Asking for the order
I ran my first freelance copywriters’ masterclass yesterday in central London.
It was, I think, a success.
Our first exercise, as well as being a chance for the delegates to introduce each other, was to get a sense of everyone’s burning issues.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there were a few common threads…
- More money.
- More upmarket clients.
- Gaining confidence in quoting/holding the line.
- Selling skills.
- Marketing.
We also took time to write a vision for our businesses and an elevator pitch.
Andy teaching freelance copywriters how to run a more profitable business.
An overriding theme that emerged very early on was “Why don’t clients place more value on my work?”
It seems to me, having observed this market for a number of years, that the answer is, “Because you don’t.” (That’s all freelancers, not the ones on the masterclass.)
Measuring its value by the number of words you write or the hours it takes you is all wrong. So is charging as little as, say, £125 for a sales letter.
My advice? Start pegging the value of what you do to something that matters to the client, like revenue delta (change). A company hoping to win £500,000 in extra sales from a campaign they want you to write might, just, be willing to pay you properly for your expertise.
Andy with delegate Katherine Wildman.
Many thanks to Katherine Wildman for this pic and the two above.
I’ll close with this from delegate Laura Silcock…
“Andy’s freelance masterclass was absolutely brilliant and worth every penny. I came away feeling totally fired up and with heaps of practical advice and materials to help me set my business on a new, much more profitable, path. Andy’s got a really natural, friendly presenting style, so the day was thoroughly enjoyable, but he made sure we stayed on track and addressed all of our burning issues. The post-course hotline is a very welcome bonus and one that I’ll definitely be using. Andy really knows his stuff – not just about copywriting, but about building a business and I’m delighted that he’s happy to share his knowledge, techniques and experience.”
Copywriter Laura Silcock
