I know you're here somewhere.

I've lurked around this part of the forum for a few hours now. My grand plan of the day was to source a few good copywriters and article writers (yes, i know the difference!) for a long-term project.

And i have to say, i'm a little discouraged that i might find the right people here. The worst - the amount of basic spelling and grammar mistakes is astounding. And before you find any in my own text here, I'm a business owner, not a writer.

Copywriting isn't cheap, neither are good articles. I need a lot of them. I do want the best. And i have the budget to pay.

When i need to choose someone to work with, I write down a few words that are important to me, and 'price' or 'curriculum' are not on this list. The words are :

- attitude
- belief
- trust
- long-term

Then I shop around. I read what you write to others here and i begin to jot down some names next to each of the above words. But I thought I'd have so many more by now. All i have is 3 names in the "who not to hire" list. And all are on this list for a single reason - attitude.

This judgement is all based on what I read on this forum, mind you. I have not had direct contact with a single one of you and I have not worked with any of you either. But some of the attitude here...gosh!

I was rather disgusted with one copywriter here who just couldn't believe how "business owners" could be so picky about pricing. But like I told him, copywriters are not Gucci bags I can feel, smell or touch before choosing to pull out the credit card. I might be attracted to the Gucci shop because of its reputation, but I wouldn't purchase a Gucci based on reputation alone.

The fact this same copywriter used quotes to write "business owners" as if we're sad, brainless jellybeans was rather degrading too. I forgot to remind this biscuit that there's plenty of "business owners" like me lurking around this forum.

The recurring attitude i sense on this forum is "these business owners would be so lucky if I accepted to take on their money". But what some fail to understand is that most business owners don't care how good you've been for other clients. I certainly care only about how good you'll be for MY business.

I often read writers telling fellow writers to "bang your fist on the table and demand your price" to the client. Well, you don't go to the negotiation table to "demand" anything. If you're a true professional, you go to the negotiation table with a new client and show an interest in the client's business. You can then make a realistic assessment on whether this is a client who could give you business long-term. And THAT'S when you decide what to charge! If you walk in with a set tariff, 9 out of 10 will not hire you. And you'll be loosing big clients and small ones too, because you showed your tariff sheet is what matters, not the client.

Plus, you might win one big goose and loose 9 small potatoes who will one day be bigger geese! But by then, you'll be in their "do not hire" list.

Everybody starts somewhere and if you're not savvy enough to give some time in understanding a new client, somebody else will be. So what if someone can only offer you a few hundred if you've charged 1000's before? Do you know why this attitude ticks me off? Because I was a start-up once with little money.

And this leads me to another thing that left me with a sour taste in my mouth - I didn't 'feel' many copywriters/writers on this forum cared much for 'long-term' relationships with clients. I for one expect you to follow up your work with me, not run off after you've done your writing (by this i mean, "let's sit down together and analyse how well this fared for your business and where this could have gone better" type of attitude).

I know the right writer is here somewhere. If you are a good copywriter and/or article writer (yes, i know the difference), then contact me. I have a lot of work for you. So much work, infact, that I will probably have to hire more than 2 right now.

I won't hire you because you've worked for x,y or z before. I won't hire you because you charge the highest prices. I won't hire you because you have the lowest prices. I want long-term relationships. I want timelines to be kept. I do pay a just price.