What is the single most important thing you must know about landing a high quality client?
In a word, it's EMPATHY. And my copywriting colleagues should know this, because understanding the pains, frustrations, desires, wants, needs, and goals and aspirations of your target audience is the key to higher response rates, more orders...and yes, better clients.
Why is this?
Simply because as human beings, from the moment of birth (and that first slap on the tush) we are in pain. We are in psychological pain (How can I get out of debt?), emotional pain (I never thought I'd get divorced), and sometimes physical pain (starting with our first moments into this world).
Are we ALWAYS in pain? Of course not. Sometimes we have pleasure, but first the pain must be absent (maybe this is why drugs are so popular!).
Now here comes the lesson: Pain is more powerful than pleasure. The human being will seek to alleviate his pain before he will seek to find pleasure.
The lesson here?
Simply that the freelance consultant who knows her target market's pain...and seeks to SOLVE it...will be the freelance consultant who gets the job.
In lead-generating direct marketing, this is what the "offer" is all about.
As a direct response copywriter who targets marketing directors, I've made it my business to know what their life is like at work. I know a number of "pains" they deal with on a daily or weekly basis, and then I figure out how I can help them solve those pains.
When I think I have a great solution to a problem (e.g., how to increase response rates, shorten sales cycles, gain market share), I write a report (or guide, White Paper, Problem/Solution Recommender, etc.), and I present this free information as an offer to my target.
Being of high quality (I present only to pre-qualified prospects who meet certain criteria), this marketing director recognizes that I too am of high quality, and a "hot lead" is born.
When I share this information with my coaching students, I sometimes point out that most copywriters study every detail of the product or service, and spend very little time delving into the living, breathing pains of the prospect.
This is a terrible mistake, of course, because it is not the product we must convince...it is the prospect. So spend the time it takes to get to know the unique pains of your target audience, then offer them a solution for solving a specific problem.
For freelancers who target business, "pain" is on your side. You might find selling pleasure very profitable in the B2C space, but in B2B, pain is king!
About the Author
Chris Marlow publishes a free newsletter for consultants who want to land the high quality, high value clients.
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