How To Enhance The Client/Copywriter Relationship
The battle between copywriter and client is one that all of us have faced at one point or another.
The client wants to pay as little as possible, and the copywriter wants to work as little as possible.
And in the next few minutes I’m going to explain why BOTH of these sides of the coin are morons, and how to fix it immediately.
Why Clients Should Want To Pay MORE Money
It’s amazing to me that some clients try to negotiate down price as much as possible. They want to pay the least amount of money, take a month to pay the bill, or any other shenanigans you and I have both been through.
But the question here is…why?
To me, it makes no sense.
Think about it.
To me it’s blatantly obvious that the more I’m going to get paid for a job, the better work I’m going to do.
Keep in mind – I’m NOT saying me or any other copywriter out there would do a worse job on purpose…
I’m talking about the unconscious process going on behind the scenes which makes all the difference in the world.
It’s kind of like writing about a subject you really don’t care about versus writing to a niche you’re insanely passionate about. Even though you’re still putting 110% effort into both jobs, you’ll ALWAYS write better for a niche you’re passionate about.
And the same goes for clients.
If you have a client who gives you more money, pays on time, is easy to work with, etc. – you’ll write better for them than a person who doesn’t do those things. There’s simply better karma in the relationship, more good-will and more “pleasure” that comes out of it when we get bonuses, extra pay, etc.
So my message to clients is…stop worrying about saving a few hundred bucks and getting the absolute lowest possible price from your copywriter – and start seeing what you can do to help them write better copy!
It may not always be money…it might be simply giving them more research, paying on time, giving better feedback, or a number of other things.
But trust me, even if you end up paying a little more money on the front-end…it will pay off HUGE as time goes on because I can guarantee you – you’re going to get better copy written every single time.
Why Copywriters Should Put 110% Into Every Job
For all the copywriters out there who have a hard time doing work for certain clients…trust me…I understand.
Sometimes you and the client simply don’t “click” but you need the money so you do the job anyway.
Or maybe you simply don’t think you’re getting paid enough for the work you’re doing…but you do the job anyway.
Either way – you still need to put 110% into that job, even if you don’t THINK it’s worth your time.
Why?
Clients talk.
Just because you may not be getting your highest fee for a job doesn’t mean it won’t pay you back in dividends later.
I’ve had clients that I did jobs for and they ended up starting a chain that led to about a half-dozen more clients, and still continue to push me more and more into their circle of influence as time goes on.
And am I perfect?
Of course not.
Earlier in my career I didn’t realize how important every job was. Whether I didn’t click with the client, wasn’t getting paid enough money or whatever the case – sometimes it just “happens” that the job didn’t get done to my absolute best standards.
Sure, it’s a very hard thing to admit…especially when I know a few of my clients that read my blog (don’t worry, the client-relationships I’m talking about naturally dropped off over time!) …but it’s the truth.
And it’s the truth for every single person reading this post. As a human being, it’s simply impossible to put your absolute best into every single thing you do – no matter what you think or say.
As I mentioned earlier, it may even be that it was subconscious because the client didn’t pay as much, but sometimes your mind simply doesn’t allow you to do the best you can.
Here’s my message to all the other copywriters reading this… if you’re doing a job you’re not happy with, do the best you can anyway. If you do a great job on a cheap project and that client tells 1 person who tells 3 more, who tells 5 more, etc…it can add up big time. Trust me – word gets around whether you’re a great copywriter or a lousy copywriter, so you better be on the winning end of things!
