Do You Make These Five Business-Building Mistakes?
Dear ,
As the economy tightens and businesses get very stingy with their marketing dollars, it's important that you avoid all the mistakes that could sabotage the growth of your business.
If you can avoid these five business-building mistakes, you'll not only attract more business, you will also sell more jobs and at higher prices than your competitors--even during tough times like these.
Mistake No.
1
Not having confidence in your abilities
This is the biggest career killer of all. Just because you're new in this business or you're trying to transition from one niche to another is no reason to stop believing in yourself.
In order to get more work, you must exude confidence that 1) you can do the job and 2) you can do the job better, faster, and more effectively than anyone else.
Now, I'm not talking about braggadocio.
That's an even bigger mistake. No, I'm talking about being confident in your God-given ability to communicate your effectiveness in person, in writing, and on the phone.
So starting today, this very moment, you're going
to commit to yourself and to me that you are not going to be shaken by the doubts of others. You are not going to get discouraged by the "nos" that you hear. You are not going to throw in the towel when results don't come as fast as you want them to.
You are going to begin each day as I do--with an unwavering belief in yourself
that yes, you are an A-list copywriter capable of taking on any product, not only delivering on time, but doing it better than anyone else.
Mistake No. 2
Not understanding that copywriting is a sales job first, not a writing job
I realize for some people this may be hard to believe, but it's true.
Fact is, you'll never get the opportunity to write until you sell the job first. Long ago when I
started my career, I discovered that my sales skills were far more important than my writing skills.
How could this be? Because I would never get the opportunity to write if I didn't sell myself and the job first. Fact is, there are a zillion other writers better than me. Better with grammar, punctuation--better all the way
around!
But what they aren't is far more important. They're not better salespeople. Frankly, I kick their fannies on all counts.
Their problem is that they
can't sell themselves, whether in person or in writing. There seems to be some great mental block someplace--I don't know what or where it comes from.
Take it from me, my friend: if you want to make it in this business, you must learn to come out from behind the keyboard and sell yourself.
That's one reason you signed up for the A-list in the first place.
Beginning today, you are going to apply my past lessons in everything you do to build your
business. You will do all this with confidence, passion, and enthusiasm. And even ask for half the money before you begin to write one word!
Mistake No. 3 Not knowing how to approach clients
This could be the biggest mistake of all. Truth is, just because you've taken a copywriting course or memorized all the great John Caples headlines, that doesn't mean squat to an A-level client, or even to the local small-business men in your area.
They aren't interested in your background. They couldn't care less
what you've done for someone else. The one and only thing these new customers care about is what you can do for them.
So starting today, you are going to commit yourself to identifying what your customers really want from you. To be sure, it would be easy for me to say "a big fat control"--that's a given.
As you'll discover, what they are looking for is a business partner--a top-notch professional they can work with over and over again.
What your prospects really want is not
for you to write copy but to understand their business. Understand your customers' wants, needs, and desires and the money will follow.
Mistake No. 4 Not presenting yourself professionally in person, in writing, or over the phone
If you've heard my interviews with AWAI, Ken McCarthy, and Clayton Makepeace, then you already know that top-tier clients aren't looking for a writer of killer copy or a killer sales letter.
Simply put, they're not looking for hype.
As I mentioned in Mistake #3, clients large and small are simply looking for a top-notch business professional who can help them build their
business.
To be sure, sending promotions will be part of building your business. So will cold-calling. But everything you send will be first class. It will be persuasive and compelling.
It will demonstrate to your client that you know
what you are talking about when it comes to his business.
Beginning today, you will be that person.
Mistake No. 5 Getting discouraged when someone says, "No, not now."
Look--I built my business on the back of "no." I guarantee that 90% of those people you contact will say "no."
Get over it.
If you fold too quickly, you'll never get the job you want. You've got to learn to love "no." Remember, it's a game of numbers; you've got to get the numbers up.
Again, beginning today you will laugh at "no." You will see each "no" coming at you like a
curveball in slow motion. You will simply adjust your stance and choke up on the bat and begin to knock the "nos" out of the ballpark.
If you follow me and the path that I lay out for you, you'll get to the "yeses" much faster and never let anyone stop your pursuit of your dreams.
