How would you convice an offline business that they need a 'free report'

You sure your a copy writer?

I am. ;-) but doing it online and doing it offline (with people I know) makes me nervous I guess. I find it easier to cold call (and write for) strangers.

With the exception of sales letters, I've never tried to market any other service to an offline client, certainly not locally. I guess I'm too close to the situation to 'see the forest for the trees'

First - Get over being nervous and the way to do that is to just do it. Nobody is going to bite you :-)
If you want to do this work you need to get past your hurdles.
Second - Like any copywriting, ID the pain point, magnify it and then come to the rescue with your ebook that will solve their problem and relieve their pain.
When I have writer's block because I'm writing for myself, I pull out my headline swipe file. That typically kicks my creativity back into gear enough to write the copy.

I think this falls into the "Know your Client" category.

How busy is your client? Taking the time to outline a report, or even just proof your first draft, might be time they see as taken out of the income stream of their business.

What's in the secret sauce? Remember that if they are the creative owner or founder of the business, that they are probably just as protective of their Intellectual rights, as they are of their children.

What about your client's clients? Some occupations require strict protection of their customer's information. We all know about Doctors and Lawyers, but a massage parlor also has stict HIPA laws as well as home nursing companies. Even Re-modelers and construction companies, Real-estate and landscapeing companies have client secrets that they must maintain legally.

Try to explain your vision of a free report as something they might already be familiar with. A small "how too" guide for preventative maintenance may not make sense to the re-modeler, until you explain that such a guide might keep current clients away from competitors, or draw competitors clients to them, when the guide helps them with an issue the competition neglected.

How do you deliver the client's message? Don't lock in on one medium for delivery of your final copy. Today's technologies can send newspapers to cell phones, e-mail to TV's, and TV shows, well, everywhere.

If your client is a Spa, perhaps a 10 minute video in the spirit of The Travel Channel's "No Reservations" posted on Youtube, with mobile video links embedded in QR Codes on postcards to local guests.

Costruction Company? How about a 10 minute episode in the spirit of PBS's "This Old House"

What about future business? The wonderful thing about the final copy. You get to remind your client, that the advertising, is only as good as the last thing they posted. Start building ideas for the 'Next Episode' and hand your client the first draft, before you leave.

Don't try to convince them. Show them the benefits of using a FREE report as part of a two-step lead generation system.

Also, remember that the FREE report IS a sales letter. Give good solid info in the report, then have a call to action so the prospect knows what to do next.

That could be asking for another report. It could be setting up a FREE consultation (but don't use that term; come up with a proprietary name). It could be to ask for the sale.

I sell booklets in bulk to various businesses and initially my first sale was a financial planner who was taking my yoga class. I had given out the stress reduction booklets for free to people in my class and she thought it would be a good thing to send to her clients for the holidays as she said many were stressed by getting divorced and retirement. She was also feeling overwhelmed that they talked to her as a counselor.

I've had some massage therapists buy the booklet in bulk as well and they each did a mailing to past clients as well as prospects, including a special offer.

Probably the best approach would be to talk to the person about their current marketing and goals. I would mention that starting a monthly newsletter online could be helpful to those hesitant to set up an appointment initially. You can also mention that a booklet is good to send to clients that haven't been seen in a while for re-activation. One way to get your foot in the door could be to write them a free article you distribute around the net. It would be best to speak with them individually to see their needs. Do they have past clients they haven't seen in a while? What is their current situation?

Debbie

I would create several for free to local businesses and help them use these reports to make money.

Choose the right businesses---ones that have clients who are your target market.

Printers for example work with many types of small businesses, as do accountants etc.

Once you make them happy, ask them to refer you to other businesses.

This is the fastest way I know to build any offline business.

Thanks,

Barry

Sort of...A Free sample of Writing by Example...

"A Free Report on How to Write a Free Report"
The Power of Free...

How do you deliver a free offline report? I think what turns off businesses is the cost and effort to produce one.

Someone in another thread about computer repair mentioned an "emergency book" tips about what to do when your computer acts up,...sits right next to your computer with the repair business number... always by your computer - always there when you need them...

IMO - That is an excellent use of a free report.