The case for rudely ignoring clients
Published: Thu, 09/05/19
“Freelance copywriters who care more about what their ‘client’ 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.
(Dealing with such a client who ignored the market and just projected their own biases onto it.)
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 week, 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?
That advice has served me well.
Not just when I did client work, but especially for selling my own products.
My “client” was always the market.
Not the guy paying my fee.
Not his silly little 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 first wrote about this, a project manager chick wrote me telling me how wrong I was, etc. She - an employee, not a business owner - simply had someone who is an actual business owner 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 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 that, so I understand. But good clients, smart clients… clients worthy of your talents… put the market first, and put their feels, emotional projections, hangups, egos, and caring what others (who aren't the market) think out to pasture.
Any other kind of client was always ignored, and sometimes even fired as a client.
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 week shows you several advanced ways for writing ads, headlines, ad layouts, etc.
But this sucker ends tomorrow at midnight.
So if you want it, tap my affiliate link below and get to work.
Here’s the link:
http://www.CopySlacker.com/labor
Ben Settle