How To Grab A Client With Your Morning Coffee

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it,
to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not,
and never persist in trying to set people right.
– Hannah Whitall Smith

In Issue #207

Main Essay: How To Grab A Client With Your Morning Coffee
by Monica Day

Everyday, when I go to my local Starbucks, I pass an antique store that is probably as old as some of its inventory. I’m not much for antiques, so I generally don’t pay much attention to the place. But the other day, I got curious.

The proprietor was putting out card tables to display some items out front. Something I notice he does faithfully every morning. I peeked into the store and saw it was crammed with the contents of every grandmother’s curio trinkets for miles around.

And all I can think is – aren’t we in a recession? Bordering on a depression? Who the heck is buying all this, um, stuff – and how is this guy staying in business?

“How’s business these days?” I asked.

“Pretty good,” he said. “Can’t complain. Why do you ask?”

So I explain – as tactfully as I can manage – that I figured antiques might be one of those things that people are crossing off their list in an uncertain economy.

“Well, no one from around here buys anything,” he adds.

He goes on to explain that he has lists of collectors from all around the world. When he picks up “new” merchandise, he knows exactly who might be interesting in buying it from him.

Brilliant, I thought.

“So you do most of your business online?” I asked, assuming now that he’s an internet marketing guru just hiding under a few layers of antique dust.

“Online?” he asked – not sure what the heck I was talking about. “No, I take a picture of the items, and I mail them,” he explained, as if I was a moron.

“Ooohhhh … ” I say (as if he were a moron). “I see.”

Now, he was curious. Who is this woman and why is she so nosy about my business? He asked what I do – and I gave him the quick elevator speech.

At this point, were I hungrier, or just starting out and looking for a place to cut my teeth, I would have gone into action. Told him all about how he could be using the internet to make more sales, cut his costs, and expand his reach even further. It would be work – teaching this old dog a new trick. He might have some resistance. But he could be easily turned into a client by someone with even a beginner’s level of understanding of direct response marketing on the internet

I talk to so many new copywriters who aren’t sure how to score their first client. Then I ask who they have on their list of potential clients.

Agora, Nightingale-Conant, Phillips, they’ll say. But they turned in a spec assignment and haven’t gotten a nibble, so they’re about to turn in the towel.

OK, it’s true. People do – and you could – nail these mailers right out of the chute. You could do it at bootcamp, in fact. If you’re really studying, writing, working hard on learning the craft, it can be done. I did it. Krista did it. People do it.

But it’s not the only road to success. And in most cases, even the easy climb to the major mailers made by a few people in our industry was probably paved with at least a few of such small business clients along the way. It’s true for Krista and myself – we both cut our teeth this way early on.

I’m sure every town has dozens of small businesses just like this one that could start earning easier money by using some form of direct response marketing to expand their market share beyond their local area.

The little bit of information that even the most novice copywriter has is probably enough to get them started. You’re not going to earn a fortune or make six-figures on these kinds of clients. But you can practice applying what you’ve learned, have the satisfaction of making a difference in someone’s business, and get a sample and success story under your belt to pull out when you’re shooting for one of the big dogs.

Start paying more attention to businesses in your area and ask how your skills might apply to what they do. You might be surprised at what you find.

Resource Referral: The Roaming Marketing Consultant

I have a friend with very discerning – and very good – taste in just about everything. Movies, restaurants, art – you name it. Which means she also has an opinion – and often a tad of criticism – for just about everything along her path as well.

One day, she said to me, “I think I’m going to get myself a business card.”

Now, she’s not self-employed, so I was curious. “What would it say?” I asked.

“Roaming Curmudgeon.”

I laughed so hard I was afraid I might pee my pants. At first, she laughed along – but after a while, she got a little miffed … “OK, OK, it’s not that funny.”

It was, actually.

Most of us are a roaming something. When you have an area of expertise, or a hobby, or just a lot of interests in the world, you are bound to be overflowing with information and advice that you enjoy sharing with other people. As much as I might tease my friend about her discerning ways, she’s the first person I call when I need a recommendation. And if she was ever so motivated, she could easily turn her “roaming curmudgeon” ways into a lucrative side job.

In a challenging economy, it’s good to think about yourself this way as well. What skills and expertise do you have that could generate a little side income for you in the months ahead?

Although I didn’t, if I wanted to, I could have easily shown the nice antique store owner a way to triple his profits by applying some of the direct response skills I know to his business. I could maybe package a small business special – where I go in and transform their business for, say, $500 for a two-hour consulting session. I would issue a guarantee that if they put my advice into action they would generate at least double what they spent on me – or they get a full refund.

I doubt I’d have to give back a dime.

Could I find two businesses a week to do this for? Absolutely. And there you have it – an extra grand a week. Just like that.

I just came up with this idea off the top of my head. Give me 20 minutes and I’ll give you 20 more ideas just like it. I have no doubt that you could come up with dozens of do-able ideas like this too – with a little help.

My friend Don Hauptman teamed up with AWAI and put together The Versatile Freelancer: How Writers and Other Creative Professionals Can Generate More Income by Seizing New Opportunities in Critiquing, Consulting, Training, and Presenting.

He shows you – step-by-step – how to take the existing knowledge you already have, tap into the contacts you’ve already cultivated, and make money!

In this economy, even the most introverted person ought to give this one a second look. The book, largely based on Don’s own 30-year career as a successful freelance copywriter, comes with a free bonus report and a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee. Check it out.

Quick Copy Tip: What You Can Learn From Doing Nothing

Monica’s Note: It’s been over a year since I had the surgery I refer to below – and I’m back to my crazy pace of life. But I’m a little bit wiser for it – and I remember to slow down and let ideas come to me rather than chasing them down. Without the help of painkillers this time J I thought it might be a good time to recycle this tip for you, too.

I once had to visit a corporate shrink. There was nothing wrong with me, per se. But I was on the management team of my company, and all managers were asked to sit down with this guy for a half hour "assessment." In about 10 minutes he slapped a label on me. He said I was an obsessive-compulsive doer.

I won’t repeat the label I gave him under my breath on my way out the door.

Today, as I’m lying in bed recuperating from surgery, attempting to keep my foot elevated above the level of my heart and still maintain some productivity … I’m thinking that (bleep) might have had a point.

For some of us, it’s next to impossible to slow down. Even when our bodies aren’t racing, our minds are. And yet, as I force myself to sit quietly, I notice more creative thoughts crossing my mind. More ideas opening up to me than usual. And strangely enough … I feel happier and more content.

Granted, it could be the pain killers … but I think I’m on to something here …

I think there is more value to doing nothing than most of us realize. That it is these quiet, empty pockets of time that offer the greatest potential for creativity and rejuvenation.