Don’t Overlook the Single Most
Critical Element in Getting More
Clients and Sales

Does marketing your business sometimes feel like you’re banging your head against the wall?

• Your clients love what you do—there just never seems to be quite enough of them.
   
• Your website sees less action than a Baskin-Robbins at the North Pole.
   
• And your ads or mailers might as well have been printed in invisible ink.

I know, it’s challenging to market a business, especially if you’re the only one in the business. Everything you do—every marketing piece you create online or off—has to pull its weight and more.

Yet everyday I see marketing that’s not working. Sometimes it’s glossy and pretty to look at, and sometimes it looks like it was created by the family ferret. But all of it has one fatal flaw.

Copy that’s falling down on the job.

“Many factors that explain the phenomenal success of so many following our lead, as well as the struggle and disappointment of others. But by far, I would tell you the ultimate, most important ‘X-FACTOR’ of all is the copywriting.” – Information Marketing Guru Dan Kennedy

Words Make or Break the Sale

There’s both an art and a science to crafting copy that gets RESULTS. You have to know exactly what to say, when to say it, and how to say it.

It has to get the prospect’s attention and KEEP it—while also enhancing your credibility, building a rapport with the reader, getting them excited about your offer, overcoming any objections, and motivating them to take action. Oh, and it has to neutralize this deadly trio:

Short Attention Spans. You’ve got 30 seconds or less to convince them to NOT hit the back button or toss your piece in the trash. You may have as few as 2 seconds to keep them from deleting your email. Confuse or bore them and you’re toast.

Distractions. On top of having the attention span of a pea, we’ve got things ringing, dinging and buzzing at us all day long. If a prospect turns away to tend to something else, they are probably not coming back.

Procrastination. “I’ll look at it again later” is the sales equivalent of “I’ll call you” from a date. So your copy must to convince them to act NOW while you have their attention.

So Why Should You Listen to Me?

After more than 12 years of marketing writing and strategy, I know how to write copy that gets your prospects’ attention, keeps it, and compels them to take action. In fact, I’ve helped clients prevent sales disasters such as:

• Turning off the prospect by making their current situation seem hopeless. A little bit of fear about the consequences of the status quo can be motivating—but go too far and they won’t see the point of reading on.
   
• Forgetting to address the “elephant in the room”—the biggest objection many prospects would give to buying from you.
   
• Asking for a high-dollar sale “cold”—without discussing the real value of the service to buyers or how it outshone its competitors.
   
• Falling prey to the Curse of Knowledge and confusing the reader with language they don’t understand.
   
• Boring the reader with copy that doesn’t have any spark or personality—leaving the door wide open for distractions to lure them away.
   
• Failing to mention the real reasons clients hired the company again and again.
   
• Offending the reader (unintentionally, of course) with phrases that could easily be misinterpreted.

Your changes to the sales page for my workshop were fantastic!!!! I also really appreciated your strategic suggestions on how to get more people to register. I love it all—and I know your input will significantly increase my sign-up rate! I'm going to recommend you to my mastermind group, and tell them how great your work is. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

--Jackie Kelm
Appreciative Living
www.AppreciativeLiving.com

So What Makes You Different From Other Copywriters?

One big difference is that my clients get compelling, results-driven copy. Sure, you can hire someone for peanuts to string together a couple of sentences for you. But writing copy that gets results and prevents sales squashing mistakes like the ones listed above is a complex and painstaking process. In my experience, this involves:

• Creating a strategy for the piece that will accomplish your goals
   
• Knowing what your competitors are doing—and finding those key differentiators
   
• Identifying who you should be talking to
   
• Eliciting the key benefits and ultimate value they receive
   
• Getting inside the prospect’s head and heart so you know what trips their “Buy” switch and what holds them back
   
• Translating the copy into their language
   
• Ensuring all the critical elements are there
   
• Editing, fine-tuning, editing, and polishing

After all, it’s not easy to convince people to part with their money—especially when what’s being bought is NOT sitting on a shelf in front of them.

“Wow, what a great job!  I was so excited to see it looking so enticing.  I showed it to a friend of mine, and her first comment was “Where do I sign up?!”  And I really like the title you gave my special report. The greatest line of all though is the description of the report—which really made me laugh. It is such a perfect statement, with such a surprise ending.  What a great job...”

--Diane Eisenman, Inner Guidance Counseling
www.InnerGuidanceCounseling.com

Another big difference is that my clients get more than great copy. Since I focus on working with solopreneurs and other very small businesses, I know which marketing strategies are an effective use of your limited time and money and which ones aren’t. So if there’s a better way to do something, I’ll tell you—even if it means a smaller project for me at that moment. I know that sounds crazy, but no one goes back to a business if they end up feeling ripped off. And I like working with my clients as they grow and evolve.

Which of These Pieces Will Boost Your Business?

The truth is that ALL of them can supercharge your marketing—depending on your goals, offering, target market, and of course, how well they’re written.

Websites—Savvy businesses have a website serving as the hub of their marketing efforts—to attract new clients and add value for current ones.

Online or Print Sales Letters—Longer than a typical web page or letter, these use proven techniques to hit your prospects’ hot buttons and convince them to buy.
 

Opt-In Page—Also known as a “squeeze” page, this type of webpage is focused on getting visitors to sign-up for your email newsletter or free report.

Autoresponders—An automated series of emails makes it easy to follow-up with prospects or clients. Uses include delivering information via an e-course, converting prospects to clients, and selling additional products and services.

