This makes you indispensable to clients

And it’s not that hard to do! [The Writer’ s Life]( August 3, 2022 "Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from." – Seth Godin Hi {NAME}, Every business has blind spots … Things they could be doing better … but aren't aware of the missed opportunities. It's not that they're bad at business … It's just that they're busy. They can't always see easy solutions that are right in front of them. And often don't have the time to try to find them. We have our own fair share of blind spots here at AWAI, too … And every time a writer points one out — then gives me a quick solution that works — I'm grateful. They're the kinds of writers who become indispensable to me. The "blind spots" are usually small things that make a BIG difference in a company's ability to: - Attract new prospects … - Convert them to buyers … - And create a good user experience so they stay customers. And when you can identify them, you become extremely valuable. AWAI Success Elias Christeas calls it going from being a simple "scribe" … To being a [linchpin](. Elias has become an expert in finding blind spots for businesses in the marketing agency he works for … And below, he shares his top three tips that you, as a writer, can use to do this for any client you approach. Try it to get your foot in the door with your next potential client … And watch as their eyes light up with the realization that they've just struck copywriter gold! (ahem — YOU!) Enjoy, [Rebecca Matter’ s signature] Rebecca P.S. You don't need to be an expert-level copywriter or a marketing mastermind to become a "linchpin" writer … With our LIVE, intensive training program, you can learn everything you need to become a highly sought-after linchpin writer THIS summer — [right here](. Impress and Help Your Clients by Finding Their Blind Spots By Elias Christeas In my current position, I'm tasked with the job of gaining new business for the digital marketing agency where I work. For us, there are seasons for taking on new clients (determined by our CEO), but whether we're in "go-mode" or just managing light referrals, I'm the one responsible for putting together the audit/demo/presentation for our prospects. I love diving into an audit of a client's marketing and exposing their blind spots. Why? Because I love selling something I believe in. We're (the agency I work for) very good at generating the kind of results that businesses love and I take great pride in showing those businesses how their messaging problems are solved with our digital solutions. Digital marketing works. And by the time I'm done with them, our prospects can feel it. About 50% of the time, I will onboard a new client at the end of the meeting, and 40% sign up after a few internal chats with other decision makers in their organization. The remaining 10% goes on my shelf and I circle back to them in a few months, typically signing half of those who previously said, "we're not interested right now." We scaled as an agency incredibly fast during 2020 — a time when other businesses were shutting down. And now, as the alarms sound for another economic winter, it appears as if we're on the verge of another growth spurt. I've thought a great deal about this onboarding of new clients and how that might relate to your search for that first client, or thicker portfolio. Is there some kind of magic trick that makes this all possible? Does success just belong to those pre-ordained "successful people?" No, on all counts. Every business wants to succeed, but when you approach a business as a copywriter, you need to be more than just a scribe. You need to be a business strategist. You need to be able to hold a business by the hand and show them how your copy and marketing prowess can guide them to new business. Here are three solid angles you can take to do that: 1. See where their messaging isn't. Take a look at any company's marketing efforts and identify what they are saying. If you can do this, then you can try to see if they're leaving anything out. Who are they not talking to? What's their greatest lost opportunity? Where are they not advertising? If you can point out opportunity loss and content solutions to winning it back, you're gold. 2. Check out the competition. If you can dig deeper and flesh out what a company's competitors are doing well, you'll enjoy watching your potential clients grin and bear it while they silently calculate lost customers during your presentation. Fortunately, successful competitive strategies open the door for paths you might take them down to achieve similar, if not better, results. 3. Use metrics. When I present to a client, I can tell they enjoy the creative flair I bring to the table while presenting our winning creative solutions. But I've also made myself a numbers guy. Don't worry if digital analytics aren't in your bag of tricks. There are plenty of real-world examples to offer. Personally, I like profits and growth. Business owners do, too. Those are good general metrics to discuss. A basic internet search will tell you that 80% of companies with a digital strategy have increased profits while finding better market share. And of those 80%, nearly all have enjoyed about 23% more revenue than the competition. Proof is powerful. Finally … present a plan (and measure that, too). When you approach a potential client with a plan, how do you go about it? Try this … Pretend you're a business owner. People's livelihoods depend on you. Your livelihood depends on you. You've got a huge loan or a ton of personal cash vested in your business. You're stressing about taking on new customers and two copywriters approach you. Copywriter A has their hand out, looking to score a quick win by rewriting your homepage. That's the service they're pitching. Copywriter B offers you a hand up. They tell you about how businesses like yours have grown with service x, y, & z. They can do that for you, too, but they won't stop there. Once x, y, & z are finished, they'll track performance and then tailor your efforts with alternate services which have also been money-makers for other businesses. Then, every month, you'll sit with them to track what new business is coming in and from where so you can hone your efforts for next month. Which copywriter would you hire? Be that copywriter. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a technology company. They offer a brilliant service for health and wellness businesses of all sizes. They wanted to tap new segments and grow existing segments but felt that their efforts had stalled. I was quick to point out that if they wanted to sell their platform to computer science engineers, they're doing everything perfectly. But if they wanted to reach the gym owner on the corner or the yoga studio owner looking to open a third location, or the salon using eco-friendly products, they were speaking the wrong language. I showed them where their messaging wasn't. Then I showed them how their chief competitors had boiled down their message into memorable elegant sound bites which were found across every conceivable channel. I also went big and dove into analytics that I knew would matter to them, while supporting my claims that my proposal would work. Then I laid out a plan to clarify their messaging platform and digital marketing efforts while optimizing their sales process. I did this for several stakeholders within the company. It was so fascinating … MBAs and PHDs. Software engineers and internal marketing teams. All having this lightbulb moment because this little copywriter-that-could pointed out where their messaging was failing. You'd think a company with all those resources would have someone on board who could see all that. But they don't. And neither do small businesses. Businesses of all types and sizes need those insights to thrive. If you can make yourself a strategic partner (and not just another expense), your close rate for new clients (and the results you get for them) will skyrocket. [Editor's Note: Give us seven weeks, and we can turn you into the "strategic partner" that Elias is talking about … earning higher fees and repeat gigs from clients you love working with. [Here's how we'll do it!](] BIG ANNOUNCEMENT — YOU: A Professional Writer in Five Days! You want to get paid to write, but you keep getting stuck at the start. You're not alone … A LOT of people do. But we're in a really unique situation right now. Copywriters are more in demand this year than ever before. We want to help you take advantage of this amazing time. So, for five days, AWAI's team of experts are focusing their energy on helping you get set up as a professional writer. If there's ever been a time to launch a writing career, it's NOW … so let's get this thing DONE! [Join us and get started RIGHT NOW here.]( What's Hot at AWAI … 🤩 Linchpins make things happen — with ideas and action. [Here's how you can become one!]( 🤔 When should a company reach out to its customers? [Here are 7 important occasions.]( 🙈 Calling ALL introverts: YOU can achieve success as a copywriter! [Here's how!]( 💰 Want a chance to win $200? [Check out this month's writing contest!]( So. Excited! [Social media post about being excited over landing a sought-after client after spending time interacting with the organization] Wow, congratulations, Jackie! This sounds like such an exciting gig. There's nothing like writing for an organization you already love. 😍 Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! URGENT: This Is Too BIG to Ignore! ALL copywriters need to hear this … Last year, companies spent a record $521 billion on digital marketing, driving demand for skilled copywriters through the roof. But that's just the start … By the end of 2022, they're projected to spend $81 billion MORE! How can you take advantage? By making sure you know what's working in the industry … the latest trends … and what marketers are hiring for today … And there's one place you can get it all … [Discover More Here]( Featured Writing Jobs Growth Marketing Copywriter Consultant – theSkimm Full-time, Remote You'll write compelling copy and concept creative paid media campaigns across web, email, social, search, SMS, landing pages and other areas of growth. --------------------------------------------------------------- Copywriter – Aquent Full-time, Remote Create engaging stories to be shared on our intranet to over 800,400 employees worldwide. --------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Copywriter, B2B – Vitamin T Full-time, Remote Influence and/or edit copy developed by internal marketing teams or external writers to ensure that it reflects the brand and our style guidelines. --------------------------------------------------------------- You can find all of these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](. Access is currently available with [The AWAI Method™]( and will be opened up to additional AWAI members in the near future. Stay tuned! --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2022 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- American Writers & Artists Institute 220 George Bush Blvd, Suite D Delray Beach, FL 33444 (561) 278-5557 or (866) 879-2924 Ensure your subscription delivery. AWAI Whitelisting info available [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to this newsletter as {EMAIL}. To unsubscribe from any future issues of The Writer's Life, please click here: [Unsubscribe from The Writer's Life](. To unsubscribe from all AWAI broadcasts click here. [I want to permanently unsubscribe from all AWAI emails](.