My #1 Secret To Successfully Handling Client Problems
In my opinion one of the hardest aspects of being a copywriter are the emotional tolls it takes on you.
You hand a project in thinking it’s absolutely brilliant…just to get shot down by the client, wondering what you were thinking.
You come up with an idea you think will explode their business…but they simply don’t like it.
Or maybe you put dozens of hours of work into a project and the client simply doesn’t even seem to care or appreciate the fact that you just worked for an entire month on their project.
Whatever happens…their is one thing that will always happen to every copywriter in the world, no matter what.
The Client ALWAYS Thinks They’re Right
I think it’s funny that we get paid thousands of dollars to write copy and come up with brilliant ideas, but some clients always need to have an input.
And it’s not really their fault either – they’re humans and as humans we want to have a say in anything. It’s hard to simply trust someone 100% – I understand that.
After all, it’s THEIR project and THEIR money so they should have SOME kind of say in what’s being produced…right?
What To Do In These Cases
There are 3 different routes you can take depending on your own credibility, balls and knowledge of what you’re doing.
#1 – The Easy Route – If you do this you can simply listen to your client and make the changes they want with no explanation of why you think you’re right (and please, don’t just say..”I’m right you’re wrong” – learn how to communicate properly without offending them!). In my opinion this is simply stupid because if they are wrong – it looks like YOU are wrong when you show other clients. It also will most likely decrease response, and put an overall damper on your reputation.
#2 – The Tough Guy Route – Some people have the balls to simply tell their client “hey, you hired me to do the job and the copy is staying this way no matter what”. Usually you can only do this and get away with it if you have HUGE credibility and have been proven over and over again to get results. I don’t recommend this route because it makes you a hard to get along with – which no client enjoys…even if you ARE right.
#3 – The Middle-Of-The-Road Route – What I like to do is very simple. Whenever I hand in copy and the client thinks something should be changed, I simply explain (in a nice way) why I think I’m right. If I don’t feel that they’re fully onboard yet I say “ok, I’ll make you a new version – but I just ask that you test both versions and let me know which one works better so I can then have that knowledge for future projects”. That’s not that hard is it? It lets your client get his way, lets you get your way (yes you have to do a little more work but you keep the client happy so it’s worth it), and gives you another set of test results to lock away in your mind for the future.
One of the major blunders I see with some clients is that they simply don’t understand the psychology of the prospect as much as I do.In my business, this is usually where the issues come up.
AND THAT’S OK!
I’m not expecting them to be psychology graduates and have an obsessive compulsion to understand what people are thinking at any given moment or why they might think something completely different than what “common sense” would tell you.
Take-Home Example
Let’s say you’re creating a landing page and giving away multiple items – Dan Kennedy style – with a “Free Gift Worth “XXX”.
Some people might think it’s smart to inflate the value of whatever they’re giving away, thinking that if people saw they were giving away $2,489 worth of stuff…they would take it more often than if it was a smaller amount.
And while that may be true in some cases, like if the value actually WAS that high, in most cases it’s because people are claiming that a simple 20 page report is worth $497.
And again…while that may be true in terms of the knowledge they might gain (and this is the part people don’t understand)…your prospects simply can’t comprehend the fact that 20 pages might be worth $497. People think in terms of size and bulk…they don’t think about the value inside that book.
Why You Need To Start Doing These Tactics Today
As of right now, my copywriting business is probably about 75% referral based.
Why?
Because I treat my clients like gold, produce great copy at good prices (e.g. prices worth it to THEIR business), and understand that even though they’re hiring me – it’s still human nature to have their own opinion.
If you start doing that today…you’d better start learning how to become more productive because you’re going to have more copywriting jobs coming at you that you can handle.
