A question comes via the Reddit copywriting group:
“How do you compete against people who can do the same work you can, but much cheaper because they live in a country where living is just cheaper (India for example)?”
I honestly don’t think it will matter much what I say.
Because most people who ask this question are too far gone.
Like R. Kelly, fighting against his evil urges but giving in inevitably…
These people are possessed by the evil urge to believe that freelancing won’t work out for them. And like R. Kelly, they will inevitably give in to this urge. They will prove themselves right and fail.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way.
So in the interest of eternal glory and in the hope it might help someone somewhere, here are 10 fresh ways, which I’ve just baked up, to help you compete even against thousands of people who will charge much less than you:
#1. Have a track record of success. I just read that Stefan Georgi charges between $50k and $100k for a sales letter, plus royalties. His secret? The long track record of making his clients much more than he charges them.
#2. Be more likable. People will hire you just because they like you. Conversely, they will refuse to hire you just because they dislike you.
#3. Get there first. Be the first to apply for an opportunity. Or get in contact with clients that nobody else is approaching. Or that nobody else can reach.
#4. Offer a guarantee. Most freelancer copywriters don’t offer a guarantee. This includes me. I tell clients, “I guarantee I’ll work my ass off for you, and that’s it.” So if you are brave and smart and you offer a guarantee, you can stand out.
#5. Explain your service better. Like Claude Hopkins, who made Schlitz the #1 beer in America by saying it’s pasteurized after it’s sealed. Every other beer was pasteurized as well. But nobody else was explaining these facts.
#6. Explain why your service is better. Why do you deliver a better service than others — other than just trying hard?
#7. Be non-needy. There’s some magic in not worrying whether any particular client comes or goes. The best way to do this is by having other good options. You’ll be surprised how well clients will pay you when they realize you don’t need their money.
#8. Be famous. Start a blog. Get on a podcast. Get on a stage. Marry a Kardashian.
#9. Move into the profits column. Stop offering services that cost your clients money. Instead, start offering services that make your clients money, and take a share of the money they make.
#10. Let your clients sell themselves. I’ve talked about this before, but simply by asking your clients a few open-ended questions about their business, their problems, and their projects, you can often get them to sell themselves — without you saying much or anything at all.
Will these 10 tips help you? I hope so.
And if you have some more questions about the business of copy and how to make it work for you, you might like the following: