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

[lowtek]

I quit F*cking around with Upwork - here's why:

1) My job success score went from 100% to 80% after a single contract ended, despite the fact the client left 5* feedback. All other previous clients left 5* feedback. Completely absurd.

2) I ignored some warning signs and took a job for a client that tried to stiff me out of $500. Thankfully, Upwork protections made sure I got paid. Client later cancelled the contract and left poor feedback. This resulted in my success score plummeting even further, making it harder to get jobs.

3) The fee structure recently changed to be unfavorable to all parties. 20% instead of 10% and about 3% for the clients.

All the above make it difficult to justify using it, for me. Everybody is different, however.

For those that are still active on the platform, and are new, here are the warning signs I ignored and you should heed:

- If a client advertises a job as hourly and then switches to a fixed price contract, do not accept under any circumstances. No matter what reason they gave you, they are performing a bait and switch and cannot be trusted. They are not trying to watch their bottom line, they are/will trying to screw you.

- If a client tacks on extra tasks after the contract begins, you should protest immediately. I didn't because it was a $5,000 multi month contract and I figured it wasn't a huge deal. This was a mistake and only served to further dilute the value of the contract. It demonstrates the client is cheap and doesn't respect you, and the relationship will not be good.

- If a client cannot provide clear direction on what they want, that is another red flag. Find this out before accepting the contract. If they aren't clear on their expectations, they will take it out on you when you don't meet their (ill defined) expectations.

Another protip: always Google the client's name before accepting the contract. The person that tried to stiff me has an entire page dedicated to them being a scammer. I didn't do my due diligence up front, so I had to be taught a lesson.

I have shifted my focus to local networking, cold messaging on LinkedIn, and just started Facebook PPC ads. I also switched to AdWords / conversion optimization since it gives some degree of recurring income and I get to play with data and conduct small experiments (I'm a nerd).

With respect to the posters above me:

If you're sending out 30 applications and not getting any replies, then I would take a step back. Try using a semi custom template so you can hone in on the problem with your application. What I mean is, use a consistent methodology for the "You" focused portion, and use a boilerplate for the description of yourself.

Try using a consistent class of "you" focused questions (asking about their target demographic, for instance) with every client.

Come up with a few "templates" and test them out with groups of 10. Compare results and see what works. If you are applying for a large volume of jobs, you can quickly find out what you're doing wrong.

If nothing seems to work, you can send your proposal to me and I'll provide what feedback I can. I've been on both sides of the Upwork experience. I've hired writers and graphic designers as well as worked as an adwords manager and content/ghost writer.

 

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[jmomcc]

Hey @SinisterLex

I'd like to thank you. I messaged you a long time ago. You hooked me up with my first contract on Upwork ($40 for twenty blog posts) and I am now making roughly CA$3600 a month on about 30 hours a week. That is nowhere near your goal but it is a big deal to me.

I moved to Canada in January and this has allowed me to work from home and not touch my savings to make this move. That was massive for me. I'm actually saving money. My wife and I are thinking about moving next year so it is not a great time to get a job - and I am would have found it very hard anyway.

I had a lot of luck and it could fall apart losing a client but it seems like I'll have enough work to make plans and figure things out without touching savings, which is awesome.

I need to refocus and figure things out from here without just being happy with this but again, thanks for the inspiration.

 

[The-J]

If I were doing this in 2016, I'd say 'F*ck Upwork' and work locally (locally meaning within a pop density of 100,000 people, or a 20 mile radius, whichever is more people).

Why?

First of all, you're not gonna see a dime for at least 30 days before you create your account, and that assumes you get a job on your first day. Working locally, you could invoice up front and get your money same day.

Second of all, they take such a huge chunk out. 20% on the first $500 matters a LOT, especially since most clients on Upwork are looking for small tasks to be done.

Yes, you can get bigger contracts on Upwork. You're forced to go for those.

I am now a verified client with a few thousand spent on Upwork, but they take a 3% processing fee on top of the Paypal fees! And my freelancers get boned! I'm thinking of taking my contractors off of Upwork and having them work in my system.

Also, I rarely close a contract with people who are unwilling to get on the phone.

