Expanding Outside Upwork -- Creating My Own Website, Email- and Direct Mail Campaigns + much more!

[TomW]

I’ve been on Upwork for the last 9 months and just now got my first real, repeating client. It’s a big European online tire shop that needs product descriptions pretty frequently.

Despite the fact that I have a repeating client I’m still on my way to the first 1k from Upwork. I know I should’ve made that 1k A LONG TIME AGO but learning copywriting and how to get clients has taken a lot of my time. I’m also guilty of procrastinating to be honest.

Since there are plenty of prospective clients outside Upwork I thought why the hell haven’t I reached out to them yet? Why have all the eggs in one basket?

So, here’s what I’m going to do:

1. Create my own website so everybody can find me.
2. Figure out what kind of services I’m going to provide. (Copywriting, consulting, etc…)
3. Start a blog on that website to educate my clients and drive traffic. (I’m figuring out ideas for content, I have to find a way to teach my clients about copywriting, I’m open to suggestions.)
4. Find lists of fresh startups and send them personalized emails about how I could help them stand-out and get clients with my copywriting.
5. Send direct mailers to local businesses. (Or should I look up their website and walk in to the store and tell them how I could make their copy better?)
6. Create Autoresponder series to have people sign up for my newsletter and to sell my services to them. (I could send an email every time I post on the blog and when I have some valuable information for my newsletter receivers. I think I should create at least 15 emails before hand. Again, open to suggestions.)
7. Figure out pricing.
8. Create my own E-book(s) for clients to educate them. (Topics are still unknown)
9. Maybe set up social media accounts? (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram)

So, this is what I’m currently working on, I’m not sure if I’m going to do everything in that order but these are the things I’m going to do. If I missed something relevant or there’s something wrong with that list, please let me know, I don’t want to do this half-assed.

This is my first time really trying to grow my business so any advice is welcomed, no need to be kind, no need to handle with care, if there’s anything wrong with these ideas, let me know!

Crossing all of these will take a little bit of time since my current financial situation doesn’t allow me to spend on these immediately. I’m going to have my next salary on Friday (yes, I’m currently working a slowlane job) so after Friday I can calculate how much money I can spend.

Currently I have money coming in from two sources; Upwork (about 250€ a month) and my part-time slowlane job which is stevedoring (about 450-1500€ a month). If you have any ideas on how I could hustle things up more, I’m all ears.

Few questions for you:

1. How much money should I spend on a website?
2. What should the website contain other than blog, basic information, picture, contact form, portfolio (I only have pieces that I created when I was applying for jobs on Upwork)?
3. What do you think is the best web host? GoDaddy?
4. Should I use Upwork, Fiverr or Craigslist to find the person who’d make me a website?

I’d like to feel accountable for this forum, so if you guys are interested I’d be happy to feed you information about my journey and how everything is evolving.

I'm glad I read TMF and grateful for the people on this forum who put time and effort to give advice for others that are just starting out and going through hurdles.

-Tuomas

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I’ve been on Upwork for the last 9 months and just now got my first real, repeating client. It’s a big European online tire shop that needs product descriptions pretty frequently.

Despite the fact that I have a repeating client I’m still on my way to the first 1k from Upwork. I know I should’ve made that 1k A LONG TIME AGO but learning copywriting and how to get clients has taken a lot of my time. I’m also guilty of procrastinating to be honest.

Since there are plenty of prospective clients outside Upwork I thought why the hell haven’t I reached out to them yet? Why have all the eggs in one basket?

