The case for rudely ignoring clients
Published: Mon, 09/03/18
“Freelance copywriters who care more
about what their ‘client’ (or, worse,
what their client's spouse) thinks than
what their market wants
should go beg for a corporate job
where they can sell their souls for a paycheck.”
It was inspired by a friend.
(Who was putting up with such a client who ignored the market and just projected their own biases onto them.)
And, it’s a mindset I learned early on in my copywriting career after listening to the Gene Schwartz seminar I’ve been yapping about all weekend, where Gene said while writing an ad:
“You have no client but the market.
You really don’t care about anything
but the market or the process”
And you know what?
It’s served me well.
Not just when I did client work, but also for selling my own products.
My “client” was the market.
Not the guy paying my fee.
Not his committee.
And, certainly not his spouse.
If any of the above people had solid info I needed (market intel, experiences, test results, etc), great! But if they just wanted to impose any uninformed opinions, self projections, or preferences (that didn't line up with the market) on my ad, I ignored them and did what the *market* dictated. They may have been paying my fee, but the market payed them and, thus, both of us.
True story:
When I wrote about this, a chick wrote me (who is a client) telling me how wrong I was, etc. She simply had someone (Yours Unruly) finally tell her she has no real power over her copywriters (the good ones, at least) and she probably panicked. When clients realize the fact that they need good copywriters far more than good copywriters need them (we can always find another client or sell our own stuff, after all) they tend to go into denial like she did, so I understand. But good clients, smart clients, clients worthy of your talents put the market first, and put their feelz, projections, and caring what others (who aren't the market) think out to pasture.
Rude?
Probably.
But nobody accused me of being diplomatic about it.
Whatever the case, the $20 Gene Schwartz seminar I’ve been plugging like crazy this weekend shows you several advanced (yet simple) ways for writing ads, headlines, ad layouts, etc I’ve ever seen.
But this sucker ends tonight at midnight.
So if you want it, hop off that high horse of yours and get to work.
Time’s almost up.
At midnight this $20 carriage turns into a $297 pumpkin.
(If’n you catch my drift.)
Here’s the link:
http://www.CopySlacker.com/labor
Ben Settle