I have an agency account with Upwork as well. However, agencies stand on their own and operate separately from freelancers! Worst of all, I can't apply to things as an agency because most people want freelancers. Little do they know, I guess LOL

All in all, I hate Upwork and I've moved most of my big contracts off of the system. I can't take a 20% hit and fit it into my cost of doing business. I simply can't do it. And, it's funny: almost all my clients are perfectly OK with moving off of Upwork because then they don't have to take the 3% hit in addition to funding through Paypal and taking the Paypal hit (which I absorb anyway: I'm okay with a 3% hit but not a F*cking 20% or even 10% hit)

I also have a milestone system set up with my projects off of Upwork where I demand payment upon completion of milestones, and work does not continue until I get paid.

Upwork is great practice for writing proposals, funnelling people to your phone/Skype, and getting better at selling. But you need to move away from it. Seriously.

 

[devine]

If I were doing this in 2016, I'd say 'F*ck Upwork' and work locally (locally meaning within a pop density of 100,000 people, or a 20 mile radius, whichever is more people).

Why?

First of all, you're not gonna see a dime for at least 30 days before you create your account, and that assumes you get a job on your first day. Working locally, you could invoice up front and get your money same day.

Second of all, they take such a huge chunk out. 20% on the first $500 matters a LOT, especially since most clients on Upwork are looking for small tasks to be done.

Yes, you can get bigger contracts on Upwork. You're forced to go for those.

I am now a verified client with a few thousand spent on Upwork, but they take a 3% processing fee on top of the Paypal fees! And my freelancers get boned! I'm thinking of taking my contractors off of Upwork and having them work in my system.

Also, I rarely close a contract with people who are unwilling to get on the phone.

I have an agency account with Upwork as well. However, agencies stand on their own and operate separately from freelancers! Worst of all, I can't apply to things as an agency because most people want freelancers. Little do they know, I guess LOL

All in all, I hate Upwork and I've moved most of my big contracts off of the system. I can't take a 20% hit and fit it into my cost of doing business. I simply can't do it. And, it's funny: almost all my clients are perfectly OK with moving off of Upwork because then they don't have to take the 3% hit in addition to funding through Paypal and taking the Paypal hit (which I absorb anyway: I'm okay with a 3% hit but not a F*cking 20% or even 10% hit)

I also have a milestone system set up with my projects off of Upwork where I demand payment upon completion of milestones, and work does not continue until I get paid.

Upwork is great practice for writing proposals, funnelling people to your phone/Skype, and getting better at selling. But you need to move away from it. Seriously.

Upwork and similar services are basically platforms for uneducated people to hire those who compete by price.
I've never seen in my whole life any "ok" specialist on these platforms (and I'm asked a lot to review proposals from elance/odesk/etc).

 

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[jmomcc]

Upwork and similar services are basically platforms for uneducated people to hire those who compete by price.
I've never seen in my whole life any "ok" specialist on these platforms (and I'm asked a lot to review proposals from elance/odesk/etc).

I worked for a guy who hired the developers - who built an application to be sold to us govt agencies in a specialized area - on upwork. They were great developers and its a great, highly involved app. He also hired the design team who created the proposal booklet for a multi million dollar grant in Asia (and got it). I helped write it and it was extremely high quality. His design team is in Eastern Europe. He basically hired one person on upwork and then told her to build a team.

So, there is a lot of dreck, but some people can get it done on there.

 

[devine]

I worked for a guy who hired the developers - who built an application to be sold to us govt agencies in a specialized area - on upwork. They were great developers and its a great, highly involved app. He also hired the design team who created the proposal booklet for a multi million dollar grant in Asia (and got it). I helped write it and it was extremely high quality. His design team is in Eastern Europe. He basically hired one person on upwork and then told her to build a team.

So, there is a lot of dreck, but some people can get it done on there.

Don't get me wrong - we can have drastically different understanding of what "great" is.
I saw very expensive projects with pretty substandard execution for high profile businesses. There are top-players on the market who paid fortune and still have substandard websites/apps/seo/marketing, which majority considers great.

But if you actually dealt with great specialists there - I'm very happy for your experience.

 

[jmomcc]

Don't get me wrong - we can have drastically different understanding of what "great" is.

That's a good point. At this point of my journey, my 'great' is probably other people's 'good enough'.

 

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[The-J]

Upwork and similar services are basically platforms for uneducated people to hire those who compete by price.
I've never seen in my whole life any "ok" specialist on these platforms (and I'm asked a lot to review proposals from elance/odesk/etc).

Key word is 'specialist'.

Lots of good workers on Upwork. And there's lots of good clients on Upwork, too. It's just a lot of them suck and are on Upwork for a reason.

You'd be hard pressed to find a $10k+ project on Upwork. It's a sea of little projects for little business trying to get little things done.

I'm not dissing Upwork at all. It's just, when you work on it, you gotta know what you're in for. Namely, clients who will pay next to nothing, give horrible instructions, have no idea what the hell they're trying to do, and go for the lowest pried hire.

Same thing with hiring on it, too: gotta know what you're in for. Namely, people from third-world countries who don't know anything other than price competition, and can't promise that they'll do a good job.

 

[lowtek]

If I were doing this in 2016, I'd say 'F*ck Upwork' and work locally (locally meaning within a pop density of 100,000 people, or a 20 mile radius, whichever is more people)......

My experience is exactly the same. 20% off the top, plus 3% off the client is too greedy. Add on top of that that the clients typically want to pay bottom dollar...

suffice it to say, I changed strategies.

 

[The-J]

I quit Upwork. I'm going after bigger clients now. @SinisterLex you need to follow me. No more slave labor sites, no more churning out deliverables, no more weak processes.

Sell. Hire. Scale. That's the motto.

For those who have just started their entrepreneurial journey, Upwork is a great place to learn how to solve problems. It's geared toward beginners who have never made a dime online.

However, you need to outgrow it.

Anyone who is currently making money off of sites like Upwork: you need to QUIT.

I don't care if you think $5k/mo is a lot of money, it's NOT and you need to stop thinking that it is.

Here's the facts about Upwork: you are LIMITED. Limited in scale (30 proposals a month), limited in magnitude (the kinds of people hiring on Upwork are looking for someone to do their shit for $100), and limited in control (Upwork raised their cut to 20%!).

Quit Upwork. Quit Upwork. Quit Upwork.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I quit Upwork. I'm going after bigger clients now. @SinisterLex you need to follow me. No more slave labor sites, no more churning out deliverables, no more weak processes.

Sell. Hire. Scale. That's the motto.

For those who have just started their entrepreneurial journey, Upwork is a great place to learn how to solve problems. It's geared toward beginners who have never made a dime online.

However, you need to outgrow it.

Anyone who is currently making money off of sites like Upwork: you need to QUIT.

I don't care if you think $5k/mo is a lot of money, it's NOT and you need to stop thinking that it is.

Here's the facts about Upwork: you are LIMITED. Limited in scale (30 proposals a month), limited in magnitude (the kinds of people hiring on Upwork are looking for someone to do their shit for $100), and limited in control (Upwork raised their cut to 20%!).

Quit Upwork. Quit Upwork. Quit Upwork.

I agree with what you said. UpWork definitely has it's limitations and is good for beginners. My clients mostly aren't on UpWork. I pick one up there every once in a while, but it's pretty rare. I only work with 1 client through Upwork now. All others are on monthly retainers or fixed-rates up front, outside.

That said, some of those on monthly retainers did come from UpWork. Just gotta be REALLY REALLY picky about who you work with and what you offer. I get people to my website outside of UpWork any way I can. From there it's not that hard to get what you want, especially if they like your writing.

One way I found to get people to my website is to let them invite me to jobs on UpWork. I accept the interview and ask some questions. Give a little taste of what's to come. Then withdraw my application.

Suddenly they scramble to figure out wtf?! What happened?! Things were going so well...

After that they filter back through my profile to find other ways to contact me (assuming they're serious). That's when they find the link to my website where they go browsing around. It's all downhill from there.

Once they're in the flytrap the spider gets his meal.

 

[The-J]

One way I found to get people to my website is to let them invite me to jobs on UpWork. I accept the interview and ask some questions. Give a little taste of what's to come. Then withdraw my application.

Suddenly they scramble to figure out wtf?! What happened?! Things were going so well...

After that they filter back through my profile to find other ways to contact me (assuming they're serious). That's when they find the link to my website where they go browsing around. It's all downhill from there.

