Recession-busting tips

Word on the street is that clients are firing their writers willy-nilly (I’ve always wanted to use that word, though not in this unfortunate context). Formerly good prospects are going radio silent.

Whatever the cause, this is not the time to just stay the course and play the long game, unless you’re already independently wealthy and doing this for fun. We need business coming in the door now.

Here’s how:

1. Shake the bushes.

Yep. Good ol’ fashioned, virtual “pounding the pavement.” Yes, there’s a recession. No, we don’t have to participate. Neither do your clients. Increase your activity and start making more connections than you have been.

I know, basic advice and nothing new, yet most of us need to hear it and do it. I’ve been talking to Back Room Members who are proceeding as they would in any normal times, and guess what? Businesses still need sales coming in the door, they still need to retain the customers they have, and they still need to navigate these uncharted waters. We can help with all three.

2. Acknowledge the tough times we’re in.

“What do I say?” Try something like this:

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the economy isn’t doing so great. A lot of business owners I talk to tell me things have slowed to a trickle or stopped altogether. I have some ideas for getting things going again, even with the looming recession. They’re kind of bold, but probably better than sitting back letting things happen.

If you’re up for it, I’ll give you details and show you how it might work for your situation. If it makes sense for us to work together I’ll give you a couple options, or you can run with them yourself. Either way, you’ll have a clearer picture of how to move forward. Let’s hop on a Zoom call and I’ll fill you in.”

Straight and to the point.

We also need to change what we’re doing for clients and we need to change how we’re presenting it and charging for it.

(As I always mention, if you’re doing well and it’s working, keep going! But pay attention to what’s going on so you can stay ahead of the curve.)

My aim is to help you navigate uncharted waters and find a clear path forward, and I’m trying to navigate it all myself, too. If what you’re doing is not working as well as it used to, stop doing it. That goes for your actual services and your outreach and marketing.

I’m going to rattle off some more ideas here, some a repeat of things you’ve heard me say, some maybe new. The fact is, there’s not necessarily anything new under the sun, so a lot of it goes back to fundamentals and discipline.

Do you need to change the way you show up? Are clients having a hard time distinguishing you from others who do similar work? Do they immediately “get” you? Start looking and sounding different. What worked before isn’t necessarily working in 2023.

3. Start getting different results for clients.

I’m hearing from a number of clients that many of them haven’t been overly thrilled with us lately. They’re not as enamored with the magic words we swirl together because those words aren’t having the same effect on jaded audiences.

I’ve been there. I had a client last year email me saying “Let’s have a talk soon about the value proposition I’m getting.” Ouch. We’re supposed to under-promise and over-deliver, and sometimes it goes the other way. Not good. Thankfully that’s not very often, but even once is too much.

Make sure you’re checking in and finding out before they get to the point of saying something. Find out and fix it. One way to do that…

4. Start customizing more.

You don’t have to follow my lead on this one, but I’ve had much more success the past year or two coming up with customized solutions rather than fixed-price, fixed-deliverable packages.

Clients feel special, like they’re getting boutique-level services (which they are). This approach lends itself well to Advising, which we talked about a lot in the April issue of The Roller Report.

Again, if packages and fixed prices are working for you, keep going with them. I obviously use set prices for the Back Room and my IMPACT program, but within each of those spaces, I customize how I deliver value by working one-on-one. I also offer only customized solutions to business clients.

It forces me to get more creative, and forces anyone trying to compete with me to do the same. By not posting prices and packages on my website, I’m also not showing my hand to the competition. I also happen to think it’s a lot more fun to operate this way. For me, it’s the only way to go.

5. Go higher.

Aim for CEOs, Presidents, Founders. Are they harder to reach? Less likely to respond? For sure. But when you do get through, and you treat them on equal footing and can hold your own in a conversation, they’ll have a lot of respect for you. They can make decisions without checking with anyone else up or down the line.

In my experience, I’ve also found them easier to work with than marketing directors, mid-level managers, or anyone else in an organization. They understand one language: Results. Show them you can deliver, and you’ll be in like Flynn.

Another bonus? They don’t get called on as much because most writers and advisors are intimidated.

6. Go to non-obvious clients.

SaaS, FinTech, and DeFi companies seem to be hot, obvious prospects. So are course creators, coaches, and other solo practitioners of all kinds. They’re easy to identify and easy to find. Less obvious? Consider this message I got from a subscriber an hour ago:

“I’m actually having my best year yet, and I attribute that greatly to my niche. Not only is work always in-demand for my clients (because everyone needs working plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical) and they have growing sales, but this is also an industry notorious for being behind the times tech-wise. AI is not a threat quite yet. Home services/construction tend to run a decade or more behind other trends.”

Something to think about. If ever there was a time for a rebrand or to add a new niche or service to the mix, this would be it.

7. Start injecting more of you into the process (your personality and style).

This is the main way we can differentiate ourselves, stand out, and get clients!

And…become what I call a “5-Tool Player” (more on this in the June issue of The Roller Report print monthly newsletter).

8. Start injecting more enthusiasm into the mix!

From a SaaS agency owner who hires many copywriters:

“I am hopeful that part of the shift that we are seeing in the writing business nowadays is a shift toward authenticity, honesty, and candor. Being forward about your enthusiasm ought to be part of your authenticity. To be frank, if you can’t be enthusiastic about the work or the client, then you shouldn’t be trying to sell that work for that client.

9. Start treating your business like a sales business.

Lead with selling, not with your creative services. Sell the idea, more than ever. Get back to basics.

I’ve been talking a lot about being an Advisor, and I’m continuing on that path myself. But even more? We need to become true sales people!

Sales people know exactly who they’re going to call on (in advance, not day-by-day or week-by-week). They look for gaps in the marketplace. They keep an eye on competitors. They look for needs they can fill. They get creative. They come up with fresh ideas. (They don’t wait to be handed a template or cookie-cutter method.)

They do some “sleuthing.” Not as in poking around all over the internet and asking, “Do you need marketing help? Do you need any copywriting done?” (Please, don’t ever ask either of those questions.) Don’t lead with “Here’s what I can do for you…” either, but find out what they’re thinking and feeling.

Here’s a wild idea — have an unscripted conversation to find out what they might need once in a while — without necessarily having you and your services be the automatic recommendation no matter what they say!

Sell ideas. Sell yourself.

Insert yourself into the part of their business where you can truly have an impact on their revenue. That may not be what you’ve been doing up until now. You may need to change.

Everything we do has to have an impact on their sales!

If you do nothing else with this post, internalize, practice, and get good at treating your business like a sales business, and consider yourself a sales person first, an Advisor second, and a creative third.

Finally…

10. Do something people actually need in 2023.

Is that more content? Is that more copywriting? (AI-generated or original human content)? Probably not (unless it gets results they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise).

Is that guidance, direction, advice, ideas, and counsel? YES.

Be the guide. Give direction. Offer advice. Come up with fresh ideas. Provide counsel. 

This is what clients need in 2023 and beyond.