Lex DeVille's: How to Make $1,000 a Week with no Degree, no Feedback, & no Portfolio.

[The-J]

Another issue I'm having with my copy itself.

The thing is...

It sucks.

That's to be expected. Let yourself suck for a bit until you get good.

You'll know you're good because there's a kind of mindset change that goes along with getting good.

You start to understand people and their motivations a little bit better. You start to see them in the way they write or speak.

You realize who wants results and improvements, and who wants to simply save a little bit of time or money.

You realize, often instantly, who you're writing to without even asking. Then you're able to see your audience and their motivations.

You stop thinking about "Why would they buy this product" and more about "What are they REALLY struggling with, and how does this product help them with that?"

Basically, all that stuff that @SinisterLex said in his post above mine... it stops making sense to you intellectually, and starts making sense to you instinctually.

It stops being about techniques and words, and becomes more about speaking to their heart, or their soul (if you believe in a soul).

But until then...

Keep reading what people write, and keep listening to what people say.

 

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[xavi22]

To all budding young copywriters:

I have a headline dilemma and want to know which one I should go for. This is for a B2B sales letter for an advertising medium.

1. Get Year Round Exposure in 12,000 Homes For Only a Penny Each!

or

2. Finally! Here's How to Get in Front of THOUSANDS of Local Buyers Instantly

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

 

[Lex DeVille]

To all budding young copywriters:

I have a headline dilemma and want to know which one I should go for. This is for a B2B sales letter for an advertising medium.

1. Get Year Round Exposure in 12,000 Homes For Only a Penny Each!

or

2. Finally! Here's How to Get in Front of THOUSANDS of Local Buyers Instantly

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

For anyone to answer we'd need a much better understanding of your target market.

In the first headline the word only can be switched with just which is 1 syllable shorter.

Both seem like okay headlines if they speak to your audience, but do they create emotional connection?

Do they actually solve your target's problem? I'm not in that space so I don't know.

If you can answer yes to either question, then choose the headline that does it best.

Just keep in mind - there's no blanket solution when it comes to connecting with people.

 

[ziomgg]

I have a problem with verified a upwork profile. I really dont know what to do.... I wrote everything i could in my profile. I wont Pay for tests or something.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I have a problem with verified a upwork profile. I really dont know what to do.... I wrote everything i could in my profile. I wont Pay for tests or something.

Upwork Support

 

[Petahh]

Just sent out 2 proposals. LET'S GET SOME.

Once again, thank you @SinisterLex for all this information. To whoever says they don't know where to start, then they haven't been reading with eyes open. This is a TORRENT OF MOLTEN GOLD. I think a good deal of people on the forum will owe you many coffees for this. THANK YOU AGAIN.

 

[adiakritos]

THANK YOU for reminding me of what I already knew!! Frick! God damn thank you. Off to Odesk I go!

 

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[The Grind]

Don't think this question was ever asked on here.

What SHOULD your conversion rate for replies be with these applications? So you know your doing something right.

If you send 10 applications, how many responses should you be getting?

 

[David Neill]

This post literally drove me to tears. I'm currently experiencing all this. Living with my gf and her family to make things happen or die trying. Thank you so much for that story.

The Driving Force
F*ck the "Why?" Find Your Who. Don't Stop Til' You're Done.​

Several years ago I hit an all-time low. I was just venturing into the world of business. Just getting my toes wet. I quit my job and dove in with nothing more than an idea and a couple thousand in savings.

I wasn't a member of this forum. I hadn't read the book. I didn't know WTF I was doing at all. All of this equaled my first big, fat, failure that left me temporarily homeless, jobless, and cashless.

Honestly, if it wasn't for my amazing girlfriend, (now wife) I don't know what would have happened. Probably would of been sleepin' in my car and tippin' bottles too.

Luckily, (read hesitantly) she let me stay with her at her parent's house. If you ever want to know what the most embarrassing thing in the world is, try moving in with your girlfriend's parents who you've only met once, ever. It sucks.

Since I didn't have a job, and my business was packed up in storage, I had plenty of time for contemplating mistakes. Plenty of time for questions like:

Why am I so stupid?
Why am I such a failure?
Why doesn't anything ever work out for me?
Why don't they call me for an interview?
Why can't I ever get ahead?

