Dan Kennedy – Nuts & Bolts of Running A Successful Copywriting Business
Attention Copywriters: Turbo Charge Your Income With This Insider Information!
“Becoming a Wildly Successful Copywriter Is No Accident. . .In Just 4 Hours, Dan Kennedy Reveals His Proven Tactics to Make MORE MONEY and Get MORE CLIENTS for Your Copywriting Business”
DATE: Saturday, 10:12 a.m.
FROM: Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero
Dear Fellow Copywriter…
Imagine sitting at lunch with one of the most expensive, in-demand freelance copywriters in the world. He is a self-made millionaire. You are a copywriter. You know there are secrets he could share, guaranteed to explode your profits. You get to ask ANY business question that’s on your mind. No interruptions. No distractions. What would you ask?
Well in January of this year, I had that opportunity. Dan Kennedy is probably the HIGHEST paid copywriter alive. So when he offered to consult with two copywriters (me and another copywriter) over lunch while at his $10,000 a head Sales Letter Workshop in icy Cleveland, Ohio, I jumped at it!
Now I’ve been making a darn good living as a copywriter since 2002. But sitting at that lunch table listening to Dan, I quickly realized what a rookie I have been when it comes to the business side of copywriting.
Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero
Most Copywriters Stink at Business
The nuggets of wisdom he threw out were jaw-dropping. He casually mentioned most copywriters don’t have the first idea of how to make the most of a job. (Guilty as charged.)
Then he reeled off how copywriters should…
be paid on performance
retain rights to copy outside the market
automatically look to expand the assignment
be able to ask for the fee without flinching
know how to ask for front end money AND back end money
and so much more!
I was dumbstruck.
Here I thought I was operating a successful copywriting business, but the truth is…
…I Was Leaving a Ton of Money on the Table!
First I felt sick. Then exhilarated. I’m already doing the hard work! All I needed to do was change the way I approached the BUSINESS of copywriting. And I would be making A LOT MORE MONEY for the SAME AMOUNT OF WORK! I was biting at the bit for more, MORE, MORE information from Dan. If only I could get him to keep talking for hours…
Right then and there, I started scheming. How could I get Dan to give up that information over more time than just an hour’s lunch? Then it hit me! What if I could interview him in an exclusive teleseminar explaining the business side of copywriting!
Brilliant! But there were several strikes against me.
First, Dan rarely gives interviews. He enjoys his free time and his more than a dozen racehorses. Plus he gets over $1 million for copywriting each year (and doesn’t even consider copywriting his “full- time occupation”!). Why would he consider divulging his closely-guarded secrets to little ole me?
Well I didn’t give up. I thought of every angle to convince him. Maybe it would make him feel good that he was giving back; helping other copywriters cut their learning curve. Also, he’s is close to retirement. Since he won’t be competing in the marketplace soon, why not pass on his legacy to those of us who would appreciate it.
I mean, there is NO OTHER PLACE for us to go learn this information.
Well, it took several months of pleading, begging and cajoling, but finally Dan caved in! For one-time only, Dan has agreed to be grilled for this very special 2 part teleseminar…
“Insider’s Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of Running a SUCCESSFUL Copywriting Business”
Here is just some of what Dan will cover:
The Anatomy of Big Money Copywriting Projects and Client Relationships. Actual examples…where they came from, how they developed, work done, results – in cases where fees plus royalties exceed $100,000.00 per job. (This is a behind-the-scenes look at Dan’s multi-year relationships with clients who repeatedly pay him over $100,000.00 per assignment.)
Contracts.Dan shares key items all copywriters should include in their contracts. (Missing just one of these can be hazardous to your income).
Secrets to Prolific Output.Most copywriters are way, way, way too s-l-o-w to make any real money! (Dan did over 40 major projects in 2004, at an average fee of $50,000.00+, plus royalties – all part-time.)
Quick Fixes.How to quickly beat controls…rewrite and boost results of his clients’ prior campaigns…turn one-step into multi-step direct mail campaigns…his “tricks” for dramatically increasing response that actually has little to do with ‘copywriting’ but should be used by every copywriter. (You’ll be stunned when your understand how simple, yet powerful these techniques are!)
How to THINK and Grow Rich Writing Copy. Frankly Dan believes most copywriters’ own thinking about themselves, their clients, the way they “should” conduct business, how they get paid, and so on is ALL wrong and limiting. (Rich people DO think differently. Shift your thinking and you shift your bank account.)