Once they're in the flytrap the spider gets his meal.

That's hilarious. I don't even have a website. I am using LinkedIn a lot more though.

I've been doing cold prospecting (cold emails, calling, etc) and have found LinkedIn to be an awesome tool for finding who you wanna talk to. It also kinda forces you into peoples' lives.

PM me, I think I might have some ideas about how you can beef up your sales funnel. Maybe we can chat.

 

[Lex DeVille]

PM me, I think I might have some ideas about how you can beef up your sales funnel. Maybe we can chat.

Don't direct response me!

I've been using LinkedIn a lot lately too. It tells me I can only connect with 8 more people out of the first 5,000 but it keeps letting me connect no matter how many times I push the button!

 

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[TheGrind]

Don't direct response me!

I've been using LinkedIn a lot lately too. It tells me I can only connect with 8 more people out of the first 5,000 but it keeps letting me connect no matter how many times I push the button!

What are you doing to drum up clients on LinkedIn? Right now I'm connecting with CMO's and directing them towards my website.

 

[Richy Rich]

Only found these forums just a few days ago and thought I'd jump straight in. Thanks so much Lex for all the value you have provided in this thread!

Yesterday I took the first step and signed up for Upwork and sent out my first two proposals. I don't plan on making this a full time/long term pursuit but it seems like a good way to get started for a beginner. By the end of the year I hope to transition into offering my services locally.

I got a message back this morning regarding one of the two proposals I sent out. The job was for writing an ebook. They said they thought I would be good for the job. But they also said they expect this e-book to be 120+ pages and would need it done it 4-5 days. I honestly don't think I could produce anything of 5 star quality in such a short time frame.

Seems to me like that time would be better spent sending out proposals for other jobs. Is it best to just politely say you're no longer interested in the job instead of committing yourself to a big project that you probably couldn't do a great job of?

 

[Brandon Parker]

But they also said they expect this e-book to be 120+ pages and would need it done it 4-5 days. I honestly don't think I could produce anything of 5 star quality in such a short time frame.

That is an absurd timeframe to write 120 pages of quality content, especially an entire ebook. Sounds like this client wants pump n' dump type content. I say skip out on it.

For your first job, do something that you can complete in a day. Something like a short article or an about page. This way you can focus on quality and get good feedback quickly.

Is it best to just politely say you're no longer interested in the job instead of committing yourself to a big project that you probably couldn't do a great job of?

Yes. You don't want to be stuck with the type of clients who expect way to much of you. It's not worth it. Apply to other jobs and make sure they're smaller jobs. There are plenty of clients looking for basic articles, product descriptions, etc.

By the way, welcome to the forum!

 

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[SuperDuper]

When using themes do you have to give attribution? I know for free themes you usually do, but I'm not sure about themes you paid for.

EDIT: posted this in the wrong thread. how do I delete?

 

[Rainy_TX]

Hey, everyone. I've been reading and re-reading this thread over the past couple of weeks and applying the principles that @SinisterLex has been writing about to my own Upwork account. When I started two weeks ago, I had an account with a few jobs under my belt. However, I had no feedback, my rate was $10/hr, and when I applied for gigs, I was often turned down within a couple of hours. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong as my rate was VERY cheap for what I could do and my portfolio was full of amazing work (from jobs outside of Upwork).

Fast forward to yesterday. I have two 5-star reviews and landed a job paying $38/hr for a Doctor in the UK. As a new mother with a 1-month-old son, I cannot thank Lex enough! I am now enjoying the freedom to stay at home and take care of our son instead of dumping him off at daycare to make someone else rich.

It CAN be done! (And my niche is NOT copywriting!)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, @SinisterLex!!!

**Edit** As I was posting this, I received an invitation to interview for a job. NEVER used to happen!

 

[Lex DeVille]

Hey, everyone. I've been reading and re-reading this thread over the past couple of weeks and applying the principles that @SinisterLex has been writing about to my own Upwork account. When I started two weeks ago, I had an account with a few jobs under my belt. However, I had no feedback, my rate was $10/hr, and when I applied for gigs, I was often turned down within a couple of hours. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong as my rate was VERY cheap for what I could do and my portfolio was full of amazing work (from jobs outside of Upwork).

