A few weeks ago, a former client named Patrick sent a couple referrals my way. One of those turned into a largish project, the other might turn into something down the line.
So this week, I wrote to Patrick to say thanks. I also wrote that, if he wants, I would write some new headlines for a VSL he’s running that he could test against his control. (I’ve done this before for him as part of a project, and it had a big effect.) I offered to do this for free — just as a way of saying thanks for the referrals.
Patrick said great, and sent me a VSL that’s doing well and that he wanted to test new headlines on. I watched the VSL… wrote up a couple new headlines… sent it back to Patrick… and it’s getting tested now.
“Thanks for this,” Patrick said at the end, “and I’ll keep you in mind for future copywriting work.”
Contrary to what you might think, this email is not about greasing the groove of those client relationships with bottles of wine and fruit baskets.
Instead, I want to point out something else that can help you get work and form better relationships:
Business owners are busy. So when you make a proposal to them, be specific.
That’s why I wrote Patrick and said, “Do you want me to rewrite a headline for you as a way of saying thanks?” I didn’t write him and say, “If there’s anything I can do to say thanks, let me know.”
Don’t count on busy people to spend time and mental effort thinking about how to do business with you. Instead, put in a bit of time and thought yourself, and make a specific proposal to them.
Maybe they will take you up on your proposal… or maybe it will jog another idea in their mind that works better for them. Either way, I think your chances of making a connection jump up about a million-fold, compared to counting on them to do the work.
And by the way, I think this same “specific” approach is the way to go when contacting people who could be your personal mentors.
All right, enough traipsing down client lane for today.
If you want more of my ideas for how to deal with copywriting clients, you might like my daily email newsletter.