All the Clients You Can Handle

By Ray Edwards

Nearly all copywriters worry about finding clients. I often speak at seminars and conventions. Copywriters approach me all the time with the same question: "How can I get more clients?"

Finding clients is the #1 problem for copywriters, new and experienced. Given our skills at writing, it seems odd that copywriters and marketers would be challenged by a lack of clients. After all, we are the advertising experts!

The good news is that it is easy to get all the clients you can handle. I have learned, though, that acquiring clients takes an entirely different skill set than we usually operate in. So, if you're having a problem getting new clients, don't beat yourself up.

As copywriters, our skill is writing good copy that sells. It is a different thing altogether to have the personal, selling and business skills to attract clients.

The main skill required for acquiring clients is sales. I've found that an excellent resource for increasing your sales skills is Jeffrey Gitomer's website, www.Gitomer.com. Jeffrey is the premier sales trainer in America right now.

Here is a simple 5-Step System to help you attract more copy clients:

1. Develop your website. Your website is a powerful marketing tool which is meant to sell YOU. Put your best foot forward by using only your most powerful marketing messages on your site. Don't make the common mistake of writing powerful copy for clients while neglecting your own. Your website speaks for you - make sure it tells the whole story.

2. Use a sales process. There are several tools at your disposal: use a lead generation page - like a forced opt-in page, an autoresponder, opt-in (ethical, of course) bribes to get potential clients to sign up. There should be a plan that will lead the client to the point of asking for, in our case, a quote on copy writing services. Do the sales process as if you were doing it for a client.

3. Screen your clients carefully. I use several techniques to do this. One of the most effective is sticker shock. I post some of my actual rates on my site. A lot of clients gasp and don't return my calls when they see my prices. This isn't because I don't like them, or I don't want to work with people, it just weeds out those who should go somewhere else. I don't say this to be arrogant, but as your copywriting skills improve, you will be deluged with work. You will then need to either politely refuse jobs, or raise your rates accordingly, so you are doing fewer jobs for more qualified clients. This presumes, of course, that your work is good enough to give a good return on investment for your clients. (which will be the subject of a different article).

4. Follow-up marketing is important! Use it all the time, every time. Theoretically, your autoresponder should go on and on, into infinity.

5. Network and attend seminars. The best thing you can do for your business is to seek new faces and opportunities by networking and attending seminars. Last year, I spent about $50,000 on travel expenses to attend seminars. Of course, you don't need to spend this much! Search out a few key events, concentrating on those that will be packed with potential clients. Make it a priority to get there. In my opinion, Armand Morin's Big Seminar is one of the best places for copywriters to meet and greet new clients. More information can be found on his website at www.NewBigSeminar.com.

Whatever your profession - web designer, marketing consultant, copywriter - you need clients to succeed. This simple 5-step program will help you to attract more clients and ensure the health of your business.

About the Author:

For tips, tricks, and tactics of a top direct response copywriter, visit the site of Copywriter Ray Edwards. There you'll find a daily podcast, video tutorials and copywriting advice.

Counting cards could make you a lot of money online

By Zigfred Diaz

I wrote an article before that to generate more traffic you have to optimize the proper keywords. The way to do it is through high trend, low density keywords or what I call as HITLOD.

Just like how great artists and inventors suddenly come up with a brilliant idea, HITLOD keywords often come to you even if you do not search for them.

As I go about my day to day experiences, I have discovered a lot of great keywords . For instance, after I watched the movie 21 I searched the internet for the movie's real story. (I normally do this because Hollywood is often fond of taking liberties in expanding the real story to fit the script)

The movie 21 is based on the book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions" by Ben Mezrich. The entire book may be considered fictional, however the events that transpired in the book are loosely based on the life of a brilliant MIT student who was a member of the MIT Blackjack Team named Jeffrey Ma.

The MIT blackjack team was composed of students and ex-students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and other colleges. The team used counting cards techniques to beat the casinos in the game of blackjack.

Their operation was impressive, very organized and run like a real business. It said that they raked in an estimated $3 million to $5 million U.S dollars by simply counting cards in the game of black jack while playing in casinos worldwide.

"Blackjack is a beatable game," This was the motto of the group. To win at blackjack all you have to do is use simple math and employ simple counting cards techniques.

I listened to the interviews of Jeffrey Ma and read several articles on the MIT black jack team. I came to realize that people would start searching for information on them after watching the movie. So I tried to do some reasearch on what terms people will use to search for counting cards in the internet. I tried "black jack", "counting cards in blackjack", "counting cards", "how to count cards" or other similar keywords. The best keyword I could find was "counting cards." I have to admit, I myself got hook to the "counting cards" fever.

"Counting cards" has only been referred to in 443,000 site as of today. There is spike in the Google trends graph. This could have been caused by the release of the movie in theatres sometime late March 2008.

If you notice, the search for "counting cards" only began in 2008. It can be concluded that interest in the keyword "counting cards" was due to the release of the movie 21.

"Counting cards" may be a good HITLOD keyword and it's being high trend could only be temporary. After several years, months or even weeks I believe people will stop searching for the "counting cards" keyword after interest in the movie has waned.

Despite that observation, "Counting cards" is still a HITLOD keyword as of today. So sieze the opportunity ! As the movie is still new, people will still search for the "counting cards" keyword. If you have properly optimized the keyword, no doubt it will bring tons of traffic to your site. Blog about "counting cards" today and start counting the traffic to your site, later on count the money that comes with it !

About the Author:

Zigfred Diaz may not be an expert in counting cards but he certainly has some compelling thoughts on a wide variety of topics such as financial management, investements, making money online among others. Go to his blog today!