Fast forward to yesterday. I have two 5-star reviews and landed a job paying $38/hr for a Doctor in the UK. As a new mother with a 1-month-old son, I cannot thank Lex enough! I am now enjoying the freedom to stay at home and take care of our son instead of dumping him off at daycare to make someone else rich.

It CAN be done! (And my niche is NOT copywriting!)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, @SinisterLex!!!

**Edit** As I was posting this, I received an invitation to interview for a job. NEVER used to happen!

Proud of your progress! Thanks for sharing!

What an inspiring story! When others just do it, they can get results like this too.

With that $38/hr gig in place you can focus on ways to scale and grow. Just took a bit of hard work and persistence eh?

 

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[Rainy_TX]

With that $38/hr gig in place you can focus on ways to scale and grow. Just took a bit of hard work and persistence eh?

Right now I'm just focused on getting our income back to where it was before I was let go from my job... a week after I told my boss I was pregnant. (Yeah, another "poor me" story. lol) I'll scale it/grow it once we get back to that point. (Already thinking about how to do it though!)

Honestly, it wasn't hard work at all... just applied what you suggested in this thread. Amazing how things can change when you take the focus off of yourself and instead focus on helping others!

 

[fishgodeep]

@SinisterLex Please can you write an in depth step by step how to guide on banking $10,000/weekly from copywriting? Then perform the laid out actions yourself and e-transfer the money to my bank account?

Just kidding, I wish some of the people commenting on thread were too.

Thanks for putting so much effort into this thread, it's definitely recommended reading for anyone new to the forum, like myself.

I originally started reading it in the hope of learning some 'shortcuts' (I know how much you love that word) to get into copywriting as a source of side income while I develop something of true value.

But it became apparent immediately that this thread deals with far more than writing copy. Discussing copy writing techniques seems to be more of a secondary function of this thread to it's primary function of creating a shift in mindset. Or at least that has been my take from this.

Reading this has had an enormous impact on how I perceive problems, or more importantly the problems of others.

You've provided a great service by producing this content and I'm quite sure countless others would agree that this one of the best resources on the forum about changing your mindset from ME ME ME to YOU.

Anyway, keep up the good work, your a great content producer.

P.S. Don't be squeamish about dropping the occasional F-Bomb in your videos, a well placed F*ck has great power (see Working Class Hero by John Lennon).

 

[fishgodeep]

Oh, and here's some monopoly money.

 

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[Nicoknowsbest]

First of all,

THANK YOU @SinisterLex!!!

I actually cannot put into words what you have given me through your threads.

Thank you for sharing everything you've shared, for being yourself.

You. Are. Awesome.

For all you freelancers struggling with pricing...

...here is an excellent book @Fox posted:
https://www.freshbooks.com/ebooks/breaking-the-time-barrier

I read it in one sitting (it will take you an hour or less).

It will completely shift your mindset from counting dollars to creating VALUE.

It will show you what @SinisterLex actually MEANS when he says "read between the lines".

Go and read it.

BUT first...

...THANK Lex.

Big time.

 

[Ray Goslin]

Warning. This Story Starts with Failure.

A few weeks ago I pulled back from publishing (progress on the Inside.). It was eating days, draining funds and not really progressing. That’s not the focus of this post, so I’ll just say I scaled back to unplug and regroup.

I kind of felt it coming, but it wasn’t until @tafy asked me where I wanted to be in 5 years that I had to face a harsh reality. A publishing company isn’t in my plan. It sucks because I already dumped thousands of hours & dollars into it. But it is what it is. (It's not dead. Just not moving.)

Now What? Guess I’ll Freelance.

I’ll spare you the details, and cut to the chase. Tafy suggested writing copy to build funds so I can try again. So I headed out on my next great adventure and signed up on Odesk. No profile, no feedback, no hours billed. That was exactly 3 weeks ago.

Here’s my earnings this week.

View attachment 9213

That's around $1,000 and I've pre-sold for another $2,000ish before 1 month is over.

Wondering How? I'll Show You.

It starts with a mindset. A mindset you can read all about in @IceCreamKid 's thread here. It's funny, but I actually didn't stumble on his thread until after I started writing copy.

