It’s geared toward copywriters, but can apply to almost any business that sells products or services.

I HAVE had this happen to me as a copywriter – just once. A real estate agent in California wanted copy for something. (I forget just what, now, because it’s been a couple of years.) We discussed the project at length and settled on a fee. He said “Great, send the contract.”

So I did, and I’ve never heard from him again. It really would have been nice if he’d told me what happened, but…

It happened once in real estate as well. One of my co-workers had a young couple who was interested in one of my vacant lot listings. They wanted to see it and she had another appointment, so I took them to the property.

They said they loved it! But they were on their way to an appointment out of town, so couldn’t come back to the office to write an offer right then. They said they’d be in the next morning.

I have no idea what happened, but they didn’t come back. And since they weren’t MY clients, I didn’t get names and contact information. Come to find out, neither did my co-worker. (How silly was that??)

Anyway… onward to Chris’s message…

G E T G R E A T C L I E N T S

ISSN # 1936-7074

Dear Marte,

This month I’ll share a problem every copywriter
experiences…

And that’s what to do when you’re left “standing
at the altar” on a copywriting job.

One of my past students emailed me with this
distressing situation. In her own words:

“What do you do when you talk to a potential
client several times and you both agree on the
details of a project? (The project is worth
$4,800.) They seem pleased and excited about
continuing.

“I send them my Fee Agreement with details on
where to fax it and where to send the deposit. I
emphasize the point that I cannot begin work on
the project until I have both the signed Agreement
and deposit. I wait… and wait…

“Four days later I send them a short and friendly
email asking if they have received the information
and again remind them that I can’t begin work
until I have the Agreement and deposit. No
response. The due date that we set for the initial
stage of the project is approaching…

“What do I do? Have they dropped the project? Do I
give them another nudge or is this too pushing?”

4 TIPS ON HOW TO INTERPRET A POTENTIAL CLIENT’S
SUDDEN SILENCE – AND SAVE THE DEAL

In my experience there are four common
possibilities for why a potential new client
suddenly shuts down at the beginning of an
agreement:

1. Way more often than you’d think, it’s not YOU,
it’s that there’s something awry internally in the
potential client’s business.

And if it’s a budget issue (like not being able to
cut a 50% check on demand), it’s less embarrassing
for the contact to remain silent while he or she
tries to remedy the situation.

In other words, the silence may simply be a
stalling tactic. It’s far less painful to come
back to a copywriter and say “Sorry, the boss was
out of town and we needed her signature,” than to
say “We’re so stretched we can’t pay you $2,400
right now.”

2. Another hold-up is the possibility that the
contact has hired you, but now needs to sell the
boss. In this case, patience is a virtue. (If your
contact shares this dilemma with you, which is
unlikely, you can always write a letter for her,
designed to influence the boss. I myself have done
this, to extreme success!)

3. You may have a lemon on your hands… a company
that is actually backing away because your price
is higher than what they were hoping for.

If you priced fairly, and were smart enough to
structure the Fee Agreement in such a way that
some things can be whittled away in order to bring
the price down without hurting the client’s
objectives — or your projected hourly fee —then
you should be able to save this situation.

For instance, I have a situation now that’s in
limbo. Are they sticker shocked? Doesn’t matter. I
can always say, “Ok, let’s eliminate this part,
and that drops the fee by X. We can still meet our
objectives, right?”

4. Another reason for the cold shoulder may be a
sudden a turn of events on their end. World
affairs, a business emergency, a fired executive,
new legislation, or a change in business strategy
are just a few common derailers.

I’ve even seen delays because a merger was
imminent. And with mergers there are usually power
struggles… in which case your contact may be
unsure of what business decisions to make.

(Incidentally, times of upheaval are a good time
for copywriters to get their foot in the door. A
messy event is called a “trigger event” because it
triggers opportunity for you!)

So these are tips on what to expect as you rise
higher in the copywriting world… and how to
handle each situation with grace and aplomb.

HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOU NUDGE A STALLING
CLIENT?

I would send a maximum of three emails (one every
three days), and on the third email (about the 9th
day) I’d say that it appears the project is
stalled. I would leave the door open by letting
the client know that “I’m setting the file aside,
but I’m here when and if you move forward.”

When you show your client that you respect your
own time, they will respect it too.

REPRINT RIGHTS: This article is available for use
in your marketing. Simply append with this copy:

Chris Marlow is the original copywriters coach
since 2003, bringing copywriters into the world of
high quality clients and maximum career
satisfaction. Chris also helps copywriters achieve
thought-leader status in their niche markets and
create new revenue streams with information
products. For more information, follow these links:

http://www.thecopywriterscoach.com

http://www.chrismarlow.com

Chris Marlow
Achieving Goals Through Trusted Advice(tm) Since 2003

http://www.thecopywriterscoach.com

http://www.chrismarlow.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemarlow

http://www.facebook.com/thecopywriterscoach

http://www.twitter.com/Chris_Marlow

74800 San Cristoval Circle
Palm Desert CA 92260

Since I’ve had clients in the past who swore by home warranties and wanted to refresh my memory about exactly what they covered, I decided to click on the link that promised to tell me.

The link said “Take a look at expenses not covered by homeowner’s insurance.”

But guess what? When I followed that link I got a “Squeeze Page” that asked for ALL of my information: Name, address, phone, cell phone, email – everything. The copy next to it instructed me to fill out the form and a representative would call.

So, of course I clicked away. I wanted some information, not a series of calls from someone intent on selling me a warranty.

I believe most of us react that way, now that the Internet offers us the opportunity. We want to do our research first, compare what different companies offer, compare pricing, and decide which company we might want to deal with.

Before we do talk to someone, we might even dig around on line to see what other people have to say about the company. Are they listed on Ripoff Reports? Are there blog posts saying good or bad things about them?

Giving some basic information and promising to send more by return email is a good way to capture the names of interested clients. Insisting that they give you all their contact information before you tell them anything is not.

This particular company would have done well to first give the promised information – what repairs they cover. Then they could offer a report with case studies, statistics showing how homes with warranties sell faster or for more money, or even the price sheet showing the different options available.

What do you think? Would you have left your information on that site?

This was a lead generation tip for Realtors, but any business that provides a “big” service could use it.

After you’ve closed on the sale of a home (or installed a pool, remodeled a kitchen, landscaped a yard, etc.) throw a party! Let the client invite 25 friends for the celebration, and while they’re there, do your best networking.

Hand out cards, of course, but mainly just get acquainted with these folks so they can see how friendly you are and imagine how pleasant it would be to work with you. You can also use this time to learn more about what your potential clients are most interested in about your kind of service, and use that knowledge in future marketing. If you listen well, you might learn something you didn’t know about your prospect base.

You could also hand out discount cards. Make it a VIP kind of thing – because they’re friends of your friends (clients.)

Let your client choose the kind of party – wine & cheese, beer & pizza, punch and cakes, or whatever fits their personalities and lifestyle.

Now, if I could only figure out a way to use this idea myself. But, all of my clients are long-distance. Hmmm… guess not. Be pretty hard to serve refreshments through the computer.

Happy second half of June!

Marte
writer@marte-cliff.com