Email Marketing—Email newsletters (aka ezines) keep you in touch with prospects and clients by sharing information of interest to them. Email blasts promote a new offering or special offer.

Articles or Blog Posts—Content is still king and between newsletters, ezines, article marketing and blogs you need a lot of it to stay top of mind and drive traffic to your website.

Postcards—An affordable way to reach your market by mail, postcards are also handy for events—providing more information about your products or services than a business card.

Direct Mail—Direct mail done right can still be very effective and is regaining popularity as email inboxes get fuller.

Video Script—Videos have been shown to increase the conversion rate of a web page or drive traffic to your website. Whether it’s spoken or part of the visual, a strong script enhances the impact.  

This list is just a sample of what I do for clients, so if you don’t see what you are looking for, contact me [link to email] and let’s discuss it.

But before we go any further, there’s one thing I should warn you about…

I don’t do the hype-y, sounds like it was written by a used car salesman type of sales copy you’ll see a lot on the internet.

It’s just not in my DNA. Heck, I spent nearly 10 years writing for mutual funds and investments and having to back-up every teeny tiny thing I said. (Have you seen all the endnotes on those ads these days? And it’s getting worse by the minute.) And while I’m very happy to write without securities regulators constantly looking over my shoulder, that time was invaluable because it drilled into me how to write powerful copy that gets results without anyone feeling like they need a shower afterward.

I’ve always loved research so I keep an eye on the latest studies in the marketing world. And recently a well-known firm found that over-the-top isn’t working anymore. We’re all tired of feeling like we’re being sold to everywhere we turn, so we’ve turned up the frequency on our skepticism radar.

These days, copy has to be real—authentic and believable—to be powerfully effective. 

The study also revealed a few BIG changes in how people read copy, which I’m already putting to good use for my clients. Of course, I’m hoping it takes my competitors a while to catch on.

But the hard stuff is for me to do, for you…

"Tracy, I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate all the work you do for us. You have a terrific ability to take the most technical of topics and create a piece that's reader-friendly and interesting.  And when I give you an assignment I can move on to other things—because I'm confident that you will do a good job and deliver it on time. You definitely make my job easier!"

-- Pat Stewart
Marketing Manager, Calvert Group

It’s easy to get started

First, read the Interview with Tracy, which will answer more of your questions about working with me. There are also a few samples of pieces I’ve written on my Portfolio page.

Then, pick up your phone and give me a call at 919.829.1539 or send me an email at appt@compellingcomm.com. We'll connect and schedule a time to talk about what's going on in your business, the results you want to see, and what we can do to make it happen. Or if I think someone else could better help you, I'll let you know that too.

But don’t wait…Some copywriters have junior writers do the writing and they just edit it. I know I wouldn’t be able to find someone who would write it exactly the way I’d want it to be for you, so I write every word of copy for my clients. That means you always get the full benefit of my knowledge and experience. But it also means that I have to schedule projects carefully and limit the number I take on. So the sooner we talk, the better.

And to make your decision even easier, here’s information about my...

Wow, I have to tell you that you have convinced me to stick to something that I know--and it certainly isn't writing!

I thought I nailed the Home page and didn't think there would be much done to it. Man, was I wrong and boy am I glad I found you! I found myself saying exactly what you wrote as I was reading it and remembering just how I felt when the first college bill arrived--YIKES!

You have quite the gift and I consider myself fortunate that you are sharing it with me.

-- Marc Hill
Reduce My College Costs, LLC

30-Day Happiness Guarantee

I want to make sure that you’re thrilled with your copy, so two rounds of revisions are included free of charge when you submit them within 30 days of receiving the first draft. Just tell me if any tweaks or edits are needed and I’ll take care of them ASAP.

You'll be happy to know that I've never had a client who wasn't delighted with their copy from the moment they laid eyes on it, even if a few tweaks had to be made. Most of them are wowed by how effectively I've communicated their message for them. But if you’re not 100% satisfied, I will revise your copy at my expense.

Why am I willing to do this? For starters, I realize how daunting it can be to hire a copywriter. So I want you to feel more comfortable about the decision. But I’m also willing to do it because I’m confident in my skills, experience and knowledge—and my track record shows I get it right the first time.

So how much longer do you want to wait before you start attracting more clients and increasing your sales? Contact me so we can get started on creating new copy to supercharge your marketing today!

Warmly,

Tracy Needham

P.S. Remember, mediocre copy = mediocre response. If that’s not good enough for you, then let’s talk about what kind of results-driven copy could light a fire under your sales today. And with my 30-Day Guarantee that you’ll be 100% satisfied with your copy, what’s there to lose?

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Yes, Tracy, let’s talk about how compelling copy can help my business! 

I understand that if there's a question that doesn't apply to my business, I'll simply move on to the next one. I also understand that all information I provide will be kept in the strictest confidence, and will never be sold, rented or given away for any reason. Name Email Company Telephone Address City State Zip Website Type of Business   What type of copywriting project would you like to discuss? And what is the purpose of the piece? What products, services, or topic will the piece be covering? Please describe your target audience or ideal client.   NOTE: When you complete the form, your request will be sent to my personal email address. I will review your information and contact you within 24-48 business hours to schedule your consultation.  As we all know, technology isn’t perfect. So if you don’t hear back during that time frame, please call or email me directly and reference this quote. Thank you! Prefer to call or email? Phone: 919.829.1539 Email: appt@compellingcomm.com Privacy Policy: I respect and honor your privacy. I will never sell, barter, or rent your email address to any unauthorized third party.