The mindset (for me) goes like this:

1. I will never give up, no matter how F*cking stupid I think I look every time I fail.
2. I will acknowledge my failure, learn from it, and move on.
3. I may hate the feedback others give, but I'll consider it no matter what.
4. I will strive my hardest every damn day to solve problems and create value.
5. I will learn to accept others for who they are, even when I think I hate their guts. (Still working on this one.)

How This Translates to Money on Odesk (or anywhere).

If you Google, "How long does it take to get hired on Odesk?" you'll hit pages of people whining about how it's been months and they haven't had a job.

You'll see stuff like this:

- "Why won't anyone hire me?"
- "I have all the skills the job asks for, wtf?"
- "I've done this for 20 years, have a Masters degree, but clients won't even reply..."
- "I've filled out my profile, taken tons of tests, and sent out 50 applications. Nothing."
- "I've listed every skill under the sun. I can do them all. Why can't I get work?"

The thing is, all the skills and experience in the world don't matter if the client reads me me me me me me.

My guess is 99% of freelancers send me focused applications. So, for those who send a you focused application the opportunities are limitless.

How to Send a You Focused Application when You don't Know Anything About the Client.

This part is super easy, but you can't be lazy. All you have to do is read their job listing. Everything you need to know is right there on the screen. Look for the company name. If it's there, look them up. Find out what they do. Find out who their customer is. Don't just solve the company's problem. Solve the company's customer's problems.

Show how your skills (AKA product features) benefit them first.

Example: (client wants a new web site to increase traffic.)

Bad = "I have 10 years experience designing webpages. I have a Masters degree in web design. Hire me."

Good = "Sounds like you need a design that increases site traffic. Cool, I can build an eye-popping site that makes customer navigation simple, and increases traffic 50% guaranteed. Oh, and I have 10 years of experience and a Masters to back it up.

Clients don't care about your degree, and they don't care about your experience. They care about what they care about, and if you don't show em' you care about the same, then you're not getting shit.

It's Not a Trick. It's a Lifestyle.

Focus on their problems. Focus on giving. Focus on solving. Forget about money. When they say "give first and money follows" they actually mean that shit. I know it seems hard to believe, but I swear to god it's true.

I get it... Freelance and jobs aren't exactly Fastlane, and I'm not rich either. But I'm willing to bet everything on the fact this same lesson applies no matter what business you're in. If you need money to start your real business, or if you're just starting out, or even if you've been grinding for a long time...check your focus.

It's changing everything for me.

I bet it will for you too.

Great info here. Thanks for sharing
Cheers, Ray

 

[Niptuck MD]

Influence (Yourself & Others)
- How to Win Friends & Influence People
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
- The 48 Laws of Power
- The Art of War
- Leader Effectiveness Training
- Get Selected for Special Forces
- The Mystery Method
- Thick Face Black Heart
- A Guide to Rational Living
- Tribes
- Get Anyone to do Anything
- Predictably Irrational
- Cashvertising
- Breakthrough Advertising
- Magical Words that Sell

NLP
- The User's Manual for the Brain Volume I & II
- Mind Lines: Magical Lines to Transform Minds
- Anything by Richard Bandler
- EVERYTHING by Milton Erickson (His focus is actually hypnosis)

Personality Typing
- Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self Discovery
- The Wisdom of the Enneagram
- Personality Selling (Mixes NLP, Hypnosis & Personality Typing)

These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Probably means they had the most impact on my life.

As for courses, I'm about halfway through the online NLP Practitioner course at iNLP Center. Its $450 and comes with certification at the end (great for empty certificate fields... hint hint.) The material is top notch and utilizes text, audio & video. It's self-paced and easy to understand.

It also has "Stealth Missions" which are assignments you carry out in the real world and report back in the classroom. This way you get direct experience if you've got the kahones to try it.

If any military spouses are reading this, be sure to email iNLP and tell them to get signed up with MYCAA military spouse scholarship program. Its $4,000 of free money. All they have to do is send their accreditation and their curriculum to the MYCAA staff.

@SinisterLex
you recommend that NLP course sir?

 

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[Lex DeVille]

@SinisterLex
you recommend that NLP course sir?

Not for copywriting. Won't do you any good until you're good with copy.

