A Copywriter’s Decision: To Fight or Just Let it Go!

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I’m sure there have been times in your life when you had to decide whether something was worth the fight … or best to just let it go?

In my personal and professional life, I’ve had many opportunities to watch this choice in action. 

For example, with my kids when they were little.  It was well worth the fight to teach them it wasn’t nice, nor acceptable, to hit each other. 

But, if they accidentally let the dog in, with muddy paws, I may have decided it wasn’t worth it to get my panties in a knot over … depending on what else was going on.

Many of the same kinds of scenarios, with partners or boyfriends have occurred.  Some things are worth fighting over/for – and others just aren’t.

In my professional life as a copywriter and marketing strategist, most of my clients are great.  Some have been a little testy, but I’ve been able to win their trust and calm whatever possible storm that may be a’brewin, with impeccable follow-through and a quality end product that accomplished the mission.

But sometimes, sometimes, you just gotta cut someone loose.  In the case of my kids, that wasn’t an option … well, not till they grew up anyway.     

But, with a problem client (or customer), it’s sometimes the best course of action.

You can see where this is going, can’t you?

Yep, I recently had this lovely experience.  A new client, very intelligent.  Very well-known, popular and very good at what she does, yet I found it impossible to deal with her.

Actually, the red flags were there from the beginning.  You know how that works, in personal and business relationships, right?  In hindsight, we can usually see what we should have seen in the beginning.

I did see it, though, and she even admitted she was hard to work with.  Boy, was that an understatement.  And, she even said that her grown son had refused to work with her anymore.

Well, to make a painfully long story short … she didn’t understand the process or what she really needed, for that matter. 

To use an analogy of building a house, she only wanted me to paint it, before the foundation had been poured.  She simply wanted (or thought she did) me to write the copy for her site to make people buy right now, without knowing the direction, theme and audience.

Everything was wrong with the site, too, which I tried to help with.  She wanted suggestions, so I gladly gave them.  Because without them, the site would not convert.

I tried to build the foundation, before I started painting, but she had no way of appreciating that.  I could have gone ahead and grabbed some of the 2 x 4′s and started painting them, but the foundation and frame weren’t even up, yet.

Bottom line, I decided that I’d be willing to let this go, so I told her that I could only proceed under certain conditions.  And that I’d refund half the fee, if she would prefer to end the misery.

In all fairness, she wasn’t enjoying the process, either.  Process … she didn’t even realize there was a process!  

So, she chose the refund.  I was glad, because I don’t think there was any way to please her.

Sometimes, it’s just a whole lot better to part company than to keep beating your head against the wall.

5 Lessons in all this?

1. Listen to my inner voice in the beginning and follow it.

2. If someone is not really sold on their own project … run!

3. If they are a problem in the beginning, they’ll continue to be.

4. If they can’t see the amazing value in what I do — they can’t/won’t no matter how ‘on target’ it is.

5. If they nickel and dime me, they don’t understand the value of strategic thinking and copywriting that fulfills an approved strategy.  Run faster.

If you’re in business, have a web site that needs to convert better or have a list that you need a killer email campaign to talk to, by all means hire a copywriter with a keen sense of marketing and the human psyche. 

And let them do what they do … SELL for you!

And remember, sometimes in certain situations … the fight just isn’t worth it.  Let it go.

Yours in higher octave marketing,

Carolyn

http://www.kickasscopywriter.com