Another Recession Problem

This recession has been tough on a lot of marketers.  For some copywriters, though, it’s been a watershed year.

I thank the Lord daily for how busy I’ve been…

…but that doesn’t mean I’ve been untouched by these tough times.

Product launches, my second specialty, are down in revenues.  Marketers are having to work a lot harder for less in the way of results.  For the first time, I’ve had to write 40 emails in a launch, just to get the same response I’d normally get with 15.

But another problem (one I should have seen, in retrospect) is that of client and customer rip-offs.

Now, client rip-offs are mostly the fault of the copywriter.  And it comes from not getting the entire fee up-front. Here’s and example:

I wrote a sales letter, squeeze page, and autoresponders for a Forex clown who claimed to be a Christian, and a man of God.   So I let him “owe me” a few hundred on a sales letter, because he said he was tapped, and was dead broke until he launched.

Never heard from him.  Then I saw him launch through an affiliate program, and he ignored my emails.  Then I sent him one saying my network was far superior to the smaller one he signed up with…

THAT got his attention.  He wrote back immediately, promising 30% to anyone I could get to sign on.

Sure.  30% wouldn’t get my dog’s interest…

…but it shows you his greed, and lack of sophistication.

Plus, I never promised to hook him up with my network…. I just told him he would have done better going with it.  He mistook it for an offer, which explains why he finally responded.  (With a laughable affiliate offer, at that.)

And he refused to pay the balance on the sales letter.

Another copywriter I know blogged about a client who, instead of paying him his balance owing, had the court serve him a bankruptcy notice.  I’ve heard it’s pretty easy to claim bankruptcy on a business entity after you’ve drained all the profits from it… I’m not a lawyer, so I don’t know for sure.  But it sounds like a dirty trick to me.

I also hear from clients that returns are through the roof.  One huge marketer (not a client) recently revealed after a mega-launch, the returns were 30 freakin’ percent!  (I’m beginning to think that 30% is a bad number…)

So keep an eye out for these things and others during these hard times.  Forge alliances.  Make friends with those whom you trust in business.  Create or join a mastermind goup.  Realize you may have to work harder for the same – or even less – money.

And know that this, too, shall pass.

-Kevin Dawson