Last week I spoke with a prospect. He had been referred to me by a client.
This prospect had paid an undisclosed sum of money to work with one of the "big names" in the copywriting industry. He tested the letter, and it didn't work. So he went back to his copywriter. The copywriter rewrote the copy, and the prospect tested it again. Still, no luck.
At this point, he went back to his copywriter a second time. The copywriter basically said tough. The problem must be with your offer, traffic, etc. The copywriter was implying there was nothing wrong with the copy.
Keep in mind, I'm relating this second-hand. So some of the details may not be 100% correct.
As you can imagine, the prospect I spoke with was gun shy of hiring another copywriter. He felt burned from the prior experience. So he was hesitant to work on a fee basis. He was more interested in a commission or royalty type of relationship. I don't blame him.
I relate this experience because it's not the first time it's happened. I've spoken with other prospects in the same position as this fellow.
If you find yourself in such a situation, my advice is to be cautious. In a sense, you are dealing with somebody who is on the "rebound" of a bad copywriting relationship. You don't necessarily want to be the copywriter who is hired on the rebound. You may end up taking some heat or running into difficulties because of what the prior copywriter did or didn't do.
Also, if I may be so bold to say this: Please go the distance with your clients. Do whatever you can to "wow" them. This gives copywriters a better name and prevents clients from being gun shy. After all, no client wants to work with a "hit and run" copywriter.
Trying to "wow" them is a big point.
I've had copy that bombed (may not have been the copy fault--maybe it way). But the client saw how much effort was put into it. It wasn't just a "good draft" that didn't feel taken advantage of.
Really, copy is an investment. It's not a sure-thing. Clients need to realize that. The big-mailers know that. They'd rather see a writer dare some new territory and bomb than play it safe and get a mediocre response
Posted by: John A. Manley | August 01, 2007 at 03:25 AM