If you’ve been in business more than a day, you’ve probably figured out that success happens when you can get inside the head of your market and find out what really makes them tick. And what makes them buy.

That’s what freelance copywriters do. They specialize in knowing (or figuring out) what makes your market buy. And then they direct their words at those hot buttons.

So why not use the same idea and apply it directly to your dealings with your copywriter? Wouldn’t it help to know what makes them tick?

Because the more you understand about copywriters, the more value you will be able to get from the money you invest in their services.

So let’s jump in. Here are 27 things your copywriter is probably thinking. I know, because I’ve thought most of them.

1. You don’t like it? Could you be a little more specific?

2. No, it takes me more than a day to write a letter that will help you bring in thousands of dollars of business.

3. I hope this client has a product worth selling. I hope he’s done the research to create a product someone actually wants.

4. It’s gonna take sending out more than one letter to make a million bucks.

5. Yes, even though I’m writing this promotion for you, it could fail. It’s a little like baseball. Hitting 3 out of 10 will make you wealthy and famous.

6. No, simply telling them you are “the only source for all their needs” doesn’t make it so. You have to prove it.

7. I know it doesn’t look like I’m working. I’m thinking. That’s what you’re really paying me for.

8. When does it end? You mean the marketing? It doesn’t end. Thinking that it does end is what created this problem in the first place.

9. Just because you need it yesterday doesn’t mean I can write it that fast.

10. I hope this works.

11. You know, despite what it looks like when I sit and stare at the wall for hours at a time, this is hard work.

12. How much? No, that won’t really work for me.

13. I know that 98% of the people that got the letter threw it away. But that’s good!

14. Well, I’m not sure why it didn’t work. Have you ever sold one of these before?

15. You don’t have any testimonials from satisfied customers?

16. You don’t have a list of your customers?

17. I hope he likes it.

18. But what makes your business unique? Different from every other business you’re competing with? You haven’t thought about that…?

19. How can I tell him (politely) that he doesn’t know what he’s doing?

20. You can’t have cheap, good AND fast. Please pick two.

21. I know the executive committee doesn’t like it, but that’s not the point. The point is to sell your customers. Only your customers need to like it.

22. This guy is sitting on a goldmine and he doesn’t even know it. This is going to be fun.

23. I know it makes you uncomfortable to stick out. But that’s the point.

24. You are not your market!

25. I know you don’t like the headline. But if you change the headline so that you’re comfortable with it, no one is going to read your promotion.

26. You thought it wouldn’t work so you didn’t even mail the letter?

27. I really hope this turns out. I know I can create better results the longer I work with a client. I hope he thinks the same thing.

Of course, not every freelance copywriter is thinking these things. But that’s not the point.

The point is, the more aware you are of what your copywriter is thinking, the better you can help them reach the goal: and that is to make you more money.

If you’ve ever stopped short of working with a freelance copywriter because you thought it was too expensive, well, today’s article is for you.

It’s written by Alan Weiss of Summit Consulting Group Inc. in Rhode Island. If you’re not reading his Contrarian Consulting blog, you are missing out on one of the sharpest business minds I know.

Alan hits the nail on the head when it comes to the one and only thing that matters: the amount of value your copywriter delivers to your and your business.

I’ve asked him for permission to republish his article for your benefit. And he kindly agreed.

Take it away Alan…

A Penny for Your Thoughts, A Million for Your Results

Someone explain this to me:

If a client is best served by a problem being remediated quickly, or an innovation being implemented rapidly, or an improvement being installed momentarily, then why isn’t the consultant charging for the velocity of the work rather than for the duration?

In other words, hourly billing is inherently unethical. The client’s best interests are served by a quick resolution but the consultant’s best interests are served by a lengthy encampment. That isn’t what I’d call a “partnership.”

If a therapist can make me mentally healthy in one hour, isn’t that a lot better than waiting for a year, during which time I might commit mayhem? Shouldn’t the therapist charge me for that value, instead of insisting I visit for a year until the meter is full? My chiropractor urged a $250 program of ten visits, when, in reality, the first two visits wondrously took care of everything and I gladly would have paid $1,000 just for them! (Unlike most authors, I advise professional service providers not to read my books!)

