have a very important request and I hope you can help me with your experience in the copywriting field. But first, let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about my story.

I'm Laura, from Argentina, and my partner (Federico) and I are probably the hippiest copywriters in this group. We decided to leave our ordinary lives to start travelling and getting to know this world with our own eyes. We've been travelling for a year and a half so far doing volunteering jobs, learning a lot about lots of things, and we'd love to continue as long and far as we can.

That's how we came across this excellent idea of copywriting (after trying things like selling crafts, food or even fruit juice at the beach), which allows us to work as freelancers while travelling. Even though we never studied marketing or publicity or anything related (I was a lifeguard and a special education teacher and Federico works as a translator), we both love reading and writing a lot and we felt that we could make this work for us. First of all, we decided that we wanted to work with small and not-so-small businesses engaged in selling products or services that are eco-friendly, truly healthy, and non-disposable and that have sustainability as the main value, since those are the things we believe in, and we want to provide our grain of sand from that perspective.

So we started doing courses online, reading lots of books, blogs and all the information we could find about copywriting, marketing, selling, etc. (in English and Spanish). We also started practising with hypothetical clients, rewriting websites, writing email marketing, etc. We now think we're ready to start practising at another level, which means that we'd like to help small businesses free of charge so as to learn one of the most important parts of copywriting: dealing with clients.

Therefore, this is my request (sorry that I made this so long): could you please give me some advice on what are the steps after you have a client? Do you interview the client via skype? What questions do you usually ask? How do you usually handle clients in general?

Looking forward to reading all your pieces of advice.

Thank you for reading me, I truly appreciate your help
#client #follow #steps
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Originally Posted by laura85 View Post


    Therefore, this is my request (sorry that I made this so long): could you please give me some advice on what are the steps after you have a client?

    Do you interview the client via skype? What questions do you usually ask? How do you usually handle clients in general?
    Looking forward to reading all your pieces of advice.
    Thank you for reading me, I truly appreciate your help
    First thing, you don't have a client yet, do you? So what you are asking, from what I can tell is how to FIND clients, is this correct?

    I'll give you the secret. FREE. Right now. Yet 99 out of 100 would be copywriters get it wrong, very wrong.

    Here goes: getting clients is ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM.

    I could get long winded, I'll let others do that.

    What do you and your partner bring to the table for those small businesses? WHAT exactly will you do for them? How?

    Once you know the VALUE you have, it is easy to approach businesses who want, need and PAY FOR that value.

    Good luck to you.

    GordonJ
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by laura85 View Post

    Looking forward to reading all your pieces of advice.
    1. When writing anything, put a blank line after each paragraph. Most people recoil at the prospect of reading a big "glob" of text.

    2. What Gordon said.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve The Copywriter
    ...and don't write for free.

    The copy may be spellbinding but psychologically clients won't realise it or even use it cos the cost was worthless.

    (and will you really have the relentless commitment to study the art of copywriting and continually make the incredible effort to produce exceptional copy without any money)

    If you don't want upfront fees - you could work on a results basis.

    As you are targeting "ethical" clients - the hope is they'll be trustworthy and pay you.


    What do you say when you get a client?

    Ask all the relevant questions about their business.

    Open ended questions which start with...

    What, When, How, Why, Where...

    And tell them (try and show and prove) how you'll do everything you can to -

    Do what all clients want.

    Consistently increase their sales, revenues and profits.

    Whilst making their business exceptionally client friendly where it really is a joy to buy from them.


    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author wrcato2
    Hi, laura85. First off, since you are in very nice beach type area's of the world, I would approach local business people. Meet and greet. Ask relevant questions about how their business is doing and what kind of advertising they use. Then let them know that you write sales copy, and see if they would let you take a look at what they are doing.

    Form there you should be able to provide good free advice to help them grow their business. This would be a good time to give them a business card with your phone number, website and email address.

    Do that with enough businesses, you just might get a few clients. Once you get the client, and do a really great job for them have them give you a testimonial. Video is the best.
    And do follow the excellent advice above this post.

    BTW, @Steve the Copywriter, your signature line is a 404 error.
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    • Profile picture of the author laura85
      Thanks, I'll definitely do that. Costa Rica is a great place to start.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve The Copywriter
    @wratco2

    Oh no not technical stuff - I've successfully avoided it for decades.

