Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonJ
Got a newsletter today from a famous copy writer (a real one) who has a new book about how MAIL ORDER is making a huge comeback.
Gordon
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I stumbled into writing copy, and never really called myself a copywriter. Of all the things I might have put on a business card, copywriter wasn't one of them.
During a 30 year period, I never looked for a client, never solicited or didn't try to sell my services, they all came looking for me. So, I don't offer much to the 200,000 new copywriters who daily whine:
"How do I find my first (or second or 6th) client?????
I don't know. I suspect if you write copy and it works, they find you.
But maybe that is old man, old world thinking? I don't know.
I do know I turned down most offers made to me, mainly because I was busy with my own stuff, and didn't want to commit the time to someone's project, my plate was full.
I did, however, pay attention when commissions were a part of the deal.
Being a face to face salesman, I liked depending on ME for the income. So flat rate fees for writing just didn't have the appeal, that a fee PLUS a commission did.
And way back in the 1970's, long before it was popular, I sort of got specialized with working with Vitamins, Supplements and all that sort of thing, and got a lot of work for my SELF MAILERS, which, if anything, became the thing that got me noticed in the DIRECT RESPONSE world.
Writing direct response copy was a natural extension of my face to face selling once I heard the idea that Copy was salesmanship in PRINT.
Plus all that work with hypnosis and Erickson "distraction" technique, all came together. Maybe that is why I never looked for a client and turned so much work away...I made myself (unintentionally) unavailable, thus, commanding higher rates?? I guess.
But when you get a winner, that pulls in lots of moolah in a short period of time, word gets around. I guess I would tell today's wannabee copy writer to...
get ONE winner...
and you'll have work, maybe for decades ahead, if you can sustain it.
Gordon