The house was small and the family slowlane. My girlfriend's mom, dad, sister & sister's newborn baby + the two of us all staying in one tiny place.

After a while things went from bad to worse. I started hating everyone including myself, and especially her sister who absolutely refused to care for the child. Constant crying. Constant screaming. And all I could do was sit there and take it. It wasn't my home, it wasn't my place. I was at their mercy.

Day after day I sat there on that bed, in that attic, wallowing in self-misery. A spiraling loop of depression and madness, certainly going insane. All the while still repeating the question over and over. Why? Why?

The funny thing is, Why never changed my situation. No matter how much I mulled that bullshit around nothing changed.

It wasn't until one particularly bad night - after midnight and the screaming continued, that I hit my breaking point. I lost my cool, and it took everything I had not to let the whole family have it. I hated their lifestyle. Hated their habits. Hated them so much.

I stormed from the house and went to my car. Determined to find a moment of peace. Being below freezing, peace & comfort didn't come. Eventually I drifted into a restless sleep, but it didn't last long - soon interrupted by my girlfriend entering the passenger side.

For the longest time she didn't say anything. She just sat there, staring at me - big tear drops welling in her eyes.

In that moment I realized something. I saw clearly what I had become. I saw all of my pain and suffering reflected in those eyes. Then I saw something way, way F*cking worse. I saw all the pain and suffering she was feeling. She took a chance on me, and I was letting her down.

But then I realized something else. Even through all this bullshit... She was still by my side.

I slept outside that night, even after she went back in. Something snapped. Something changed. Thoughts of failure, gone. Thoughts of quitting, gone. Thoughts of self-pity, gone. Suddenly I couldn't think of anything but how the F*ck I'd get us out of that mess. No matter how long or how hard I had to work. I would give her the life she deserves!

The next morning I got pen and paper and crafted a detailed 5 year plan to carry us to freedom. It involved making things happen that didn't seem possible. Doing things that would test the mettle of our relationship far beyond the limits of anything we'd experienced before.

If I failed we had to start over.

If I succeeded we would be free.

Failure was no longer an option.

For the last 3 years we've worked relentlessly, executing each step one at a time. Countless setbacks. Countless roadblocks. Failure after failure, but always pressing on.

Today we're more than half way through our plan for freedom. The only bills left are a car and business debts. All will be paid in a month or two. We're over halfway there. We're earning more than either of us has ever had in our lives. We're so close to 100% freedom we can taste it in the air, and we smile every day.

If you don't get anything else from this story, please consider these 3 things:

1. Without taking action, we wouldn't have moved on. We wouldn't have packed our bags and moved to a new city without jobs. We wouldn't be out of that miserable, self-defeating situation. We wouldn't have failed several times. We wouldn't be earning this much right now.

2. Without perseverance, we wouldn't have made it through the failures. We wouldn't have found ways to adapt and overcome. We wouldn't be on the verge of total financial freedom despite not being rich.

3. Without the Who, I might have drove off a cliff instead of becoming driven.

F*ck the Whys. You don't need em'. Look to the Whos. Who is counting on you? Who are you fighting for?

Your girlfriend? Your wife? Your parents? Yourself?

Who in your life are you failing every time you don't accept responsibility and take action?

F*ck fear. F*ck Why.

Find your Who and take action now.

Don't stop til' you're done.

Just Do It.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Don't think this question was ever asked on here.

What SHOULD your conversion rate for replies be with these applications? So you know your doing something right.

If you send 10 applications, how many responses should you be getting?

Another analytical numbers-based question that won't actually help you.

Any response lets you know you're doing something right.

But what you did right this time won't be the same for the next client.

Every client has individual needs...

Until you learn this, you won't be as successful as you can be.

Analyzing conversion rates = looking for a shortcut.

As in:

I need a template to apply to more jobs faster and get more clients.
If my conversion rates are high enough then my template must work.
If my template works then I can refine it to get more clients.

This is a shortcut, and it's not the answer.

If you send 10 applications, how many responses should you get?

10 if you solve their problem.

What does Breakthrough Advertising tell us?

The client knows he needs copywriting services. But why does he need your services?

 

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[harerace]

Hey,

Thanks a lot for this post. I made around $700 in 2-3 days.