If you can avoid all these mistakes, you will approach all your new clients with unwavering confidence and a belief in your abilities. You will approach them as a business-builder, not only with a knowledge of their products and their challenges, but with solutions that will make them, and you, money.
Three Words That Guarantee Your Success
Of course, avoiding these mistakes is only half of what will ensure your success.
The other half can be found in these three powerful words: Whatever it takes.
Frankly, therein lies the difference between those who achieve the success that they are looking for and those who end up crying into a pitcher of beer, wondering why they're not getting the business they should be.
As I tell my own children, there is no competition when you go the extra mile. That's because most people do just enough to get by--and not enough to get what they want.
What about you? Are you doing the things you should be to
guarantee your success?
The action--or inaction--you take in cultivating new clients will determine your future wealth.
Let My Path to Success Be Yours
As you know, to help many young copywriters get headed in the right direction, I've developed a one-on-one sales coaching program.
The one common factor that I have seen cripple most beginning copywriters comes downs to one thing: taking the first steps to find and court
clients.
Fact is, most writers come to me not having defined who they are and where they want to go. As a result, they are often lost--not knowing which niches to specialize in or how to pick up the phone and call someone to find work.
This is sad, because many of the writers who come to me are really good writers--they simply do not know how to find work and sell themselves to clients.
In a way, I feel obligated to do so. Because, frankly, nobody I know of is offering the special combination of motivation, personal insight, and direction that my
program offers.
How can I make that claim?
SIMPLE:
I’ve already climbed the mountain, created a multimillion-dollar copywriting business, and loaded up my retirement account so that I don't have to work anymore.
Fact is...
I have had a great career as a copywriter.
I worked from home...
I typed letters (like this one) for a living...
I got paid like an author...
I took my kids to and from school...
I coached their sports...
I went to jiu-jitsu at lunch...
I put a meal on the table for my family...
Put my kids through college...
Paid off my house...
Paid cash for my Tesla...
I want the same for you!
But it will never happen unless YOU learn how to sell yourself!
Let me repeat that:
If you don’t learn how to sell yourself the right way, you will never land the copywriting jobs that you desire.
So let me ask you some questions:
Are you
serious about building your copywriting business?
Are you willing to make an investment in your sales education?
Would you really like to know how you can make it in the copywriting business?
As you’ll see, it’s a simple, sensible, and professional way that anyone can use to
create the copywriting career that they have been dreaming about.
Not overnight, mind you, but step-by-step.
THE OLD-SCHOOL WAY!
That’s why I created it.
To help you build your career the right way.
The slow way.
And not by using a “what-should-I-do-now” approach, but a time-proven systematic approach that works.
What makes me so sure?
Because it’s the one I created that has taken me from $0 in 1989 to more averaging over $400,000 in annual income for more than two decades.
So if you’re tired of the “oh-so-easy” courses that cost you an arm
and
a leg and don’t work…and you are willing to do EXACTLY what I tell you to do, you will not only get work, but you could one day even turn away jobs the way I do.
What You Must First Understand Before
I Can Help You
Now, before I get into the specifics of how I can help you, you must first accept this undeniable truth. That you will hear “no” more often than you will ever hear “yes” in the beginning.
I would be less than
honest with you if I didn’t tell you how many times I was told “no thank you,” “not interested,” “your copy is no good.” I remember one woman years ago telling me that I was not even close to being a professional.
So please don’t think it was an easy
road. When I started, there was a top professional in the local DMA club who was telling others, "Avoid Doug D'Anna."
Maybe it was my personality. Maybe it was because I know new. Maybe it was because he was a jerk.
However, when I hit the big time with a
front-page story in Who’s Mailing What? I received a nice postcard from this gentleman that said, “Congratulations, from a doubting Thomas.”
That’s my point…
You are going to have people
reject you out of hand. People who say no to you before you even get your feet wet. So you must learn not only how to sell yourself, but also how to deal with the setbacks. That’s the other thing all the copywriting courses and training boot camps never teach you that I will.
Everybody who knows me knows that I’ve been
practicing judo for more than 20 years. My coach, Willy Cahill, was not only the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic coach but also the 2000 and 2004 Paralympic coach. Willy has trained more than 1,000 national medal winners!