When I moved to Rhode Island I interviewed a bookkeeper who couldn’t use a computer and charged by the hour. The bizarre dynamic of me paying more for her ineptitude completely escaped her.

The wedding planner for our daughter’s wedding (you can see photos at the bottom of my home page: http://www.summitconsulting.com) for which no expense was spared, gave me the option of $150 an hour or a flat fee of $3,500 with $1500 up front with eight months to go until the ceremony! I couldn’t write out the $1500 check fast enough, and she didn’t want the final installment until the event!

Would ten percent of a six figure wedding really be unreasonable to ensure the quality of the evening and the sanity of the parents? Cheap at twice the price.

Our time isn’t valuable. Our results are valuable. Input is irrelevant. Output is relevant. Tasks can be done for a price. Outcomes are priceless.

I don’t want film or digital images; I want memories. I don’t want a great room: I want a romantic experience. I don’t want a 16-position airplane seat; I want to arrive refreshed and ready to do business in London. I don’t want steel-belted radials and high torque; I want people to stare and point as I glide by.

And when they stare and point, they remark, “There’s that guy who only charges based on value.”

© 2008 Alan Weiss and Summit Consulting Group Inc. Reprinted with permission from Contrarian Consulting.

The bottom line is, hiring a freelance copywriter is about value. Value delivered to your business. Nothing else.

To find out more about Alan Weiss, his writings and his ideas, you can contact him using the information below:

Summit Consulting Inc.
Contrarian Consulting

Freelance copywriters are everywhere these days. If you are looking for a good one to help you create your next promotion or help grow your sales, then here are four things to consider. Four traits you want to look for in your next freelance copywriter.

Let’s jump right in…

1. Communication - Your ability to communicate clearly with your freelance copywriter is perhaps THE most important thing on this list. Without good communication, your results will be smaller than they should be and you won’t get the full value that your copywriter can deliver.

Can your copywriter communicate with you? Can they communicate with your employees? Can they communicate well when things go right and when things go wrong?

Of all of the problems I’ve had in my own freelance copywriting business, EACH one can be traced in part to poor communication.

2. Accountability - Is your copywriter responsible for the results of their actions? When a promotion fails, will they accept their fair share of the blame (and come up with some ideas to help improve future results) or will they point the finger at you, your product or your process?

During the interview process, you might consider asking the copywriter about successful projects they’ve worked on. And be sure to ask them about projects that didn’t work out so well. How they speak about the failures will tell you a lot.

3. Marketing Mindset and the Ability to SELL - This is key. You need a freelance copywriter that knows how to sell. After all, that’s really what this is about. Selling your products and services to your marketplace.

So you need to know about their selling skills or selling experience. And the best way to get a glimpse of that is to pay attention to how they sell you to become a client.

4. Writing Skills - Of course your freelance copywriter needs to be able to write. But in the bigger scheme of things, it’s probably one of the least important skills when compared to the ones earlier in this list.

Who wants to work with a writer who is a jerk, who can’t accept responsibility, who can’t sell, who can’t even communicate? That’s not a recipe for a profitable relationship.

Hiring a freelance copywriter can create a huge boost for your business. Just get the information you need to make the right decision for you and your business.

To make sure you get the right copywriter for your next project, it’s a good idea to have some understanding of what makes a copywriter a good one.

And the easiest way to do that is to read Claude Hopkins’, “Scientific Advertising.”

It’s probably the most famous (and profitable) book about advertising and writing copy that has ever been written.

In fact, famous advertising and copywriting genius, David Ogilvy, had this to say about Hopkins’ book:

“Nobody, at any level, should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times. It changed the course of my life.”

Click on the image of the book to download your free copy right now.

The next time you’re interviewing a freelance copywriter, consider asking them this question:

“Why aren’t you writing for yourself?”

“Why aren’t you your own client?”

I know a lot of copywriters who started as freelancers and then ended up becoming their own client. I’m one of them.

There’s nothing wrong if your freelance copywriter doesn’t want to write for himself–if he doesn’t want to sell his own products and build a business.

