Hey!
I didn’t know where to start.
I had read all the books, practiced for weeks on end, yet here I was so close to my dream and I had no idea what to say.
6 years have passed and I still cringe at my first ever sales call with a prospective client and here I am again starting something new and realizing what do I say!
First of all, thanks for signing up for the newsletter, this is the first edition of what I hope can be a fun but informative guide through my journey into the world of copywriting. You’ll learn what not to do and hopefully some nuggets of what to do!
On reflection, I jumped into the deep end quickly and bombed hard on the first sales call because I didn’t fully prepare, I had concentrated fully on the writing skills and didn’t think once about the business side or even what my offer was.
If you are here I’m sure you know the best books on copy and have consumed many but I thought I’d give you a few on sales that have helped me land a few clients over the years
"Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price" by Keenan - Keenan talks about the concept of "gap selling," which is focused on identifying the gap between the customer's current state and their desired state, and then positioning your product or service as the solution to bridge that gap. It provides practical advice and techniques for engaging with customers, understanding their needs, and building strong relationships based on problem-solving.
"The Dan Sullivan Question" by Dan Sullivan - This book focuses on a powerful question that can be used to increase sales and build stronger relationships with clients. The question is "What's the most important thing you want to achieve in your business (or life) right now?" and it can help salespeople gain a deeper understanding of their clients' needs and goals.
"Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss - Written by a former FBI hostage negotiator, this book provides valuable insights into the art of negotiation. It offers practical techniques and strategies for negotiating effectively, including how to read body language, how to use empathy, and how to handle difficult situations. The book is relevant to salespeople as well as anyone who wants to improve their negotiation skills.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet for the first one! Just know if you are early into your freelancing journey we all have embarrassing stories and situations we got ourselves into and we learn through our mistakes and knowledge gaps.
Keep writing, continue reading!
Have a great weekend!
Ryan