There's only two places you can learn NLP copywriting that I'm aware of and one of them is through me.

 

[Niptuck MD]

Not for copywriting. Won't do you any good until you're good with copy.

There's only two places you can learn NLP copywriting that I'm aware of and one of them is through me.

good to know thanks @SinisterLex

 

[Spicymemer45]

Warning. This Story Starts with Failure.

A few weeks ago I pulled back from publishing (progress on the Inside.). It was eating days, draining funds and not really progressing. That’s not the focus of this post, so I’ll just say I scaled back to unplug and regroup.

I kind of felt it coming, but it wasn’t until @tafy asked me where I wanted to be in 5 years that I had to face a harsh reality. A publishing company isn’t in my plan. It sucks because I already dumped thousands of hours & dollars into it. But it is what it is. (It's not dead. Just not moving.)

Now What? Guess I’ll Freelance.

I’ll spare you the details, and cut to the chase. Tafy suggested writing copy to build funds so I can try again. So I headed out on my next great adventure and signed up on Odesk. No profile, no feedback, no hours billed. That was exactly 3 weeks ago.

Here’s my earnings this week.

View attachment 9213

That's around $1,000 and I've pre-sold for another $2,000ish before 1 month is over.

Wondering How? I'll Show You.

It starts with a mindset. A mindset you can read all about in @IceCreamKid 's thread here. It's funny, but I actually didn't stumble on his thread until after I started writing copy.

The mindset (for me) goes like this:

1. I will never give up, no matter how F*cking stupid I think I look every time I fail.
2. I will acknowledge my failure, learn from it, and move on.
3. I may hate the feedback others give, but I'll consider it no matter what.
4. I will strive my hardest every damn day to solve problems and create value.
5. I will learn to accept others for who they are, even when I think I hate their guts. (Still working on this one.)

How This Translates to Money on Odesk (or anywhere).

If you Google, "How long does it take to get hired on Odesk?" you'll hit pages of people whining about how it's been months and they haven't had a job.

You'll see stuff like this:

- "Why won't anyone hire me?"
- "I have all the skills the job asks for, wtf?"
- "I've done this for 20 years, have a Masters degree, but clients won't even reply..."
- "I've filled out my profile, taken tons of tests, and sent out 50 applications. Nothing."
- "I've listed every skill under the sun. I can do them all. Why can't I get work?"

The thing is, all the skills and experience in the world don't matter if the client reads me me me me me me.

My guess is 99% of freelancers send me focused applications. So, for those who send a you focused application the opportunities are limitless.

How to Send a You Focused Application when You don't Know Anything About the Client.

This part is super easy, but you can't be lazy. All you have to do is read their job listing. Everything you need to know is right there on the screen. Look for the company name. If it's there, look them up. Find out what they do. Find out who their customer is. Don't just solve the company's problem. Solve the company's customer's problems.

Show how your skills (AKA product features) benefit them first.

Example: (client wants a new web site to increase traffic.)

Bad = "I have 10 years experience designing webpages. I have a Masters degree in web design. Hire me."

Good = "Sounds like you need a design that increases site traffic. Cool, I can build an eye-popping site that makes customer navigation simple, and increases traffic 50% guaranteed. Oh, and I have 10 years of experience and a Masters to back it up.

Clients don't care about your degree, and they don't care about your experience. They care about what they care about, and if you don't show em' you care about the same, then you're not getting shit.

It's Not a Trick. It's a Lifestyle.

Focus on their problems. Focus on giving. Focus on solving. Forget about money. When they say "give first and money follows" they actually mean that shit. I know it seems hard to believe, but I swear to god it's true.

I get it... Freelance and jobs aren't exactly Fastlane, and I'm not rich either. But I'm willing to bet everything on the fact this same lesson applies no matter what business you're in. If you need money to start your real business, or if you're just starting out, or even if you've been grinding for a long time...check your focus.

It's changing everything for me.

I bet it will for you too.

I've been reading through the GOLD forums all night and this was the last one. Thank you Lex!!
This revived my spirit!

 

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[Ziad]

This thread is definitely gold!

 

[SYK]

@SinisterLex Are any of your mentees budding email copywriters? I'm in need of some assistance.