You know what the first thing he teaches you is?
Not how to throw someone, but how to land! Why? Because everybody gets thrown. EVERYBODY! If you don’t learn how to land, then you’ll get hurt and never get back up to throw your competitor.
The same can
be said for starting your copywriting career.
Should you download my home-study course, that’s the very first thing I would teach you: how to deal with the continual barrage of nos that inevitably come your way. Why? Because if you don’t know how to deal with the nos first, you’ll never get to the yeses. And if
you follow what I tell you, you will get to the yeses much faster than you can imagine.
What makes me say so?
Because I’m going to give you the same pitch I use,
that’s why. And I will have you read and memorize it so that it comes off naturally and everyone you call will assume that you’re a total pro.
If you follow what I say, you’ll never again ask, “Did you get my samples?” You’ll never again ask, “What do you think?” Or have to worry about the dead silence on the other end of
the phone. You’ll never again send them the “killer copywriter” letter. Or write how POWERFUL your copy is. And you’ll never come across as desperate either.
If you take my guiding hand, you’ll launch right into a money making discussion with your prospect that will result in you winning not the job but an account that
could make you tens of thousands of dollars a year.
This is the way the pros do it. This is the way I do it. This is the way you will do it.
If you follow my instructions, I’ll show you the four most important aspects of creating a successful copywriting business:
1. Whom to call
2. What to say
3. What to send
4. How to—and how not to—follow up
Look—there’s a ton of
business out there that is simply yours for the taking. Business that you are missing out on simply because you don’t know the first two steps. Frankly, it’s the “what to say” that is the biggest killer.
Listen to me when I tell you this, I never call up a potential client to send them samples. If
I did that, I’d be broke and have no clients. I call them to open a dialogue that I will turn into a beneficial relationship for both of us.
If all you do in your phone call is arrange to send samples, then you will find yourself in a corner when you call them. What more can you say other than “Did you get a chance to look
at my samples?”
If you follow my lead, you’ll get into the meat of a highly productive sales call right from the beginning. You’ll position yourself as a professional right from the start. And most of all, you will increase your chances of getting more higher-paying jobs.
That’s a big claim, I know. But if you’ve read this far, then we both know you’re not getting the business you know that you should have. And—most important—what you are doing now isn’t working.
As I regularly
remind my own children, there are two ways to the top: the hard way and the easy way. The hard way is to struggle through all the trial and error, make mistakes, get discouraged, and then try to power through that.
The easy way is to take the guiding hand of someone who’s done it. Someone who can lead you and teach you from
personal experience. And that’s what my How to Sell Yourself as a Copywriting home study course can do for you.
Is How To Sell Yourself as a Copywriter Right for You?
Answer these three honest questions and see...
Would you like to work from home and write copy for a living and get paid like an author?
Are you a positive person with an "I can do it" --rather than a "Why bother, it's won't work" attitude?
Are you willing to do THE WORK to get three great paying clients in the next 90 days?
If you can say "Yes" to these three
questions--great--because...
What I'm Offering Here Could Change Your Life
But you are going to have to make a commitment to yourself to see this through.
I'm not going to lie you.
If you can't make a commitment to your own success, nothing I share with you is going to work.
Hower, If you follow the simple path I will lay out for you, you will learn…
How to position yourself as a seasoned professional. When you apply my OLD SCHOOL techniques you will never again pitch anybody with a KILLER SALES LETTER and POWERFUL SALES COPY or ever say things like “Hire me.” This does not work. I will teach you what to say and what not to say. Trust me when I tell you
this. This formation alone will be worth the entire cost of my home study course.
How to identify the people who will value YOU. I’ll explain why you must avoid the people who are looking for just another copywriter. If they are looking for
copy at a price, then they are price shoppers. You want to work for people who value you and the special something that you bring to the table. I will show you how to farm for and groom them.
How to get your clients to say yes. What nobody
ever teaches you is what to say to prospective clients so that they will open their minds and listen to you. If you continue to say the wrong things, you will continue to be locked out of business that could easily be yours. I will teach you how to fashion a professional sales pitch that not only reflects your special personality but gets results.