There are plenty of excellent copywriters that simply have no interest in doing that. But asking the question will give you some additional insight about the copywriters you are considering working with.

Your frame of mind can really have a big effect over what you get for your money when you’re out looking for a freelance copywriter.

There are really two primary ways to view the services of a freelance copywriter.

1. You view them as an expense.
2. You view them as a potential profit center.

A lot of business owners perceive a copywriter as a business expense item simply because they don’t really understand what a good copywriter is capable of creating. A good copywriter is capable of a whole lot more than just stringing words together so they sound good.

In fact, a good copywriter could be one of the most valuable tools you have in your business. If you know how to leverage their skills.

The whole point of a (good) copywriter is to take ideas, translate them into words and create sales.

If your freelance copywriter is just stringing words together, you either have the wrong one, or you haven’t taken time to understand the power of what you’ve got.

Some copywriters will get your project done in a week. Other copywriters will take 3-4 weeks or more to write your promotion.

But how long does it really take to write a couple pages of copy?

Well, the simple answer is: not long. At least not for most copywriters. But it’s not so much the writing that’s the problem. It’s what comes before the writing that can take a while.

There’s a lot of work that you don’t see when it comes to writing copy. And much of that work involves creativity.

I’m not talking about the “coming up with a cute tagline or slogan” type of creativity, but the creativity that allows a copywriter to take a huge amount of information and turn it into a unique sales message that will get your market to take action.

And every copywriter has their own way to do that. Some take pages and pages of notes as they study your market and your product. Then they turn to those notes to come up with ideas to make the promotion a success.

Others just ingest a bunch of information and let their creative subconscious take charge. They walk around for a few days “mulling it over.” They’re just waiting for their subconscious to drop the perfect “hook” to put into your promotion. The hook is that one big idea that will turn readers into buyers.

For me, I know that once I’ve done the research… once I know exactly who my market is… and once I’ve given my mind some time to churn… the actual writing process is fast.

If I’m writing a 10 page salesletter for a product, it can be done in a few hours once all the preliminary work has been done.

For me, it just flows at that point.

So how long should it take to get your copy? A week? A month?

The answer is that it just depends on who you’re working with. And that’s really a blessing in disguise. Because what you’re really paying for when you hire a copywriter is the copywriter’s unique take on how to sell your product. And that uniqueness means that there is no hard or fast rule about how long it should take.

But here’s something to consider:

For me, the longer I work with a client, the quicker the whole process goes. The more I understand my client’s product and the deeper I understand the market, the quicker I can create results for everyone. And the better those results tend to be.

My hunch is that this is true for a lot of copywriters. And it’s a good reason why once you find the right copywriter, you should consider sticking with her. A long term relationship can be a whole lot more profitable for everyone involved.

So it’s a given that a competent copywriter is good with words.

They can take powerful ideas and put them on paper or onto the web in a way that makes people take action. That’s key…

But when you’re dealing with a good copywriter, you’re selling yourself (and your profits) short if that’s all you ask your copywriter to do.

Because one of the most important benefits a copywriter should bring to the table isn’t just the ability to arrange the words on a page. The copywriter should also help you create the most effective way to position the entire campaign.

Let’s say you’re selling a business opportunity to Fortune 500 executives. If you’re going to write an ad, you’ve got to figure out what you’re really selling.

• Are you really selling a business opportunity? A way to make some extra money?
• Or are you selling a way for your customer to take control of his time? To call his own shots?
• Or are you selling a way to give your customer a piece of the “American Dream?”
• Or are you selling a way for your customer to finally give a little “payback” to his current boss by being able to quit his job in 6 months or less?

You’ve got to figure out what it is you’re really selling. Because if you don’t choose the “right” thing to sell… if you don’t position your product as the logical solution for your prospects’ most pressing need… then chances are, your prospects won’t buy.

And that’s what a copywriter can (and should) help you do. In other words, a good copywriter is actually a marketer in disguise.

And if you’re going to invest your money in hiring a copywriter, you need to be sure to get every ounce of value you can.

So ask your copywriter for help. The good ones will know what to do.