The other day I ran a survey to my list.
I sent an email out asking: "What would have made my last offer for my coaching program a 'no-brainer'... and would have convinced you to join?"
The data was incredibly useful.
However, I've started to notice a common trend every time I run an anonymous survey to my list.
I always get some variation of this response:
Now, here's the thing...I always appreciate the responses I get from my market research. I truly do. It's what helps me serve my people better.
But I've seen this answer half a dozen times already (my list is still tiny).
So it's obviously a big, important desire that people have.
And I want to help them.
That being said...
I don't know you.
I don't know how long you've been doing this.
I don't know if you're a sociopath.
I don't know if you even know how to write copy... let alone copy that can convert for the client you'll get.
I don't know if you're even going to open up the course and consume the system that I teach.
And if you do consume my system, I don't know if you're going to have the balls to follow through.
I don't know if you're going to have the work ethic to keep showing up every day... especially after you get your first rejection.
I don't know if you have the perseverance to stick through 27 straight days of failure so that on day 28 you can finally get some traction.
I don't know if you're going to completely botch the simple steps I laid out for you, get mad at yourself and then turn around and blame me.
Sorry, but I don't.
I do understand why people want that security from an offer they're considering.
I really do.
But the client game don't work like that.
At least not in my version of reality.
It took me over a year to get my first paying client.
I didn't make any money year one.
That's zero dollars.
And I spent thousands of dollars on courses and trainings.
I was way in the red.
Year two, I made a few thousand bucks.
A few thousand dollars over a two year period is usually not enough to convince your friends and family and coworkers that this new "business idea" is a real thing.
Year three, I finally gained some traction.
Yes.
Year three.
Wanna know why?
Wanna know why it took me so long?
I didn't know anyone.
Nobody knew me.
I didn't know what I was doing.
I had no experience.
Did I demand someone hand deliver me a client on a silver platter, given the circumstances?
Of course not.
I put my head down and got to work and started failing.
I failed every single day.I got rejected 300 times over the phone or via email before I landed my first copy job... a $300 fee to write a bunch of emails and Amazon product descriptions and web copy.
And you know what?
I poured my heart and soul into that shit.
I treated that business like it was my own.
Because I knew if I did a good job for that person... she might know just ONE more person I could possibly talk to that could get me to the next gig.
Most copywriters who ask this question are new.
And if you are one of those people, ask yourself...
Why would anyone hire you?
Seriously, ask yourself this. And be objective. Be honest with yourself.
It might be a little discomforting when you realize that you bring nothing to the table.
(Wow... what a dick this guy is!)
Sorry.
That's the truth.
Admitting it is half the battle.
Now at least you have an honest gauge of where you are.
And if you want to do this as a career... and I mean like really do it, not just brag about it in FB groups... you need to stop focusing on the next 30 days and start focusing on the next 30 years.
Step #1 is know people.
So go out and buy products from people who know what they're talking about. People who have proof. People who have done the thing you wanna do... and who are still doing it.
Step #2 get people to know you.
A copywriter just "cold emailed me" and asked me what my biggest secret of success was. Wanna know what I said?
"My work ethic, my mindset and my habits. I find at least one new person every single day who has a problem and I solve it for them without ever expecting anything in return. Do that every day for six years and you'll never have to worry about money again."
But that isn't sexy advice.
That's broccoli advice, not ice cream advice.
And nobody wants to eat their greens.
So no... I'm not worried that people are going to "steal my methods" because most people lack follow through.
Step #3 is get good.
So, write every single day.
Don't have any clients?
Write an ad for craigslist selling some shit around your house. I made $5,000 in a month doing that when I was starting out.
Write your own samples for products you like. I found this dude who did this for 30 days. He took a product he knew and wrote a sales letter for it. Check it out. This impressed the shit out of me. He stopped blogging and communicating with his list... which is kind of sad. Because he was onto something. If he kept this going for the last three months, he could have been a household name in the copywriting world by now.
Maybe he'll read this and start back up.
I've written about this extensively on my blog before.
But if you put in this daily practice of building a network by HELPING PEOPLE and ANSWERING THEIR QUESTIONS... you can then leverage that activity by creating content.
But hey... no one wants to create content.
I tell everyone to write articles.Nobody fucking listens.
That's cool... I'll just stay on my grind and keep eating everyone's lunch.
I have no problem doing that.
You give me 30 seconds, I'll have a new client.
Seriously.I'll make one phone call.
That's it.
I got at least a dozen people who might have a lead for me at any given time.
Wanna know why that's happened?
Because for the 6 years, I've been putting in the work and building relationship capital.
Get a client in thirty days?
That's cake, bro.
Wanna know why?
Because I've made it a point to find a way to help thousands of people... either through direct conversations or through the content I create.
That only happens when you build in the daily habits of writing, creating content and answering peoples questions and helping them.
Getting clients is a matter of generating leads, demonstrating you can help them, and then making a deal.
That's it.
If you can't do any of those three things, start learning how to generate leads.
If you sit in your parent's basement (like I did) and stare at the computer and wonder why the phone isn't ringing off the hook right after you updated your job title on FB to Chief Conversion Officer of YOUR NAME, LLC... it's because people don't know who you are.
And even if they do know who you are, you haven't demonstrated how you can help them.
And if you have demonstrated you can help them, you haven't led people to the next steps... and opened a private conversation.
Get started.
Fuck up.
Fail.
Iterate.
But don't go looking for magic buttons because there aren't any.
