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Did you hate word problems in math class back in school? Trust me, your clients hate word problems too, and that might just be what is hurting your closing rate.
“If a client was truly certain that hiring you would bring them a hefty ROI, they would hire you every time,” advises copywriting expert Stefan Georgi. “That’s why I recommend doing the math for a client.”
Georgi, a direct response copywriter whose work has led to over $700 million in sales, knows how to sell a product, especially his own services.
Doing the math for the client is as straightforward as it sounds, and Georgi illustrated with an example.
“Say you want to charge a client $50,000 for a marketing campaign. You find out that their revenue goal is $1 million, and that their profit margin is roughly 20%. That means if the client hits their goal, they’ll net $200,000, which is a 4x return on what they paid you.”
Spell that all out for the prospective client. “Then tell them that given your record of helping similar clients get results like these, you feel confident you can help them do the same thing,” says Georgi.
Georgi says to show the client exactly what you can do for them. Whether that’s through hard data, or a portfolio of success, or taking the initiative with spec work, there are a variety of ways to show those high paying clients that you’re the perfect fit for their business.
“When trying to land dream clients you run into two big obstacles: one, they don’t know who you are, and two, they don’t know if hiring you is going to yield a positive ROI,” he notes. “You can alleviate both of these roadblocks by proactively providing the client with an immediately usable asset for free.
For example, a copywriter could reach out to a brand with a pre-written promotional email.
“Tell them you’re a fan of their company, and since you’re a copywriter, you decided to do an email for them for free (no strings attached),” says Georgi. “All you ask is they let you know how it performs. This strategy works because it gets you on the client’s radar, differentiates you from the competition, and makes it easy for the client to see how working with you could yield a positive ROI.”
For your future it is imperative to get data on performance. I am a big fan of measurable results testimonials, where the client mentions a raw number, percentage increase, or time savings.
“Make sure you are getting data and feedback from current clients,” says Georgi. “That way, when talking to new prospects, you can leverage that data. Specifically, you can show the new prospect how you worked with a similar business in the past, and got them excellent results. This increases your credibility and authority in that prospect’s eyes.”
Don’t take any work just to pay the bills. Focus going after clients who will make your work visible.
“The best clients and companies to work for are the ones who are already winning,” says Geoergi. “The reason why is because their processes are more dialed-in, which means your work is more likely to see the light of day. Once your work goes live you can point to the client, and the asset you created for them, when talking to similar prospects.”
Georgi currently is a coach for business owners on copywriting and strategy as part of the Copy Accelerator company he co-founded.
