This One Tip Always Brought More Copywriting Business to Me.

No, I'm not going to post some shady links to suspicious websites. I'm just going to say this:

Go the extra mile for the client. It's easy. Come up with something that you could offer, as a small gift/sign of appreciation for the customer. We all love bonuses and so do customers.

Here's a personal example. I was ordered a set of tweets and a set of Facebook posts, which were supposed to engage the audience on a new quality level. After examining the task, I noticed that the design of the client's social media pages was pretty bad. So I just went ahead and designed their Twitter and Facebook backgrounds for them. It's not that hard with tools like Canva or any other free online image editing tool. It took me an extra hour or my time. You don't have to be a design pro to do this, just some taste and sense of proportion. This is just an example. The client was surprised and actually used my designs. I received multiple orders from this client after that.

I try to do this all the time - a little something on top, to exceed their expectations.

 

Thanks for sharing that, Alex. It's pretty hard to find someone to do the bare minimum required of them, let alone go the extra mile..

 

And that's why people come here to complain about no business and stagnant market. They're lazy (not all, but the majority).

 

There are a lot of people who have little to no people skills.

 

Thanks for the good advise.
Nowadays, there are so many seller.. it is becoming harder and harder to sell online.

 

It's not becoming so much hard because of the competition you speak of, but more because the general quality of market has declined considerably. If and when the market gets better, this competition will automatically get wiped out as low-grade writers will not be in demand anymore. I know the cheap segment of the market will probably never go away but with Google rolling out some powerful changes in their algos, there's at least a reason to hope.

BTW, that's a nice piece of advice @Alex Toll. Yes, I've experienced this quite often. 'Going that extra mile' does give you repeat business. However, I've had a client recently for whom I had done this but in the end, he started bargaining for a hell lot of things and wanted a great deal more for the price we initially settled. So I guess we need to somewhat nitpick when following. After all, not every person deserves it.

 

I think that it's pretty hard for someone like that to become a copywriter. Copywriting is all about compassion - understand what people need and give it to them.

No problem. That's why it's important to stand out.

Yes, there has to be a balance. After all, this is a 2-way street. That's why I think top notch copywriters are lucky in this regard. They can just dump annoying/rude/unprofessional clients and find some better business.

That's exactly why I also always provide something extra that's not exactly in my line of work. So that it couldn't affect the price ("come on, write another page, you did it for free last time..."). Instead I do unrelated stuff, like Facebook pages and or links to useful resources. For example, I wrote and email and attached links to a couple of free templates, which might suite this particular message.

 

When you deliver more than you promise - that always impresses customers.

One very good example is Brian Clark, of Copyblogger Media fame. I have enrolled in TWO of his courses over the past eight years. One was Teaching Sells. The other is Authority. Brian Clark and his team absolutely OVERDELIVER, every time. They gave me more than they promised. They give wonderful service. Do I want to do business with them? You betcha! Will I be a lifetime customer for them? Absolutely.

 

"Overdelivering" is a bit different from "going the extra mile" though.

 

Alex is dead on.

Going the extra mile is actually one of Napoleon Hill's kaws of success - when you do this, the returns will far exceed the extra.

That's not to say that every time you go above and beyond, the client you do this for will reward you, or even appreciate it. Most to, I think, but some don't.

however, it shows others and you'll benefit one way or another.

As for the comment about a poor market and so forth - things always change, but one thing, I believe strongly, will never change - quality always stands out.

 

That's a good story and worth remembering. It always pays to go the extra mile. Now there's no guarantee that your client is going to appreciate your initiative, but it leaves you with a good and fulfilled feeling. There are a lot of really good people out there who are more than happy to pay more for your value added services. It truly makes them remember you for the next job...

 

Great advice Alex! I have learned over time that it's always good to under promise and over deliver. Figure out a way to really wow the customer. Then again, if you get a customer who asks for so much for so little, then that person may not be worth being your customer.
I know I try to do what I can to wow my clients.