 

[The-J]

Don't think this question was ever asked on here.

What SHOULD your conversion rate for replies be with these applications? So you know your doing something right.

If you send 10 applications, how many responses should you be getting?

Shoot for half. This way you know:

1) Your cover letter is good

2) Your profile is consistent with your cover letter, and

3) You're applying to the right jobs.

All 3 need to be in line in order to get responses.

 

[Lex DeVille]

3) You're applying to the right jobs.

This part is paramount if you're building some kind of template because every niche wants something different.

For @The Grind , I suspect legal writing might be a good option. Start with legal blogs to get a feel for it and later expand to copywriting too. There's an attorney on every corner these days, and most of their websites suck. Lots of opportunity there. Especially if you want to move to more offline work.

Many legal blogs want a different style of writing. It's more direct and rational and less about emotion. They need someone who can be professional and maintain a professional voice. Of course there are a number of niches within the legal niche, but each one affords valuable opportunity.

If I were gonna go legal, I'd probably go after collections law offices. B2B - since they work for other companies instead of individuals. Copywriting techniques and techniques of influence & persuasion can be particularly useful here.

 

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[Petahh]

Don't think this question was ever asked on here.

What SHOULD your conversion rate for replies be with these applications? So you know your doing something right.

If you send 10 applications, how many responses should you be getting?

Hey @The Grind , I sent out 9 proposals. Had 2 active candidacies. If you're starting out my guess would be that it wouldn't be good. But keep the work up! I read, applied and sent out "you" focused proposals. This is what 1 of em said.

Just keep your head down, and keep sending them! you'll get someone who is grateful that you actually give a crap about what they want, for a change. Keep yo' grind up, brotha!

 

[The Grind]

Hey @The Grind , I sent out 9 proposals. Had 2 active candidacies. If you're starting out my guess would be that it wouldn't be good. But keep the work up! I read, applied and sent out "you" focused proposals. This is what 1 of em said.

Just keep your head down, and keep sending them! you'll get someone who is grateful that you actually give a crap about what they want, for a change. Keep yo' grind up, brotha!

Wow, thats quite the response, can you link your cover letter you sent him?

 

[Petahh]

Wow, thats quite the response, can you link your cover letter you sent him?

Sure man. When I'm back from work I'll PM you!

 

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[The Grind]

Got two jobs at the same time yesterday, one for 150 which will take me about 2 hours and the other 200 which will take me maybe a little longer.

If I do good they will keep giving me work.

Going to make 350 in 5 hours, I make less than that a week at my job.

 

[Bigguns50]

A common big mistake (opportunity) I always see is people trying to sell customers features and tools, rather than benefits.

"10,000 songs in your pocket." - Apple. The rest is history.

 

[Formless]

Going to make 350 in 5 hours, I make less than that a week at my job.

One thing I learned is to reserve celebrations until the money's in your pocket.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

One thing I learned is to reserve celebrations until the money's in your pocket.

Even then it's not a sure thing if you wanna earn that feedback.

 

[Lex DeVille]

So, I had to hire a new accountant after my bookkeeper quit. (Said it was due to health?) So, it was back to the drawing board and I made another Upwork Ad. Got a bunch of applications, but it only took about 10 seconds to find the right one.

The new accountant is way more expensive, but she gets it, and knows how to focus on solving problems. Things are going good so far and she's fixing a lot of stuff the last guy messed up. Anyway, enough about that - just want mention an email I got yesterday from Upwork...

The subject line was something like "Checking in again: How's your project going?"

I wasn't sure wtf it was and assumed it was checking in on me as a freelancer. But it was actually some sort of survey and they wanted input as an employer. It only had 1 question...

Q. How confident are you that (freelancer) will finish the job successfully? Select one below.

1. I feel very confident.
2. I feel pretty confident.
3. I'm a little concerned.
4. I don't feel confident at all.

Thought you guys might wanna know since you don't get the email on the freelancer side. It reinforces the importance of asking specific, detailed questions to understand your client's needs. I can't say for sure, but I'm 99% certain the response to this email impacts the freelancer's Job Success score.