    404 may be my lucky number.

    But my sig line seems to be ok for me (although I'm not altogether sure what it is).

    No idea what to do if its not working for anyone else.


    Steve


    P.S. Hopefully a helpful marketing hint for Laura - don't tell clients you have total superhero talents - they probably won't believe it - and it's a touch difficult to live up to - so, always admit to a "flaw."

    e.g. "I can write great copy but know nothing about interweb coding"
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    • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
      Originally Posted by Steve The Copywriter View Post

      @wratco2

      Oh no not technical stuff

      But my sig line seems to be ok for me (although I'm not altogether sure what it is).
      "
      Seems to to be working fine. No 404 on my end, in the Classic view. I don't wade into the Modern view since it is garbage !
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    • Profile picture of the author laura85
      Thank you, and don't worry, I wouldn't say that I have "supercopy" talents. I'm just starting lol. I'll be honest and moderate, you know.. trying not to lose self-confidence, I need it more than ever.
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  • Profile picture of the author naviown
    ...and don't write for free.
    Freebies are a no-no

    Damn right about the next part.

    I'd suggest that you always have a good rapport with your client.

    Keep them informed. Because what happens to a writer usually is they go AWOL. And the client is left thinking where'd he go? So keep them informed, even a small message on the progress is good.
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    • Profile picture of the author laura85
      Thank you! a very practical piece of advice for a beginner.
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  • Profile picture of the author momohgist
    Nice article, i am impressed
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    I do all with clients thru email by:

    - asking them what they want
    - getting clear on what I offer

    But I moved from client stuff toward passive income recently.

    Just Zoom or email them asking what they want and sharing what you offer. Solve and prosper.
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    tbh I endeavor always to avoid sayin'

    hey now we got sum srs sh*t gowin' on your promo, what say you tattoo my deets on your forehead so's evrywan lookin' in on your Transformatively Evident Swanky can max out on the available FUN?

    I try not to kiss people also, bcs that is jus' weird.

    Las' thing you wanna see as a testimoaniyewl is ...

    "She rocked our operation overnight, but sadly all our profits were consumed by the fees we subsequently shelled out to construction companies whose hardcore mining gear could cope with hacking deep into the ballistically applied lipstick strata she inflicted upon our corporate ass."
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    • Profile picture of the author laura85
      I didn't get a thing of what you wrote (except for the "try not to kiss people's ass" part), but thank you for your reply!
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  • Profile picture of the author kyurin
    After I got myself a client, I already know what I am supposed to do with them.

    Before I go after clients, I will do research on their business and see if there's a way I can bring them any value. Then I create an initial plan what I would do and contact them.

    When I get to talk with them more about their problems and issues, I get to offer my solutions for them if it's something I can already do or am willing to find out for them.

    Transparency and communications are probably the best tools in working together with clients. Keep them informed all the time and be available for them as much as possible. If you want to keep clients for longterm, you need to keep their business as a priority always. Show them that you understand their business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Faylor St Hilaire
    Originally Posted by laura85 View Post

    Hello beautiful people! I hope you're having a highly productive day.

    I have a very important request and I hope you can help me with your experience in the copywriting field. But first, let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about my story.

    I'm Laura, from Argentina, and my partner (Federico) and I are probably the hippiest copywriters in this group. We decided to leave our ordinary lives to start travelling and getting to know this world with our own eyes. We've been travelling for a year and a half so far doing volunteering jobs, learning a lot about lots of things, and we'd love to continue as long and far as we can.

    That's how we came across this excellent idea of copywriting (after trying things like selling crafts, food or even fruit juice at the beach), which allows us to work as freelancers while travelling. Even though we never studied marketing or publicity or anything related (I was a lifeguard and a special education teacher and Federico works as a translator), we both love reading and writing a lot and we felt that we could make this work for us. First of all, we decided that we wanted to work with small and not-so-small businesses engaged in selling products or services that are eco-friendly, truly healthy, and non-disposable and that have sustainability as the main value, since those are the things we believe in, and we want to provide our grain of sand from that perspective.