So, here’s what I’m going to do:

1. Create my own website so everybody can find me.
2. Figure out what kind of services I’m going to provide. (Copywriting, consulting, etc…)
3. Start a blog on that website to educate my clients and drive traffic. (I’m figuring out ideas for content, I have to find a way to teach my clients about copywriting, I’m open to suggestions.)
4. Find lists of fresh startups and send them personalized emails about how I could help them stand-out and get clients with my copywriting.
5. Send direct mailers to local businesses. (Or should I look up their website and walk in to the store and tell them how I could make their copy better?)
6. Create Autoresponder series to have people sign up for my newsletter and to sell my services to them. (I could send an email every time I post on the blog and when I have some valuable information for my newsletter receivers. I think I should create at least 15 emails before hand. Again, open to suggestions.)
7. Figure out pricing.
8. Create my own E-book(s) for clients to educate them. (Topics are still unknown)
9. Maybe set up social media accounts? (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram)

So, this is what I’m currently working on, I’m not sure if I’m going to do everything in that order but these are the things I’m going to do. If I missed something relevant or there’s something wrong with that list, please let me know, I don’t want to do this half-assed.

This is my first time really trying to grow my business so any advice is welcomed, no need to be kind, no need to handle with care, if there’s anything wrong with these ideas, let me know!

Crossing all of these will take a little bit of time since my current financial situation doesn’t allow me to spend on these immediately. I’m going to have my next salary on Friday (yes, I’m currently working a slowlane job) so after Friday I can calculate how much money I can spend.

Currently I have money coming in from two sources; Upwork (about 250€ a month) and my part-time slowlane job which is stevedoring (about 450-1500€ a month). If you have any ideas on how I could hustle things up more, I’m all ears.

Few questions for you:

1. How much money should I spend on a website?
2. What should the website contain other than blog, basic information, picture, contact form, portfolio (I only have pieces that I created when I was applying for jobs on Upwork)?
3. What do you think is the best web host? GoDaddy?
4. Should I use Upwork, Fiverr or Craigslist to find the person who’d make me a website?

I’d like to feel accountable for this forum, so if you guys are interested I’d be happy to feed you information about my journey and how everything is evolving.

I'm glad I read TMF and grateful for the people on this forum who put time and effort to give advice for others that are just starting out and going through hurdles.

-Tuomas

1. Figure out who you can serve best with your copy.
2. Figure out how much you will charge.
3. Find clients and get sales.

Skip all that other shit until you get a client outside of Upwork because until you do, it's a waste of time.

 

[Nicoknowsbest]

"You don't need a website, you need sales." - @Andy Black

 

[Andy Black]

www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/spend-your-money-on-diesel-and-coffee.70072

What's worked for me is to find a client from the people I already know, do a good job, make it a case study/story I can tell people, and have delighted clients refer me to other people.

Maybe check out the first radio interview linked to in my signature (and the calls with @SinisterLex and @Nicoknowsbest in particular).

PS: I've been self employed since 2000 and only got a business card a couple of weeks ago, and my website only recently had more than the business name on it (it now has a contact us form on it).

PPS: Posting in forums has helped me too. Listen to the call with @TedM.

 

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[TomW]

1. Figure out who you can serve best with your copy.
2. Figure out how much you will charge.
3. Find clients and get sales.

Skip all that other shit until you get a client outside of Upwork because until you do, it's a waste of time.

@SinisterLex You are right. I think I'm guilty of action faking, I wasn't focusing on what's relevant.

1. I think my current skill level is best for entrepreneurs and businesses that are writing all of their ads and online copy themselves without knowing how to do it properly, also I could help online and offline businesses with their product descriptions and their website copy.

2. I could charge 25€/h or 50e per ad or 100€ per landing page. This is something I'm still figuring out and having problems with.

3. I think I'll go to the library today, crab a lot of local newspapers, find ads on them that I could improve, make a list of those improvements and then call to the person or business that placed the ad and suggest my ideas on how the ad could perform better and then ask them if they want me to re-write it.

I asked my mother today if I could rewrite her life coaching website's copy and she agreed to that, so that's going to be my first piece to my portfolio outside Upwork. I will also be able to make a case study about it.

