Today’s interview is with Katie Yeakle, Executive Director of American Writers and Artists Inc. in Delray Beach Florida.

Katie works with people from all walks of life who are looking to leave the rat race behind and live “the writer’s life” as freelance direct response copywriters and artists.

Since 1997, Katie and AWAI have helped thousands of people with no prior writing experience successfully launch freelance writing and graphic design careers and prosper in the $1.8 trillion direct response industry.

(I’m one of them…)

Here are just a few things you’ll discover in Katie’s interview:

• The biggest reasons you should be working with a freelance copywriter.
• What makes a good freelance copywriter (and how to know if you’re talking to one).
• The biggest (and most expensive) mistakes business owners make working with freelance copywriters… and what to do about it.

But Katie also has tips for freelance copywriters as well… including Katie’s best advice for finding clients and getting noticed. And some ideas about what to charge.

Get a pen and some paper and enjoy the interview…

To learn more about American Writers and Artists, Inc., visit their website at http://awaionline.com

 

 AWAI Executive Director Katie Yeakle: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (81)

How many conversations does it take to “screw in a light bulb”? The answer is “Shut up and pay the electricity bill!” The screwing in of the light bulb, the flipping of the switch and the brilliant result of finally getting “light” really isn’t your job. It’s your customer’s. And if you don’t believe me, then just check out how fast they leave your “sales process” because you didn’t give them the tools they needed to “turn on the light” by simply paying the electricity bill!

What do I mean? I mean that in today’s insanely-paced, (useless) information-stuffed, attention-deficit world, people (meaning your customers, no matter the product) want only 3 things:

• solve the problem I’m having right now this red-hot moment,
• do it in a way that I can understand and can easily implement fast, and
• answer the questions that come up in the conversation inside my head that allow me to logically justify the emotional urge that I have to buy your product

That’s all. Not such a tall order.

We “solve the problem” by getting to the “emotional root” of what the customer really wants in the buying of your product; we “do it” with words that immediately touch a nerve and pull them down the page to an effortless wanting to pick up the phone or email you in the moment; and we “answer the questions” by getting inside their head and helping them answer the questions themselves, therefore “selling themselves” on your product.

YOU, as the sales person, have honestly been taken out of the equation. People have to sell themselves these days! Through their own research, on their own time frame and in their own thinking about what they’ve just gathered and read/skimmed, they will come to their own conclusions about when to take out the wallet. My, oh my, times are a changin’. So, what pushes them over the edge to buy your product instead of your competitor’s? The words on the page, it’s really that simple.

As stated above, your job is simply to “pay the electricity bill”.

The “Electricity Bill” is your copywriter, an undervalued resource at best, but slowly being uncovered as the engine inside the Ferrari, the spicy taste in a divinely prepared dish and the electricity in the walls that no one can explain exactly how it works, but know that nothing in the world now could function without it. Often taken for granted, but desperately wanting to be recovered when it’s not present. In a word… priceless.

You need to find the copywriter with the right “voltage” to match your company and your customers and then develop a long term relationship that allows you both to get a “rhythm” of how you want to get from Point A to Point B. Over time, your copywriter will make you more money than anyone else in your company; this fact has been proven time and time again!

So, “pay your electricity bill” without thinking twice and shine some light on your bank account, as well as give your current and future customers the tools they need to “turn on the light” and make their own decisions in choosing you as their (long term) solution.

If you are a client wanting more leads, more sales and more money… then you need more power, more focus and more warmth………. In a word: electricity.

Good luck with your future business!

Pam Bertrand
Consistent Voice
info@consistentvoice.com
www.consistentvoice.com
(818) 574-8918