    So we started doing courses online, reading lots of books, blogs and all the information we could find about copywriting, marketing, selling, etc. (in English and Spanish). We also started practising with hypothetical clients, rewriting websites, writing email marketing, etc. We now think we're ready to start practising at another level, which means that we'd like to help small businesses free of charge so as to learn one of the most important parts of copywriting: dealing with clients.

    Therefore, this is my request (sorry that I made this so long): could you please give me some advice on what are the steps after you have a client? Do you interview the client via skype? What questions do you usually ask? How do you usually handle clients in general?

    Looking forward to reading all your pieces of advice.

    Thank you for reading me, I truly appreciate your help
    1. Make sure you get back to the client immediately

    2. Since the client is coming to you, then he/she is interested in you service or product. So let that client know how you will quickly facilitate his/her needs

    3. Make sure you give that client and experience he/she will appreciate.

    4. Ask for a referral.


    Stay cool and successful....
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  • Profile picture of the author wealthydon
    Originally Posted by laura85 View Post


    Therefore, this is my request (sorry that I made this so long): could you please give me some advice on what are the steps after you have a client? Do you interview the client via skype? What questions do you usually ask? How do you usually handle clients in general?

    Looking forward to reading all your pieces of advice

    First, do you've a system in place for getting the clients? If yes, here are my advice:

    1. Be sure you know and understand what the client's needs are. Always ask questions for clarity and write a brief note of the scope of your job responsibility and ask your client for confirmation if possible. It will give you focus and remove extraneous tasks when dealing with tough clients. You can always refer them to this letter when issues arise.
    2. Study your client's website/blog to see if there's gaps you can fill as a copywriter. You may discover more income streams to explore.
    3. Interviewing clients is good because it adds personal touch.
    4. Questions you ask depend on individual client. So, there's one-size-fits all scenario. But you can have a template for yourself as a general guide. A client just starting a business will be different from another who has been online for a decade; so are the questions you'll be asking.


    Second, if there's no system in place for getting clients:

    1. Start a blog. Buy a domain name, get web hosting and install WordPress blog. Customize and optimize it for search engines. Start blogging about your niche topics and when you start ranking for specific keywords, clients will find you by themselves.
    2. Hang out in online communities where your potential clients are and make meaningful contributions. Your goal is to put your best foot forward and stand out.
    3. Be prepared for tough clients with revisions and rejections. Know when to say NO!

    My 2 cents
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
    Congratulations on your lifestyle choice!

    GordonJ nailed the main thing, which is all about VALUE.

    The key thing is: how to demonstrate your value to the potential client.

    I'm OK with your idea to "help small businesses free of charge", as long as it gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your value, and connect with the prospect.

    Let's say you offered a 1-hour FREE consultation, where you promised to discover at least 3 areas in which they could increase their business. But phrased in a way that doesn't sound like you're just coming in to sell them stuff

    I'll give you a small example of one area you could look at.

    Take a look at this PDF document [Part6-EliminateThis.pdf ], which is part of a free training program I offer. This doc is about eliminating what I call "fluff" and "duh! statements" that I see all the time on "corporate" websites.

    You probably know what I mean... "high quality", "top-notch", "leading solutions" nonsense phrases that even some freelance writers use.

    Just by going onto their website, finding that stuff, and then asking the 4 questions in the doc, i.e."What does this mean, exactly?"... you're helping prospects to think more deeply about what they have to offer and what makes it distinct from everybody else, while setting yourself up as The Expert.

    Plus, you're actually finding out what services they need.

    As for client handling, the key is to agree in advance what service(s) you'd be providing them, a rough timetable, and a price... and also the level of communication needed, to get the job done.

    For example, when I create Presell Reports for clients, I usually find out what they actually want and expect from the report first. Then we agree on a price (for larger reports it's usually 50% upfront, and 50% on completion). Then I send over an Outline, and make sure the client is happy with it. Then I send over the final report, and I'm willing to make tweaks to again make sure the client is happy.

    For sales letters it's similar, although it usually involves a lot more questions, to find out what the client wants, what the product is about, the target audience etc.

    Ultimately, you can get some of that if you're offering a free consultation (or something similar) at the start.
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  • Profile picture of the author Medon
    To get clients, you will need to showcase what you are capable of doing. So I suggest that you write some articles and post them. Of course, you will be given links to the articles. Share these links to help clients assess your work.
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