"You don't need a website, you need sales." - @Andy Black

@Nicoknowsbest True, I listened to Andy's radio interview and realized that I wasn't thinking correctly when I thought I'd need to put up a website to get my business rolling.

www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/spend-your-money-on-diesel-and-coffee.70072

What's worked for me is to find a client from the people I already know, do a good job, make it a case study/story I can tell people, and have delighted clients refer me to other people.

Maybe check out the first radio interview linked to in my signature (and the calls with @SinisterLex and @Nicoknowsbest in particular).

PS: I've been self employed since 2000 and only got a business card a couple of weeks ago, and my website only recently had more than the business name on it (it now has a contact us form on it).

PPS: Posting in forums has helped me too. Listen to the call with @TedM.

You are right @Andy Black my mother has a life coaching website that needs improvement, first thing I'm going to do is rewrite her website.

I listened the first radio interview yesterday and it had great advice, I realized I was an action faker when I thought that I'd need to put up a website and all that other stuff to get business rolling.

I'm going to listen the interviews and calls.

-Tuomas

 

[Andy Black]

my mother has a life coaching website that needs improvement, first thing I'm going to do is rewrite her website.

Boom. Right under your nose! (Watch the second video in this post.)

“Never worry about numbers.
Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”
(Mother Theresa)​

I'm going to listen the interviews and calls.

So long as it's in your down time from working on your mother's site first.

(Producing > Consuming)

 

[Snoophek]

2. I could charge 25€/h or 50e per ad or 100€ per landing page. This is something I'm still figuring out and having problems with.

Stop thinking in terms of $/h

Think about how much value do you generate and charge for that.

 

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[TomW]

Boom. Right under your nose! (Watch the second video in this post.)

“Never worry about numbers.
Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”
(Mother Theresa)​

So long as it's in your down time from working on your mother's site first.

(Producing > Consuming)

Yes! From now on I will start to look from people around me first.

You are right, the website is the top priority now, after that comes the case study and the other things.

 

[TomW]

Stop thinking in terms of $/h

Think about how much value do you generate and charge for that.

The problem is that I don't yet know what the "value" in this case is. Is it the amount of calls the customer will get after I rewrite an ad? Is it the amount of clicks their banner get's, or is it the amount of money they will receive after I've written a sales letter?

Let me ask you this: If you were in a similar situation, what would you do?

 

[Nicoknowsbest]

If you were in a similar situation, what would you do?

Don't worry.

(Over-)think less.

Do more.

Help somebody with what you can do today.

Watch what happens once you become active. Once you build momentum.

If you start doing, many pieces will start falling into place.

 

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[Andy Black]

The problem is that I don't yet know what the "value" in this case is. Is it the amount of calls the customer will get after I rewrite an ad? Is it the amount of clicks their banner get's, or is it the amount of money they will receive after I've written a sales letter?

Let me ask you this: If you were in a similar situation, what would you do?

What would I do? Same as what @Nicoknowsbest suggests.

And to charge a flat-rate rather than hourly rate.

Base the price on what you think they will pay. (It's not really the actual value they will get, but the perceived value they will get, and this will be reflected in the price they are prepared to pay.)

The best piece of pricing advice I heard was to "get it wrong". (www.tropicalmba.com/services)

Stick a price on it and see how the market reacts.

 

[TomW]

Don't worry.

(Over-)think less.

Do more.

Help somebody with what you can do today.

Watch what happens once you become active. Once you build momentum.

If you start doing, many pieces will start falling into place.

@Nicoknowsbest True, I've been trying to think everything through for a while now without even trying things in practice. I'll be out of town from tomorrow till Sunday. Monday is when I'll start writing the website copy and when I get that finished (I think it'll take me 2-3 days) I'll grab the phone and start calling.

What would I do? Same as what @Nicoknowsbest suggests.

And to charge a flat-rate rather than hourly rate.

Base the price on what you think they will pay. (It's not really the actual value they will get, but the perceived value they will get, and this will be reflected in the price they are prepared to pay.)

