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05/15/2008: "Most People Who Contact You Are Not Real Prospective Clients."

Most of the people who contact you are not really prospective clients. At least, that's the case with me. I no longer personally accept phone calls and I use email to make my initial contacts with people. Why?

I've found that most people are simply time-wasters. For example, I got a request for a quote today from a man who wanted a long microsite to sell a product.

"I tried several sales copy writer before for my product sold through www.url.com but it still could not achieve a conversion rate of 2%. I really need help on revising this sales copy to achieve much higher conversions. Currently the conversion rate for my sales letter is around 0.40% only. Would you be able to help me?"

That was his message to me. (I changed the URL.) But his budget? Under $1,000!

Do you see what I mean about most people being time-wasters? They seem to want the moon but can only afford a lawn chair from which to view it at night.

So what do you do to get "real" prospective clients to knock at your door?

For starters, I think we should set some minimums in our marketing material somewhere. Let people know that they'll have to pay going professional fees if they want our help. They have to stop this thinking that everything is free or cheap.

They want you to make them a ton of money. They just don't want --- or can't afford --- to pay you to do it. You don't need, nor do you want, this sort of person to contact you in the first place.

While I don't think you have to post your fees unless you want to, I do think you should make sure that people understand you're not in the welfare business.

Once a woman told me that she was just a lone woman and didn't have any money but had a great idea. Surely I'd help her for a few bucks. Since I am a woman, I'd understand. Right? Wrong! I work my ass off for what I have and don't expect free or cheap help. The fact she's a lone woman meant nothing to me. Hell, no one but me pays my bills.

Other people come to me saying they're Christians and surely I'd help them for little to nothing because of that. Well, sorry --- but that doesn't matter to me one way or the other. I don't fall for sob stories. I have my own problems.

In other words, I'm a capitalist. I'm in business to make money. I help people create wealth. I fully intend to be paid what I'm worth or I don't work.

I suggest you adopt the same attitude if you want to have a successful copywriting practice. Save your valuable time for those people who are "real" prospective clients and can afford to pay you what you're worth. It's a fact of life that we give more to those who do more for us. Those people willing and able to pay our rightly-deserved fees will get better service and greater results than people who nickel and dime you until you're out of business.