Copywriting Success – Get Great Clients

If you’ve been a copywriter for longer than three months, you know that every copywriting client with whom you work is different. This makes sense. People are different, and so are their businesses. However, despite their differences, your clients fall into two major groups: the ones you want to work with again, and the ones you don’t.
In the group of clients with whom you’d like to work again are great clients. If only your entire client list consisted of great clients… it can.
Let’s look at how you can get more great clients.
1. Who’s Your Best Client?
Look over your client list. Which client stands out as your number one best client?
Take a pen and a sheet of paper and write down three things which made working with this particular client such a pleasure. You may write things like: “knew exactly what he wanted”, “was willing to listen to my ideas”, and “paid quickly”.
Write down anything else which stands out in your mind as a great attribute this client has.
Now you know what defines a “great client” for you, you can get more of them.
2. Ask Your Best Clients to Share Your Name
People know other people. Your best clients have relationships with people who are very much like them. This means that your best client can share your name with other business people — all you have to do is ask.
If you’re nervous about asking, don’t be.
Just pick up the phone and talk to your client. Tell him you want to grow your business, and since you very much enjoyed working with him you’d like him to share your name with his business friends.
Then ask: “who do you know who could use my services today?”
He’ll give you a name — and you may have another great client with whom you can work well.
This method works — once your clients know that you’re actively looking for more work, they’ll extend themselves to help you to get what you want.
Getting and keeping great clients means learning to fire the not-so-great ones.
3. Learn to Fire Clients
Please realize that you don’t have an employer/employee relationship with your copywriting clients. You work together with your clients, you don’t work for them. This means that when clients become difficult, you should feel quite comfortable about severing the relationship.
Sometimes you have a personality conflict with the client, and sometimes you just can’t get on his wavelength. For whatever reason, it’s better to sever a dysfunctional relationship than to persist with it — it’s better for your client, as well as for you.
If possible, pass your clients on to a copywriting colleague when you no longer want to work with them.