My #1 tip to avoid being sucker-punched by bottom-feeder clients

A few days ago, I was talking to one of my private coaching students about a potential new client he was nurturing. He had already sent them a (very reasonable) proposal, and now - about a week later - the prospect finally came back with the following response: === Hi [STUDENT NAME], My sincere apologies for not responding sooner! I had a look through the proposal and appreciated the detail and the options. Unfortunately, the price is just too high for me at this time. Maybe once I make some initial sales we can explore again with some adjustments. Thank you for your time and consideration. JC P.S. If you felt open to exploring a profit-share model, we may be able to land in something that’s more doable for me. I see this program doing very well and feel strongly that the revenue will be there. I just don’t have the upfront fee that you’re asking for. === To which my coaching student asked me if it's a good idea to accept something like this to maybe win big and get a testimonial. Well... ​ Here's my reply: ​ === [STUDENT NAME], --> “I see this program doing very well and feel strongly that the revenue will be there. I just don’t have the upfront fee that you’re asking for.“… translates into… --> “I’m a wantrepreneur with wishful thinking, I don’t know where my priorities should be, and I’m broke” I mean, c'mon... we're talking about a pretty comprehensive copywriting project here for less than $2500. If - as a business owner - he doesn't have $2.5k up-front to invest into such a high-ROI activity... that's a pretty big red flag. Also, it's a TERRIBLE client relationship in the making (especially because he took so long to get back to you). Let this one go… And avoid a potentially disastrous experience :) 99.9% of these people aren’t real professionals that you’d like to deal with. However, congratulations on gaining experience from this whole process. Now you’re MUCH better at talking to potential new clients! And this will serve you very well from now on. Plus, you can model your future proposals off of this. Great job! === In essence, I told my student to forget about this prospect and avoid an almost-guaranteed negative experience early on in his career. You see, {NAME}... ​ It's of UTMOST IMPORTANCE that you only work with the RIGHT people as a freelancer! ​ Your time is extremely limited... And wasting it on projects that have red flags right from the start is a surefire way to burn yourself out... And develop something I call "post-traumatic freelancing disorder". You see... When a high-intent prospect reads your proposal and only responds after 1.5 weeks... ...It means they aren't a direct communicator who values you or your time When a high-intent prospect who's supposedly a "successful" business owner doesn't have $2.5k to spend on a launch... ...It means the whole project is on shaky grounds to begin with. And when the same prospect offers you a revenue-share deal... ...It means they're betting on the future on YOUR expense (copywriters who take these deals ultimately don't get paid in 99% of cases!) So make sure to avoid these situations, if you can... It will save you A TON of frustration. Something to think about. -Csaba ​ P.S. - If you'd like to launch your own successful copywriting career and attract high-paying clients so you can start earning real money... ​[You might want to check out my From Zero to Copywriting Hero training program.](​ It's a complete 5-part system that’s specifically engineered to help you launch a high-paying freelance copywriting career from scratch - even if you're a total beginner. ^ ^ Click the link above for more details. Please add csaba@gameofconversions.com to your address book or whitelist us. Want to change how you receive my emails? You can easily [Update your profile]( or [Unsubscribe]( Our mailing address is: 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205