A Quick Chat With Zac

If we were having a meeting I’m sure, you’d want to ask me a few questions. Let me try to answer a few of those questions right here.

“WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AS A STRATEGIST AND COPYWRITER?”

I have been developing marketing strategies and writing copy for the best part of 10 years. I created the marketing and sales collateral for 2 of my own start up companies and been a freelance copywriter and consultant since 2009. I have completed 3 courses on direct response copywriting, AWAI’s Accelerated Program for 6 Figure Copywriting AWAI’s Master’s Program for 6-figure Copywriting and the Australian School of Copywriting’s Copywriting for Profit Course.

I have read over 70 books on copywriting, marketing, sales and business development including many of the classic ‘how to’ guides of advertising.

Now that I have indulged you let me point out that in reality none of that matters. All that matters is I can find ways to increase your business’s revenue and profits. That is all. Let’s keep this simple.

“WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?”

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science – specializing in Agribusiness and Genetics. In addition to working as a strategic marketing advisor and copywriter, I have 4 years sales experience. I have worked in software support for an enterprise project management system. I quickly learnt how to speak to clients and software developers in a language that they understood.

I’ve worked on the marketing and written copy for companies in fields as diverse as health, finance, beauty, business opportunity, software, seminar providers, coaching, training and consulting.

“DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN MY FIELD?”

Unless I just listed it in my background, probably not directly. However, usually after a couple hours of talking to a subject matter expert I’ll have 90% of the information I need to write your copy.
I further supplement this with exhaustive research to find out exactly how to communicate with your target audience as if I was their peer (mostly people listen to and respect their peers).

In the past I have been able to quickly learn how to communicate clearly and effectively with many different types of audience. For example, although I have never written a line of computer code in my life I have had software developers remark to me that “they forget I am not a software developer.”

But there is more than background by industry. You can also consider selling to the same target market. For example IT managers are faced with the same problems when they are buying software as when they are buying training courses.

You could consider price point. For example selling a $1,000 consultation is a similar effort to selling a $1,000 widget.

You can consider process. For example lead generating programs are pretty similar across product categories.

Finally remember I guarantee the comprehensive marketing diagnostic. And any work on subsequent projects. So there isn’t much risk I am going to put myself in a position to create losing promotions.

“WHAT KINDS OF ASSIGNMENTS DO YOU HANDLE?”

As a strategist/consultant and copywriter I do work including product design, marketing system optimisation or creation and development. Membership program development. Marketing Funnel optimisation. And I do theory of constraints consulting to find the operational sticking points in your business.

I handle a wide variety of copywriting assignments that fall out of the consulting. Web copy, email, direct mail, print ads, Marketing collateral such as brochures, case studies, whitepapers and I can ghost write feature articles, speeches, seminar presentations, books, courses and manuals. I also script audio and video programs/presentations and have them produced.

All of these pieces can be deployed to achieve numerous goals from converting lost leads to reducing refunds to increasing referrals or improving sales.

“WHY DOES YOUR LETTERHEAD SAY ‘COPYWRITER/CONSULTANT’?”

In addition to writing copy, I can work with you to maximize the effectiveness of your marketing. Brilliant copy can’t overcome poor or simplistic marketing or business strategy.

If good copy is used in a good strategy your business will be better off. Good strategy can overcome bad copy. Brilliant copy can be neutered by bad strategy.

For example – next time you get a direct mail solicitation for a credit card. Read the copy and try not to fall asleep. It’s boring, lifeless and not engaging. Yet you keep getting those mailings because they work. This is strategy working in spite of the copy. Now these letters could be improved with good copy but they aren’t because they work well enough as they are. So think about that before you hire some copywriter who is trumpeting

“Copy is King.” Marketing can work with bad copy. Copy is not king. But it helps.

This is why I start with all my new client engagements with consulting. We are able to review your big picture objectives and make sure that the projects you undertake use a good strategy to deploy high quality copy.
I want the best outcome possible for both of us. Especially when I have a backend payment tied to results.

“WHAT DOES IT COST TO HIRE YOU FOR A PROJECT?”

All of my engagements are charged by the project – you’ll only ever pay what we agreed up front, never more.

“HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE MY COPY?”

Basically it depends on the scope of the work. Larger projects may contain several milestones and last 6-8 weeks maybe more depending on the scope of the work.
The duration and my availability to do the work is always discussed prior to acceptance of the project.

“WHAT HAPPENS IF WE WANT YOU TO REVISE THE COPY?”

When the drafts are complete you’ll receive copies of everything along with a memo explaining why I did what I did and the methods behind everything.

If after reviewing everything you still want to change something there are 2 good reasons for revising copy:

1. Legal reasons. If I have said something that is illegal in the copy and your lawyer has advised you against using it.
2. Factual Error. I have made a claim that your product can do something that it actually can’t.
   

If you want to change something, you’ll submit a written list of problems I’ll respond to them in writing and then we will have a review meeting if we haven’t come to an agreement. We can discuss the changes you want to make. How they’ll impact the strategy, why presented things the way I did. You can explain your rational for wanting the changes and if we agree that the changes will be an improvement then I’ll make the changes.

But I would hope you will test my copy as I submitted it, especially when a back end payment is on the line. After all you are paying me for my expertise.