The best piece of pricing advice I heard was to "get it wrong". (www.tropicalmba.com/services)

Stick a price on it and see how the market reacts.

@Andy Black I'll charge a flat rate, I'll figure out how much, and then begin calling, see how they react and start working my way up from there.
I'm gonna check out those TropicalMBA guys!

Thanks for all the wisdom you've slapped my face with. I'm really just beginning so I'm very thankful for you for taking the time and giving advice.

 

[TheGrind]

From reading this, I get the vibe you're going after smaller business owners.

Which is great because you've identified a target market. However, most small business owners have no idea what copywriting is. A solution to this is to package your service in a bundle such as an "Advertising Blueprint" or something.

Assuming you're a decent copywriter, you can handle the rest. I'd love to help you in your transition though!

 

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[Nicoknowsbest]

I think it'll take me 2-3 days

One step at a time.

Focus on getting stuff done.

But don't get overwhelmed.

Don't keep anything for yourself - get feedback from the market as soon as possible.

Something that might help you too: I just finished reading "The 7 Day Startup" today.

An easy, but powerful read.

Start. Don't stop. Report your experiences. Get feedback. Learn. Move. Succeed.

GO!

 

[TomW]

From reading this, I get the vibe you're going after smaller business owners.

Which is great because you've identified a target market. However, most small business owners have no idea what copywriting is. A solution to this is to package your service in a bundle such as an "Advertising Blueprint" or something.

Assuming you're a decent copywriter, you can handle the rest. I'd love to help you in your transition though!

@TheGrind Yes, you are right, I'm going after small businesses. I believe that with my current skill level they are the ones that will benefit the most from my copywriting. I don't yet consider myself a master copywriter since my copy hasn't been "proven".

What I mean by that is I haven't gotten any results or feedback from my former clients about how well the copy has performed.

It's true that many of the small business owners don't know what copywriting is, they usually have never even heard the word!

Would you like to tell me a little bit more about the "Advertising Blueprint" -bundle idea you mentioned? It sounds interesting.

Thanks for helping me out!

One step at a time.

Focus on getting stuff done.

But don't get overwhelmed.

Don't keep anything for yourself - get feedback from the market as soon as possible.

Something that might help you too: I just finished reading "The 7 Day Startup" today.

An easy, but powerful read.

Start. Don't stop. Report your experiences. Get feedback. Learn. Move. Succeed.

GO!

@Nicoknowsbest Yes, I'll move forward with stable steps, try not to get too many tasks at hand at the same time. They 7 Day Startup is going to be something I'll take a closer look when the time is right. I already put your progress thread on my watched thread list.

It's great to have such motivating advice from you guys, I'll definitely keep you posted!

 

[AGS]

How much money should I spend on a website?[/B]

You can have a website up and running for $30-$40 bucks, including a one year hosting. A couple of weeks ago I opened an account with hosting company 1 and 1, paid like $12 for 1 yr hosting and it includes one free domain. This is an offer to new clients only (in case someone else is interested)

My recommendation though is to see keep it simple, install wordpress and choose a simple theme where you can put up a contact us page and a main page with your business description, mission, etc... I said keep it simple because you don't want this to distract you from growing your business.

Gook luck

 

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[TheGrind]

@TheGrind Yes, you are right, I'm going after small businesses. I believe that with my current skill level they are the ones that will benefit the most from my copywriting. I don't yet consider myself a master copywriter since my copy hasn't been "proven".

What I mean by that is I haven't gotten any results or feedback from my former clients about how well the copy has performed.

It's true that many of the small business owners don't know what copywriting is, they usually have never even heard the word!

Would you like to tell me a little bit more about the "Advertising Blueprint" -bundle idea you mentioned? It sounds interesting.

Thanks for helping me out!

