Mail order business??? You mean UPS/FedEx business right?

[GordonJ]

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

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