For anyone starting a business, landing that first client can be challenging, frustrating, and ultimately, rewarding.
It takes guts, persistence and, as I learned, patience. Instant gratification is overrated. It’s much better to wait for something. Think back to your childhood. Waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. The presents always seemed sweeter, if you had to wait for them.
So it is in business. You may be impatient to get that first sale. I was… at first. But I also knew that all good things come to those who wait. I decided to be patient, especially since my potential clients were a pair of awesome life coaches, who took a chance on a fledgling SEO copywriter.
I had finished the copywriting course and was half-way through the SEO copywriting course when Jennifer Lee and Leah Turner of Creating Your Masterpiece came into my life. They came to speak at a meeting of Mothers and More, a non-profit support group I belong to. They talked about the importance of setting goals and taking action. The message came through loud and clear to me.
The next morning, I decided to put into practice what I had learned so far about SEO and checked their website to see if it was optimized. It wasn’t. They needed help. I swallowed my nerves and sent an email thanking them for the great presentation. I explained that I was starting my own freelance business as an SEO copywriter and could help get their website to move higher up the search engine ranks.
Leah and Jen knew SEO was important; they just hadn’t had a chance to do anything about it yet. I submitted a proposal to them, but they rejected it – saying it was too expensive. I could have given up right then, but I knew they needed the help and I knew I could do the work. So, heeding the advice of other copywriters I’ve studied, including Heather Lloyd-Martin, Ed Gandia, etc., I offered to scale back the project for less money.
They agreed, but couldn’t commit right then because taxes were due, etc. The coaches encouraged me to stay in touch, because they wanted to get their site optimized. I emailed them periodically and sent them a sample of my work to show what I could do for their site. That did the trick, because two months later, they agreed to my original proposal for the full amount!
FYI – I’m currently putting the final touches on a new revision of Creating Your Masterpiece’s home page since they have changed the focus of their business and are updating their site. It should be uploaded soon. Watch for it! www.creatingyourmasterpiece.com
July 26 update – I uploaded the new home page today. It was a long time coming, but I think the results are well worth it.