@Nicoknowsbest Yes, I'll move forward with stable steps, try not to get too many tasks at hand at the same time. They 7 Day Startup is going to be something I'll take a closer look when the time is right. I already put your progress thread on my watched thread list.

It's great to have such motivating advice from you guys, I'll definitely keep you posted!

Sure, basically when I was writing copy for smaller businesses I bundled it up and offered a package that included a direct mail letter and a few Adwords variations.

You can include whatever you want in this bundle and charge whatever you want -- I started off at $1,000.

Then explain the benefits of your copy and how the direct mail letter and Adwords can be put to use in their business.

 

[TomW]

You can have a website up and running for $30-$40 bucks, including a one year hosting. A couple of weeks ago I opened an account with hosting company 1 and 1, paid like $12 for 1 yr hosting and it includes one free domain. This is an offer to new clients only (in case someone else is interested)

My recommendation though is to see keep it simple, install wordpress and choose a simple theme where you can put up a contact us page and a main page with your business description, mission, etc... I said keep it simple because you don't want this to distract you from growing your business.

Gook luck

@AGS That's good to know since I've always thought that I have to spend at least 150-200$ to get a decent website. I'll check out 1and1. Wordpress seems to be a highly liked web software so I'll be definitely consider it when it's time for me to put up a website. Thanks!

Sure, basically when I was writing copy for smaller businesses I bundled it up and offered a package that included a direct mail letter and a few Adwords variations.

You can include whatever you want in this bundle and charge whatever you want -- I started off at $1,000.

Then explain the benefits of your copy and how the direct mail letter and Adwords can be put to use in their business.

@TheGrind That sounds like a great idea. I'll have to come up with my own bundle, figure out what it'll include and what it'll cost.

 

[TomW]

So, today I'm going to start rewriting the life coaching website. I'm not sure when I'll be done with it but I think it won't take me longer than 2-3 days.

After finishing with the website I'm planning to go to the library and grab some local newspapers and look for ads that I could improve and then call to the person or business who placed the ad and tell them how I could improve it and ask them if they want me to do it.

If you have suggestions or better ways on how to go about finding new clients, I'll try them. (I've already checked the people close to me, there's currently no one else than my mother that I could write copy for).

I will start from simple tasks like improving ads and work my way up from there.

 

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[TomW]

I'm almost ready with the life coaching website copy, I received a surprise work invitation to the harbour out of town today so I couldn't finish with the website.

Tomorrow, when I'm back at home I can finish the website, take after photos for a future case study and make the copy go live.

On Thursday I will head to the library and start calling businesses and individuals that have placed ads on local newspapers. That'll also be the day when I'll figure out the price for my service.

At the moment I'm thinking of bidding low and adding 5€ or 10€ on every call once I get a sale. I'll be kind of touching the ice and getting a feel of the market. I haven't sold anything over the phone before so it is going to be very interesting to see what will come up and how I'm going to perform.

On Friday I probably have to leave town again for work but I'll be coming back on Sunday.

On Monday I will continue to make calls, but I'll get back to you on Thursday to report my learnings and feedback from the market.

I'm eagerly waiting for Thursday!

 

[TomW]

The life coaching website is now finished and it went live a few moments ago. Yesterday I was so exhausted after work that I went straight to sleep when I got home so I couldn't finish with the site on Wednesday like I planned. It took me a while to put everything up and I wasted time with a contact form that I messed up and completed the site just now.

I still have time to go to the library though but it's getting too late for calling I'm afraid. What I'll do today is go to the library and collect phone numbers from the newspapers.

I just remembered that my favorite kebab restaurant went bankrupt a few weeks ago, but there was a new guy opening another kebab restaurant in the same space. I'll visit the new kebab restaurant on my way to the library, have a kebab roll and ask if they need website copy, Facebook ads or anything else.

I'll tell more when I'm back from the library.

 

[TomW]

Got back from my trip to library, I spent almost 2 hours and managed to find 11 ads that I can improve, next thing to do is to make a list of those improvements per ad and call to the business that placed it.

