Some beginning copywriters have asked for my opinion about offering potential clients a "free assessment" that consists of a free review of a marketing piece along with suggestions for improvement.

First let me say that the idea is not a bad one, and in fact it used to be a somewhat common tactic for opening the door.

But in the last five or six years, I've seen its power slip considerably.

In the world of business, there are two dynamics that are constantly in motion, and they are...
1) A problem for which a solution must be found (owned by the client), and
2) The solution to that problem (owned by the service provider).

It's the degree to which you can solve that problem for that client that will determine how easy (or hard) it is to capture the work and land the client.

What is the single most important thing you must know about landing a high quality client?

In a word, it's EMPATHY. And my copywriting colleagues should know this, because understanding the pains, frustrations, desires, wants, needs, and goals and aspirations of your target audience is the key to higher response rates, more orders...and yes, better clients.

This month I'll answer a question posed by Cynthia B. who is returning to copywriting after a long absence. She wants to know:

How important it is to have an agency quality website?

The answer is that it is very important to have a high quality website IF you are prospecting other than locally.

When you prospect locally, the client can meet you personally.

Personal Branding 101: How to make the right branding decisions for your new business

Inevitably, at some point for freelancers who target corporate decision-makers, the question comes up:

"Should I create a company name?"

And usually, the answer is "no"...but the answer is not always "no."

Here's the logic:

When you are an individual who provides a service.

How does a freelancer get 50 percent of the fee up front?

One of my copywriting colleagues, Susan Fantle, asked me for a discussion of the topic since she had recently encountered some difficulties with clients. In her own words:

"I've been in this business for 23 years and only in ncentive the rush the check. So I send a final Invoice "due and payable upon receipt," instructing the payment to be sent via regular mail.

Last month I asked my readers to tell me what baffles them most about the business side of copywriting, and two readers said "getting started!" So that's what I'll show you how to do here.

It's the old "What comes first? The chicken or the egg?", applied to a new career in copywriting.

One of the major hurdles faced by new copywriters is the book, or portfolio.

This month I'll share two financially ruinous negotiating tactics often made by beginning copywriters. Both recently came from my coaching students.

Financially ruinous negotiating tactic #1 comes from a successful book author who is adding copywriting to his writing skill set. Here, paraphrased, is a comment he made to me:

"My client seems unhappy with the work.

When I teach my copywriters and other coaching students how to package themselves, I use a specific formula to get them from "ground zero" to a "complete package." Although there's not enough room to share the entire process here, I can highlight three of the most critical elements of crafting your own personal freelance lead-generation machine.

It doesn't matter how new you are to copywriting, or how old...the fact is, there will be times when you'd feel more confident with the brains, talent, and experience of a writing partner.

Perhaps you're writing for a new client who's in an industry you know nothing about. Perhaps you've been asked to come up with some very high level concepts.