Copywriter Turned Marketing Consultant

by sethczerepak

Posted: 11 years ago 8 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

So for the past 15 years, I've been focusing mainly on copywriting, but I think it's time to make the switch to marketing strategist. My specialty has bee in creating USPs and doing high converting long form sales pages. I also have 5 years of experience (from in the corporate world) coaching multimillionaire and billionaire entrepreneurs.

I'm curious, do the clients you talk to "get" the value of creating a USP message and brand personality development? How would you communicate the need for them to develop a unique "voice" as a company? Is there an industry which you think would be most open to this?

I want to work with people who can see the value of copywriting as more than just a sales tool but one for creating a stronger brand and marketing position.

Any suggestions would really help.

#consultant #copywriter #marketing #turned

ewenmack

11 years ago

Seth it seems you have the cart before the horse.

Is there a specific challenge business types have
that a USP and brand voice helped?

Did they buy into those things as being the solution,
or was the buy-in solution something else and those tools just happened to be used.

It is a difficult sell advocating concepts.

Much easier defining problems that both agree exist, digging deeper finding the underlying cause, presenting that and then propose a quick win that is high reward low risk.

Just seems you are wanting to sell a service, instead of finding problems first.

Best,
Ewen

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AndrewCavanagh 11 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

Just seems you are wanting to sell a service, instead of finding problems first.

Ewen is right on target here.

I'd also add you want to sell them a service without
first getting to know them and their business.

They don't necessarily need to have a problem to get
excited about what you can do for them.

They just need to think that you understand them and
their business and you can help them make some more
money than they are now.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
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sethczerepak

11 years ago

Originally Posted by ewenmack

Hi Ewen, I understand how to sell services by targeting problems. There are definitely a ton of issues which a USP solves and that's how I would present it. My question is, in everyone else's experience, how many layers are people removed from the concept of USP as a solution to their problems?

I'm finding that even those who have heard of it think that an offer is a USP, or they say: "I'm a leader in my industry," or "I have 15 years of experience," constitutes a USP. I'm more interested in what types of responses you've gotten on the topic, if they ever talk about it, if they know what it means, if they're confused about what it means.

I'm clear on the solution and the service to offer, it's the perspective gap I'd like more clarity on.

Make sense?

Thanks
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ewenmack

11 years ago

Originally Posted by sethczerepak

I'm finding that even those who have heard of it think that an offer is a USP, or they say: "I'm a leader in my industry," or "I have 15 years of experience," constitutes a USP. I'm more interested in what types of responses you've gotten on the topic, if they ever talk about it, if they know what it means, if they're confused about what it means.

I'm clear on the solution and the service to offer, it's the perspective gap I'd like more clarity on.

Make sense?

Seth, I never bring up the term USP in the conversation.

Maybe you bringing it up is where the conversation grinds to a halt.

I'll give you an example of the end result was a USP for a client.

But no mention of the term.

A carpet cleaner came to me because his Joe Polish postcard wasn't working for him.

I took him through what the women would do when she read it at her mailbox.

She would quickly glance over it and see the words, "carpet cleaner"

Her reaction is "nope don't want it"

No matter how good the offer, proof and all other salesmanship included
won't get her to view it differently.

I quickly walked him through how the mind makes split second judgements.

Then said we need to introduce something that alerts her.

Introduce a new problem.

And that problem being dust mites

Use the third party statistics of the numbers of them, their consequences to health on up to 35% of the population.

Wipe out any thoughts that the ways she could remove them will work introduced the only viable solution and reinforced the safety of the method and that the guy is trustworthy to come into her home.

Now I did talk in terms of...

winning the battle of the mind
being the first
being the only
scaring the crap out of women to take action
taking you out of the competitive mosh pit
having the market to yourself

Those were terms a guy could relate to.

In the end it was a USP and it was repositioning
as we know from the books.

If it was a woman, I wouldn't use phrases like them
because they need to be softer and heart connectors.

Best,
Ewen

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SashaLee

11 years ago

Hi there,

Ewen is right. There are several business niches where a USP is not a game changer, and where testimonials and past performance proof will trump a USP all day long.

All the best,

Sasha.

Thanks
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sethczerepak

11 years ago

Originally Posted by SashaLee

Hi there,

Ewen is right. There are several business niches where a USP is not a game changer, and where testimonials and past performance proof will trump a USP all day long.

All the best,

Sasha.

Hi Sasha,

If a USP is crafted right, it should include the testimonials and performance proof as part of the story. It's basically the backbone of your entire business story and marketing message, your brand's unique personality and identity.

Thanks

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AndrewCavanagh 11 years ago

"o the clients you talk to "get" the value of creating a USP message and brand personality development? How would you communicate the need for them to develop a unique "voice" as a company? Is there an industry which you think would be most open to this?"

No not really.

When it comes down to it most business owners are simply interested
in making more sales and profits.

You can convince them of nearly anything with enough time and persauasion
(just look at the advertising and other crap business owners pay for that
brings in bugger all sales).

Being a copywriter is a huge advantage but you don't tell a business owner
you do copywriting.

Speak their language.

And instead of being so concerned about having them know that there's
more to copywriting (honestly who gives a crap if they're paying you) it
makes a whole lot more sense to just come up with strategies that get
them excited that use the skills you have.

In other words think through ways you can make them more actual measurable
sales and profits using your skills.

If you're talking about getting them more sales and making them more
money there's a high chance they'll hire you as long as you've built
some rapport at the beginning of the conversation.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
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- sethczerepak 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh
  
  Speak their language.
  
  Hi Andrew,
  
  That's ^ the purpose of this post. I'm interested in other Warriors experience in how customers describe two things:
  
  1) Their problems
  2) What they BELIEVE to be the source of their problems.
  
  Per #2, I'm interested in whether the topic of USP comes up and/or what their response and perspective is on it. I'm finding that they either haven't heard of it, or they have and they're confused about what it is. Most of them don't seem to see a need because they believe they already have that taken care of.
  
  They think a USP is an offer, a tagline or some statement about their passion, their mission, their experience or expertise. Case in point, I pitched a guy yesterday who believed that "changing lives through (his service type)" constituted a USP.
  
  So I ask him diagnostic questions to see if his business was suffering the symptoms of having no USP:
  
  1) Price shopping customers
  2) Fee resistance
  3) Clients reluctant to fully trust their expert advice
  4) Customer turnover
  5) Low profit margins
  6) Over reliance on new sales (no sustainable growth)
  
  I'm finding that expert service providers, knowledge workers, need a USP more than anyone because they're selling an intangible. I'm interested in knowing what your experiences have been when discussing this with clients so I can figure out how to close the perception gap.
  
  Thanks
  
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Copywriter Turned Marketing Consultant

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