In today's newsletter, I want to talk about the importance of retaining clients for as long as possible, how to do it, what it means for your copywriting business and give you a real-life example of how this is working out for me.
It's one of the truths of freelance copywriting that landing new clients is way more difficult and takes up more of your precious time than retaining good-paying clients. Successful copywriters tend to hold on to clients which makes life easier on so many many different levels.
Firstly, time wasted chasing new clients is time in which you're not being productive. Wouldn't you rather be writing copy for money than spending your time chasing around after new business? Of course you would!
So, what are the things you can do to make sure you hold on to clients for as long as possible, for months, and even for years? Here are some pointers.
Take the time to delve deeply into your client's business and get to understand what success might look like for them. Once you understand what motivates your client it becomes a lot easier to deliver a service they'll love. Look at their website, any documentation they may supply you with, and, of course, research them with a Google search
Instead of just compiling a buyer persona for your client’s client why not put one together for your client themselves? It's a great exercise to deeply understand where your client is coming from.
Ensure you become an indispensable member of your client’s extended team by always delivering quality work on or ahead of schedule.
One of the best ways to ensure that clients retain your services for the long run is to show that you have a genuine interest in their business. I've learned that the best way to do this is to become a proactive member of the team. In other words, don't always wait to be told what to do, rather make suggestions and come up with ideas that will improve your client’s business.
Adopting this mindset also opens up the door for you to land more business by making suggestions that could lead to additional work, additional work that your client may not have considered without your prompting.
There's an interesting statistic that says any business can increase their turnover by 25% simply by looking at their existing clients and deciding what additional products or services they could offer. The same logic applies to your copywriting business no matter how big or small, so before you go looking for brand new clients, consider how you might increase your own turnover by proposing additional work to the client base you already have.
Not only will this lead to a far more stable income for you as a copywriter, but your clients will love you for it.
Real-life example
As you know by now I write technical content and I have a client in Germany who I've worked with for about 3 years now.
I would pretty much describe them as the ideal client because they give me regular work that I can count on month after month. The relationship is great for me because:
I get a steady flow of predictable work.
Getting steady work helps me to predict my cash flow.
I know I can trust the client and they can trust me, there are no hidden surprises waiting in our relationship.
And the relationship works for them because:
They have a technical writer who intimately understands their product set.
They know they can trust me to get work in on or ahead of schedule.
They avoid the steep learning curve they’d have to go through with a new copywriter.
We both understand how each other works and to a greater extent is better the devil you know than the devil you don't.
The bottom line
Having a regular client or regular clients you can rely on makes your life so much easier as a copywriter. If you cultivate their relationship properly there's always extra work you can pick up without too much extra effort. On top of this, if you do pick up a new skill or an additional service you want to promote, you have a ready-made prospect in your existing client.
So, if you're lucky enough to land an ideal client make sure to look after them, cultivate the relationship, and you'll be set to earn a steady income for a long time to come.
Progress on my Six-Step Fast-Track Copywriting program
I'm pleased to report that my Six-Step Fast-Track operating program is now complete and is being evaluated by my team of beta testers. The official release date is not set as yet, but watch this space for more information as it becomes available.
Six-Step Fast-Track Copywriting is my program that takes you from novice to paid copywriter in 6 easy steps. You guys have been asking me to produce my own copywriting course for some time now and the good news is that it’s almost there and ready to release.
There will be a special discount for my existing audience when the program is released, more on that In future newsletters.
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