How to answer their objections. Truth is, you are going to always come up against people who are happy with their current copywriter, don’t think you can do the job, or are unwilling to pay your price. If all you can say to their objections is “OK,” then you will never get the work. When you follow my lead, you’ll learn to take their objections like a judo master and use their force to keep their
minds open to giving you a try.
The right way to get clients interested. If you’ve read this far and you are still sending out the “Looking for a hot copywriter” letter, you are never going to get business. I will give you a short three-to-four-paragraph letter that will increase
your chances of not only getting a return phone call, but also opening them up to receive your call.
The right way to follow up. Most copywriters simply follow up the wrong way. Believe it or not, when you return somebody’s call in two weeks, it’s like 20 minutes to them. Call a week
later, and it’s as if they just hung up the phone and you called right back. I’ll show you the right pacing you need to return calls professionally. Otherwise you will turn off people who would have hired you if only you had some patience.
How to stand head and shoulders above the
competition. Look—99 out of 100 people fresh out of boot camp are going after the same people that you are. If you aren’t doing anything different, you will be perceived just as they are. There is a reason I command a writing fee of $25,000 plus royalties worth ten times that amount. You will learn this secret.
If you’ve read this far, then I know that you are seriously considering in
your mind what it would be like to apply my proven sales techniques.
You have pictured in your mind’s eye making calls, what it would feel like to get the positive responses and land the jobs that you know you are capable of completing. You have thought about what it might be like to learn from a REAL A-level copywriter whose done it.
You've also thought about what if would feel like to get your first $1,000, $2000, $5,000 assignment and collect six figure royalties year after year after year.
You are also asking yourself…
What is this going to cost?
What kind of commitment and I going to have to make to yourself?
Because what you will learn in the first lesson could generate enough money to pay for a lifetime of courses. As
you’ll see, just one idea will more than pay for itself over and over. Given the information that I’ve shared with you so far, which you can begin to apply right now, you can see that what I will be giving you is the Master Key to success.
2. Your
Commitment
You’re going to have to commit to completing all the assignments you’ll find in your guides. You are going to be given assignments to complete. You will be expected to complete each of them. KEEP THIS IN MIND. You are not doing them for me, you are doing them for YOU.
My home study guide holds you accountable to yourself, not to me.
3. How quickly will you see
results?
That, my friend, depends on YOU.
How many prospects you reach out to…how many telephone calls you make…how consistent you are in YOUR EFFORTS.
While I can’t say how quickly you will land your first job, I can tell you this. The clients are out there. You have to get them.
My course will show you how do just that, so you can avoid the months and years of "trial and error."
Lesson I Getting
Started This is the most important session of all: How to get started.
I’ll cover the five big mistakes most copywriters make and how to avoid them. I’ll share with you my complete path to my success along with the key takeaway points that you can immediately apply to your own approach.
Lesson II Connecting With Clients
There’s a ton of business out there that’s ripe for the picking. In this session, you'll identify the niches that will give you a solid advantage over your competition and develop a plan for cultivating them.
I’ll tell you about the five people in virtually every company who hire copywriters and the four proper and professional ways to contact each one. If you’ve always wondered whom to call to find business, you’re absolutely going to love this session.
Lesson III Communicating with Clients As you’ll learn, there is a right and wrong way to communicate with prospective clients. I’ll be covering the four mistakes that will stop you cold – mistakes you need to avoid no matter what.
I’ll then share with you the magic words – the “open
says-a-me” if you will – that will get your prospects listening and will sell them on you almost every time.
I’ve included the same phone scripts I used when I started out that you can use when contacting prospective clients.
Lesson IV Presenting Yourself Professionally
It’s an old saying that you never get a second chance at a first impression. In this section, I’ll show you how you can present yourself like a pro’s pro when it comes to presenting your work.
We’ll review the six important points to include in your cover letter and the five major samples kit faux pas to avoid. Not only that, I’ll share with you the very best ways to package and deliver your samples kit.
And, for those of you who may be panicking because you have no samples, I’ve got a
foolproof solution that will make you look like a seasoned professional right from the start.
Session V Relationship Marketing
If you are serious about
staying in this business for the long term, then you must learn how to create long-lasting relationships. In this session, I’ll show you how not just to close copywriting assignments but to build a long-term relationship of confidence and trust.