I visited the kebab restaurant on my way to the library and the new owner was there. There was a sign on the door that said "We'll open on the 5th of December" but he opened the door for me anyways.

I asked if they have a website and he told me that they were actually looking for a guy who'd make them one, I told him that when he get's the site up and running I'd be happy to write copy for them and he told me to come for a kebab after they have opened the place so we could talk more.

I don't yet call this a win but it'd be great to write for the restaurant owner. But we'll know more about that after 5th of December.

Tomorrow I have to leave town for work again but I'll be back on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

I'll see if the library is open on Sundays so that I could do more research for the upcoming week, I feel like 11 ads is a little bit too light for starters.

 

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[TomW]

I was out of town from Friday till Sunday and met my father's girlfriend's sons for the first time and it turned out the older one has an advertising agency, what a coincidence!

I got home yesterday but I was too tired to work on the improvements so I'm doing them right now.

I'm making lists of things that are missing from the adds and things that should be added, I'm also listing what kind of colors and pictures should be used on an advertisement, how to place them and so on.

I'm almost ready with the first ad and about to call to the person who placed it, still have to a little bit of research though.

Will get back to you and report my learnings at the end of the day!

 

[TomW]

First cold call behind.

I spoke with the person for more than 30mins, he was interested in my ideas and we discussed about the product and how the big pharmaceutical companies are trying to get his product out of the market.

But he wanted to know more about me before he'd say yes.

This is a bit of a pickle since I don't have any similar portfolio pieces from previous clients. I think the life coaching website's case study should be made in the near future.

@Andy Black @TheGrind @Nicoknowsbest if a client wants to know more about you, how would you tell them about yourself and about what you do?

I told him how I started my business in January and how I'm now trying to get more clients. I also told him my full name and the name of my company, where I live and so on...

...but he told me to send more information about myself to his email.

I had troubles telling him the price and I ended up saying something like: "I'm trying to get more client's. You are the first person I'm calling, what if you get this first ad for free and if it performs well, I'll do more for you." I know it's bad but that was all I could get out of my mouth.

But the fact that he didn't hang up on me or tell me that he doesn't need my services keeps me positive. He said that he is interested in hearing new ideas and how he could improve his marketing.

He has been writing the ads himself for 40 years, and I can tell he hasn't learned much about copywriting during those years...

 

[Andy Black]

First cold call behind.

I spoke with the person for more than 30mins, he was interested in my ideas and we discussed about the product and how the big pharmaceutical companies are trying to get his product out of the market.

But he wanted to know more about me before he'd say yes.

This is a bit of a pickle since I don't have any similar portfolio pieces from previous clients. I think the life coaching website's case study should be made in the near future.

@Andy Black @TheGrind @Nicoknowsbest if a client wants to know more about you, how would you tell them about yourself and about what you do?

I told him how I started my business in January and how I'm now trying to get more clients. I also told him my full name and the name of my company, where I live and so on...

...but he told me to send more information about myself to his email.

I had troubles telling him the price and I ended up saying something like: "I'm trying to get more client's. You are the first person I'm calling, what if you get this first ad for free and if it performs well, I'll do more for you." I know it's bad but that was all I could get out of my mouth.

But the fact that he didn't hang up on me or tell me that he doesn't need my services keeps me positive. He said that he is interested in hearing new ideas and how he could improve his marketing.

He has been writing the ads himself for 40 years, and I can tell he hasn't learned much about copywriting during those years...

It's all good.

When you're asked about price just laugh it off and say it's too early to say as you've not worked out what he needs yet, and what you can do for him. I'll sometimes give a range for different services but make it obvious there's a big range and "it depends".

I don't normally get people asking more about me, but then I probably drop so many stories into our first conversation that I've automatically overcome that objection/fear of theirs.