Publish or Perish. Why and how to promote yourself by writing articles, books, and contributing to others’ books. Surprise: why your “ezine” may be crippling your fees. The one thing you should definitely publish and disseminate. (And how to get paid well to shamelessly promote yourself.)
Speak and Be Sought. You do NOT have to be Tony Robbins or some other Charismatic Dynamo to speak effectively and persuasively about copy to get speaking opportunities that yield clients. One of the fastest ways to attract the clients you want (and who will want YOU) is by speaking.
Kennedy’s #1 Rule of Business. Every minute you’re not adopting this philosophy, you are losing money. (This philosophy has served Dan well for over 25 years. He has raised his base fee every year for the past seven years.)
Capitalist Economics #101. The economic law you must have working for you rather than against you. (It’s amazing how many copywriters simply overlook this critical key.)
Big Lessons from Giants of the Copywriting and Advertising Worlds.‘Gems’ that influenced Dan enormously from John Francis Tighe, Gary Halbert, David Ogilvy, Robert Collier, and many others. (These tried and true facts have a high return.)
Should You Be Your Own Client? With the power of information marketing, the highest fees you’ll ever get might just come from writing copy to sell your own information. (John Lennon understood this wealth secret…now you can too.)
How to Get a “Milk Cow” Account Or Two. Dan shows you how to effortlessly pay the light bill each month while building your copywriting career. (No ‘starving artists’ allowed in copywriting.)
How to Leap Frog to Big Income Fast. Be part of a “parasite-host” joint venture that’s already in place. (When you can write copy, you can write your own ticket.)
Get Paid Handsomely for “Precursor Steps”. How to sell things besides copywriting to the new, virgin client (especially those not accustomed to paying for copy.)
Avoid the “Work for Free” Trap. Dan shows you how to stop getting beat up and abused, going to prospecting lunches, spending hours on the phone, doing free critiques, cold calling and getting your brain sucked dry for free. (Dan stopped the madness after his first three months in 1974.)
Where to Get More Clients. Dan has NEVER gotten a copywriting assignment through an agent…NEVER advertised….NEVER done anything free to get clients (not even taken them to lunch) in nearly 10 years. You don’t have to either. Dan will tell you how to get all the clients you could possibly want. (This year alone, he has turned away over $200,000.00 worth of copywriting work.)
Master Client Management. Learn to stop wasting time with potential clients who can’t (or won’t pay) you large sums of money. Keep dysfunctional clients from screwing up the implementation. And put the kibosh on ‘copy by committee’ (keep the client’s spouse, brother-in-law, employees, neighbor from interfering.)
Plus You’ll Learn These Priceless “How To’s”…
How to go from ‘zero to 60’ and get those first clients, fast
How to get to a 6-figure income…even if you’re a rank beginner…in 12 months or LESS
How to double your income OVERNIGHT if you’re already an established pro
What specific criteria you should use to choose which clients you spend your valuable time with
How to handle the client who wants to “stay awake during the operation” and change what you’ve written (ugh!)
How to handle client queasiness about strong copy, objections to long copy and other ignorant, meddling and bad behavior
How to effortlessly overcome a client’s resistance to your ideas
How to write sizzling hot copy for dull, boring, ordinary products or businesses
How to banish your own biases and buying patterns when it comes to writing winning copy for your clients
How to overcome shyness and develop the assertive sales mentality you need to write exceptionally effective direct-response copy
How to avoid ever doing “proposals” and break free of competitive comparison to other writers willing to work for peanuts
How to juggle multiple priorities, clients, projects, even a “day job” and still be a prolific, effective copywriter (Remember Dan himself works with 30-40 clients, multiple copywriting jobs, writes one to several books a year, 3 newsletters a month, runs high-end coaching programs, consults, speaks and races horses. In fact, he literally wrote the book on this subject – “NO B.S. TIME MANAGEMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS”.)
If You Are Serious About Creating a Full-Time Career As a Copywriter, This Is The One Event You Must NOT Miss!
But how do you know if “Insider’s Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of Running a SUCCESSFUL Copywriting Business” is right for you? Well, first you have to be brutally honest with yourself, your skill level and (most importantly) your MINDSET. This event is for you if you are:
An established pro able to check your ego at the door and consider new and radically different (but PROVEN) approaches to optimizing income as a copywriter. ¨ A relative beginner with solid writing skills who struggles from job to job and is finally ready to take a big leap up in earnings. ¨ Rank beginner who knows virtually nothing about the business but believes he or she has what it takes to be a skilled copywriter and is looking for a head start.