So keep this in mind anytime you apply, interview, or get hired - you have to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that you can solve your client's problems. They have to know it. There can't be any reason to believe anything different, because now just getting hired isn't enough. Now you actually have to do things that cause clients to feel confident in you, and you have to keep proving it throughout the project.

Anything less and your Job Success score, and therefore your ability to get gigs is at risk.

Just do it.

 

[business_man]

Everyone does updates so here it goes.

Anyway, I'd say use Upwork for a few hundred hours of work. Build a portfolio, get clients, some money, document most of the stuff you do and then comes the important step:

Get. The. F*ck. Out. Of. There.

Build it up to be a perfect reference with past-clients praising you like you're baby Jesus re-born.
And then quit. Come up with different ways to make money using what you know about biz and human nature by now.
Sure it can still be freelancing, but freelance somewhere more under your control.
And use Upwork as a perfect reference. Set your rate higher than you actually done work, F*ck it, you're an expert.
Leave it like that.

I really love this part.

Banging my head in Upwork is not something i really love. Not all gigs are interesting, especially when you are at the bottom of the chain.

But what I really like about it its two things:
1. You are sitting on huge information if you think carefuly about it.
You can see what and how everyone else is doing business. You hear about some business even before they are aired. It is good information to grasp for your next step.

2. You learning valuable skill about marketing and psychology which could be implemented anywhere.
Look how Lex break down text, even example to show characters of two different job offers. This you can use anywhere in the field.

Anyway I hope I can crack this thing and increase my incomes within couple of month (I already doing it two month). Not very easy to increase your ratio fast.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I really love this part.

Banging my head in Upwork is not something i really love. Not all gigs are interesting, especially when you are at the bottom of the chain.

But what I really like about it its two things:
1. You are sitting on huge information if you think carefuly about it.
You can see what and how everyone else is doing business. You hear about some business even before they are aired. It is good information to grasp for your next step.

2. You learning valuable skill about marketing and psychology which could be implemented anywhere.
Look how Lex break down text, even example to show characters of two different job offers. This you can use anywhere in the field.

Anyway I hope I can crack this thing and increase my incomes within couple of month (I already doing it two month). Not very easy to increase your ratio fast.

The things I've learned about how other businesses operate internally pretty much made it worth it even without pay. Got to write & test AdWords without spending money, got to build email responders without an audience, got to learn the in's & out's of SEO with very little knowledge... All stuff others charge for, and we get it for free.

 

[SlowlaneJay]

1. You are sitting on huge information if you think carefuly about it.
You can see what and how everyone else is doing business. You hear about some business even before they are aired. It is good information to grasp for your next step.

^ This. So much this.

Also, the connections you stand to make are incredible. The other day I casually mentioned an idea I had to one of my clients. He immediately suggested a few people who would use it, and a few people who could help me market it.

You have the chance to connect with powerful people all over the world. Who, in turn, know even more more powerful people. At that point, if you've been over delivering and bringing massive value to your clients— they'll jump at the chance to help you out.

 

[business_man]

The things I've learned about how other businesses operate internally pretty much made it worth it even without pay. Got to write & test AdWords without spending money, got to build email responders without an audience, got to learn the in's & out's of SEO with very little knowledge... All stuff others charge for, and we get it for free.

Yeh, you just have to read threads like that from time to time to keep yourself motivated Coz in the beginning you have to get used to earn 10 bucks a day, focus has to be killer sharp

 

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[nicotini]

Man, I followed your advice and got my first job on Upwork (former Odesk). Marvellous, looks like magic! You're great, thanks a lot for this post, so simple yet so eye-opening.

 

[DaRK9]

Funny how I started in this thread on Upwork and now I log in to post jobs.

 

[The Grind]

Anyone having trouble getting paid for fixed price jobs?

After you submit work,they have to "approve" of the work because you get the money.

What if they take forever to release the funds to you? Or just never do it?

What has your experience been?

 

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[Trevor Chaumont]

Hey there @SinisterRex, I've read over this a few times and have a few questions. What exactly IS Odesk?

Edit* I've checked it out and discovered that I don't have any skills that would come in useful for clients on Odesk. For the time being, at least

 

[Michał Kóska]

@SinisterLex what is the lenght of the application you do recommend? I don't want to scare potential client with too focused application thank you for this amazing thread!