I’ll share with you the easy responses for the major objections your prospects might offer. Plus,
I’ll give you my time-proven follow-up conversation openers, and how you can make them your own.
Lesson VI The Secret of Inevitable Success One you complete your five lessons, your sixth one is on me! I’ll share with you my secrets
for staying motivated, negotiating higher fees, and rising up the A-list. PLUS I’ll even give you an evaluation of your first copywriting assignment because you’ve earned it.
A Tuition that You Will Feel Is More than Fair
Look--it's cost me years of trial and error to build my
business, develop contacts, and hone my skills and go from $0 in 1989 to averaging over $400,000 in annual income for more then two decades--banking $700,000 in my best year!
When you use my techniques to refine your sales skills, you could bypass the years of zero income and begin to make money right away.
For more than 15 years, I would coach my selling skills on an individual basis for the same price I would charge for a package critique: $3500.
But you won’t pay anything close to that!
That’s because I have turned my coaching into a home-study guide where you can learn on your own on your own time.
So instead of paying $3500, you can download my complete home study guide at a 65% discount from the regular home study price ($995) just $350.
To be sure, $175 is still a large sum when you are just starting out.
But not when you consider that you'll be learning sales techniques that could pay you $1,000 for your first email, $2500 for your first email series, or $5,000—or more.
So in roughly six lessons, you'll learn not only my selling strategies that will win you more jobs but also position
yourself as leader in the field. That's the most powerful "one-two" combination of sales training I believe you could ask for.
All backed by this unique…
90 Day, 100% Money-Back
Guarantee
If there is one thing that I want you to know, it is that if you purchase my How to Sell Yourself as a Copywriterhome study course, I want you to be more than satisfied.
I want you to land great clients, get high fees, along with recurring royalties that will pay you thousands of dollars month after month after month.
I WANT YOU TO MAKE A TON OF
MONEY.
BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK
Not me.
If after 90 days you haven't landed three clients that, together will pay the cost of this course, I will give you a full refund.
But here's the catch.
You have to complete the assignments
You have to build a 300-400 prospect
list
You have to make the calls
You have to personalize your pitches
You have to create your website
You have to do the work to make it work
You have to prove it by sending everything to me
You see, if you don’t do the work, my program won’t work, and you won't receive a refund.
That's the catch.
So if you were thinking, "I’ll just download the course and see what Doug has to say and then ask for an instant refund."
Don’t bother. Please keep your money.
I won't issue the refund until after 90 days.
And YOU HAVE TO PROVE that you have done everything I have asked you to do.
I figure if your money won't hold you accountable, nothing I say will.
That's why my course is only for those people are willing to make the commitment to themselves and DO THE WORK.
If after you have spent 90 days AND have completed EVERY ASSIGNMENT, send me proof that you have done the work, and have not landed at least ONE client that can pay you for the cost of my course, I will gladly send you a refund.
That means you must
send me:
ALL of your completed assignments,
A copy of your complete prospect list, including email addresses and phone numbers
A record of your telephone call logs for 90 days
A link to your website
Copies of all your emails
A copy of your promotional package, sales pitches, etc. in one PDF.
In other words, you have to do everything I have asked you to do in order to receive a refund.
Those who are willing to make a commitment, not to ME, but to themselves, and are willing to prove they've done the work!
I would be remiss in my responsibility to get you to the next level if I didn’t--and if you didn’t--hold yourself accountable.
My 90-Day 100% money-back guarantee does just that.
I specifically set it up this way because I WANT YOU TO SUCCEED.
The bottom line is this:
You'll never succeed if you buy a bunch of courses only to return them in a few days because they were "too
tough." Or you discovered that "you actually had to work."
This is why, for as long as I have offered this kind of sales training NO ONE has asked for a refund.
Because those people who were serious about learning my OLD SCHOOL selling techniques applied them and made money.
During my career, I've met dozens of copywriters what were WAY better than me. They just didn't make more money than me. The reason: They didn't know how to sell themselves and ask for the big bucks.
As a seasoned direct response copywriter, Doug has created hundreds of profitable direct mail packages, emails, and video sales letters for the world's largest specialized information publishers—generating over $100 million in direct sales.