Dan asked me to be VERY CLEAR to you about what “Insider’s Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of Running a SUCCESSFUL Copywriting Business” so you know what you’re getting yourself into.
What It IS…and What It Is NOT
It is NOT about how to write copy or improve your copywriting skills. (All registrants should already be skilled or confident about learning those skills. The focus here is to learn to build a successful business.) ¨ It is NOT a typical direct marketing training. (Many well-known copywriters whose reputations are far greater than their fees and incomes would be insulted and irritated at what Dan promises to share.) ¨ It is NOT for the terribly timid, faint of heart, or weak-minded. (Dan’s business methods are bold and unconventional. But they WORK.) ¨ It IS two training calls on October 4th and October 11th (one week apart) that last a minimum of 4 hours (That’s like half a day of consulting with Dan Kennedy – $3,900 for private clients!) These calls are recorded, transcribed and distributed to you, the registered attendee. (NOTE: You will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before you can be accepted in the course.) ¨ It IS an opportunity for you, the registered attendee, to submit your personal copywriting question to Dan. Access to a guru like Dan who has accomplished so much is unheard of for most of us copywriters. He will answer all he can during the last 45 minutes of the call. (You will get an opportunity to ask your question when you register.) ¨ It IS me interviewing Dan about the BUSINESS of freelance copywriting and consulting. (What Dan is revealing can not be found in any book, workshop or class. This is the first and only time he is willing to open up and let us ‘look under the hood’ of a successful copywriting practice.) ¨ It IS about making the largest amounts of money you can. (If blatant focus on making money is offensive or intimidating to you, Dan recommends not registering.) ¨ It IS about finding, attracting, obtaining, keeping and managing clients for maximum profit. (Dan has client relationships down to a science. That’s why over 80% of all clients who ever hire him once, do it over and over and over again – IF they can get in his calendar.)
Who Is Dan Kennedy And Why Should You Care?
Volumes have been written about Dan but to best explain to you who he actually is, I lifted this from his website:
“Dan Kennedy is internationally recognized as a ‘millionaire-maker,’ helping people in just about every category of business turn their ideas into fortunes. He has been called the “Professor of Harsh Reality” because he’s provocative, irreverent, sarcastic, and tells it like it is in a humorous, but chilling, serious fashion that cuts to the core of the issues in a way no other marketing ‘guru’ does.
Dan Kennedy’s advice can be moved with remarkable ease from one very different field, industry, or profession to another with amazing success. He is a leading consultant in direct marketing, copywriting, internet strategies, and profit improvement systems.Kennedy’s clients include sole entrepreneurs to huge corporations. Here are just a few examples:There’s the husband and wife who came to Dan with an idea, a mountain of debt, and failing advertising. Less than two years later, they have zero debt and a home-based mail-order business generating over $250,000.00 a month with a 40% net profit margin.Or, there’s the now giant Guthy-Renker Corporation, famous for its celebrity infomercials with Victoria Principal and Vanna White, and its Tony Robbins infomercial. Guthy-Renker is a 800 million dollar+ a year business now, and Dan has been a key member of their brain trust since their very first infomercial (Think and Grow Rich). And the list goes on and on.In addition, Kennedy is the “hidden genius” behind full page magazine and tabloid advertisements you’ve undoubtedly seen in such notable publications like Success, Inc., Entrepreneur, Nations Business, USA TODAY, and The Wall Street Journal.His multi-step comprehensive direct-mail campaigns that he writes for himself as well as his clients have been received by tens of millions of people producing hundreds of millions in revenue.Although Dan rarely speaks anymore, except for events sponsored by Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle or a few select engagements for private clients, he was formerly one of the most popular, in-demand speakers on direct marketing-related topics. For example, it was customary that in a single year he would address over 200,000 people, sharing the platform with other famous speakers such as Zig Zigler, Tom Hopkins, Mark Victor Hansen, Joe Sugarman, Ron LeGrand, and Corey Rudl.He is the author of over eleven books, the latest being his NO B.S. series which are available online or at bookstores.Kennedy is not easy to do business with. He maintains a grueling schedule of speaking, consulting, copywriting, coaching, producing infomercials and managing his own business. He is never in his office, never takes incoming calls and new ‘private’ clients are asked to submit information by fax before getting a telephone appointment with him. He’s militantly resistant to having his time wasted and has ‘fired clients’ on occasion for doing so….Dan’s resources of courses and other money-making materials will not only make you more successful, but will cut years off of your learning curve.”
