How To Settle Disagreements With Copywriting Clients

If there’s one situation where the age-old maxim “The customer is always right,” doesn’t apply, it’s in marketing and copywriting. After all, the reason you were hired as a copywriter was to help fix the marketing that wasn’t being done right in the first place.
Often disagreements will come up with the client that will impede your goal of making your client as much money as possible. Your client might think your headline is too edgy, or that your email copy is too long. “I know my customers, and they would never read something like this!” is a common objection.
Obviously, this does not mean your client is unintelligent. It merely is a reminder that most of the population has not gone through the intense study and practice of copywriting you have… hence why you were hired in the first place!
My strategy to settle disagreements like this is to offer a split-test. For websites, Google Website Optimizer is a great free tool to create multiple variations of a page and test which one converts better. With enough traffic, you will have a very easy time proving that your sales copy is the proper choice. If you are in a disagreement over an email, most autoresponder systems will allow you to split test as well. AWeber and GetResponse are particularly strong at this, for example.
Once you’ve conducted a split test, make sure you actually hear the results! While you might think your client should be overjoyed at your performance and eager to tell you what worked and what didn’t, it is very possible that your client will be embarrassed and not want to share with you the statistics. Check in after a split test and get hard numbers. It’s important to get conversion rates anyway, so you know how well you’re doing, and can advertiser yourself in the future based on past results.
Could you be wrong and lose the split test? Of course it can happen. If it does, it’s not the end of the world. Just say, “It looks like you were correct about that,” and move forward. You’re not going to get fired over a disagreement you calmly resolve with a split test. In the future, the client may feel more confident that he knows better than you, but that’s fine. Just split test again next time. If your client beats you in a split test three times in a row, then it’s a sign you either need to study his market better or need to work on your copywriting skills.
Remember that all good marketing can be tested and proved, and your copywriting should be the clear winner when challenged.