Just aend an email telling him what you've done for people already, and what successes people have had. Or show him a few simple things he can do to improve his copy/ads/etc already. "Show don't tell." is a very good rule to live by.


Check out one of the latest posts in my Local Lead Geb thread (linked to in my signature).

 

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[Nicoknowsbest]

@TomW

Good work on holding yourself accountable and making progress.

Picking up the phone is something many people struggle with.

When you're asked about price just laugh it off and say it's too early to say as you've not worked out what he needs yet, and what you can do for him. I'll sometimes give a range for different services but make it obvious there's a big range and "it depends".

In the beginning, don't worry too much about pricing.

Put it out there.

Get it wrong. Too high. Too low. Don't worry.

You'll learn.

He has been writing the ads himself for 40 years, and I can tell he hasn't learned much about copywriting during those years...

Stop what you are doing.

Take one ad and write it for him.

Pour your heart and soul into it.

Send him an email, give him the information he asked for, be honest and SHOW him the ad.

I had troubles telling him the price and I ended up saying something like: "I'm trying to get more client's. You are the first person I'm calling, what if you get this first ad for free and if it performs well, I'll do more for you." I know it's bad but that was all I could get out of my mouth.

Once you finished the ad, you could spend an hour reading this book:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/free-breaking-the-time-barrier.71226/

It helped me tremendously.

Keep going!

 

[TomW]

It's all good.

When you're asked about price just laugh it off and say it's too early to say as you've not worked out what he needs yet, and what you can do for him. I'll sometimes give a range for different services but make it obvious there's a big range and "it depends".

I don't normally get people asking more about me, but then I probably drop so many stories into our first conversation that I've automatically overcome that objection/fear of theirs.

Just aend an email telling him what you've done for people already, and what successes people have had. Or show him a few simple things he can do to improve his copy/ads/etc already. "Show don't tell." is a very good rule to live by.


Check out one of the latest posts in my Local Lead Geb thread (linked to in my signature).

@Andy Black that's a great way to approach when it comes to talking about prices. For some reason every time when someone starts talking numbers I immediately try to come up with a number. Not the way to go. I think I just have to do more calling to get more comfortable at this.

I will write him an email and tell him how he can improve the current copy and how I've managed to help people. I'll also include a few samples of how the ad could look like.

"Show 'em, don't tell 'em" that's what I've heard also!

I will check out your Local Lead Gen thread and also drop the nuggets I picked from your radio interview to the calls and interview threads, I haven't forgot about it!

 

[TomW]

@TomW

Good work on holding yourself accountable and making progress.

Picking up the phone is something many people struggle with.

@Nicoknowsbest Thanks, it feels great.

Before I started calling I wrote on this thread what I was going to do, that's how I will keep myself accountable now and in the future. I was so nervous when I picked up the phone but once he answered and I started explaining my nervousness went away.

In the beginning, don't worry too much about pricing.

Put it out there.

Get it wrong. Too high. Too low. Don't worry.

You'll learn.

I will now stop worrying about the price, I'm sure I will come to an agreement with the client.

Stop what you are doing.

Take one ad and write it for him.

Pour your heart and soul into it.

Send him an email, give him the information he asked for, be honest and SHOW him the ad.

I know it sounded wrong when I put it like that. What I meant was; there's still very much for him to gain.

Once you finished the ad, you could spend an hour reading this book:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/free-breaking-the-time-barrier.71226/
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It helped me tremendously.

Keep going!

I will definitely read the book!

 

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[TomW]

Today I'm continuing to create the sample ads for the prospective client, I'm also writing the email where I tell him about myself and what I've been doing lately to help people.

 

[TomW]

I'm TERRIBLE at designing ads.

I came up with pretty good headlines for the product and the body copy is pretty decent but gosh, does the design look terrible.

Should I get rid of the pictures and all the design stuff and just show him what the copy would look like?

Or do I just suck it up and try to come up with an ad that looks somehow presentable?