Note for you new businesspeople: We’re wise to the “partner” ruse.

Trust me, when I give you my price and you say “Hey, that sounds great. Let me bring it to my partner, and I’ll get back to you”, I know I’ll never hear from you again.

Not that I’m complaining - I know you don’t want to say “I can’t afford you”, and you’d also rather not say to me “your price is too high”. I get it - you’re just trying to be nice. But I just thought I’d tell you that us experienced businesspeople are totally wise to the lie. We know there’s no partner. Most of us used this same line at one point as well. (edit: I realize some of you really have a partner and are right now thinking “but… but…”. Trust me, I don’t mean you

And trust me, you’ll stop using it the minute it gets used on you. In fact, it’s kind of a right of passage. Once the partner line gets used on you, it’s one sign that you are truly in business.

I’ve been quiet lately - it’s because there’s a new website in the works. Essentially, I don’t like having “two” sites - I want to combine them. So basically www.clear-writing.com and this one will combine (more this one will be moved there, and both URL’s will point there.)

Basically, I want my blogging activity, affiliate stuff, and “me” over there, under one roof. It’s part of a slight re-invention. Not really, but I kind of want to move from “Professional writer Dan Furman” to “Dan Furman, professional writer and other stuff”. It’s not a huge change, but it’s big in my mind.

Anyway, I’ll still post here - just understand that most free time will be working on the site. Likely looking at a late spring / early summer (re)launch.

In my business, there’s a certain amount of price talk / price resistence that I have to go through. But you know, the old saying is true - you DO get what you pay for.

I had this client I did some website writing for early last year. I did a nice job for her, but I know I was definitely stretching her budget. No surprise that once I was done, she went to someone else to do the additional webpages. Someone about one fourth the price of me (and I’m not that expensive, so this other person was working dirt-cheap.)

Well, she just came back to me last week. Know why? Because her other writer was cutting/pasting his work from other sources. She found this out from copyscape - the new copy she paid for was shamelessly lifted from somewhere else. This is bad, because not only could it hurt her with search engines (duplicate content and all), she could find herself with a nasty cease and desist letter. And trust me - the company who was ripped off isn’t going to care that some no-name copywriter did it.   

Let me explain one reality of writing - it takes time. 

Let’s take web copy. It usually takes me, a professional writer who’s been doing this for years, several hours to write a quality 300-400 word webpage. It’s not something I bang out in ten minutes. Or twenty. Or even an hour. NOBODY can. Trust me, writing good, engaging copy is hard work. 

So, that person who will do it for $50… what do you really think you are getting there?

The reality of the situation is this: There are two ways it can be done for $50…. either they are working for pennies, or they are cheating. If they are working for pennies, trust me, they aren’t good enough to get someone to click/call/buy (which is why you want writing in the first place). And if they are cheating… well, you’re the one who will get into trouble for that. You’re better off doing it yourself.

Just food for thought - you do get what you pay for. This doesn’t just go for copywriting, of course, but for any business.

Don’t mean to sound frustrated, but it does frustrate me from time to time.  Especially when I get the curt “I found someone who will do it WAY cheaper”. I can just envision those people also saying “Why golly gee, Mr. Goober Flatire… you’ll fix my brakes for just $20??? Wow, the reputable garage wants $200… boy, they must really be crooks. So yea, go ahead and fix em’!!!”

You freelancers / work at home / service people will LOVE this.

Just sharing something I like. This young girl is *amazing*

I found this maybe two years ago, and then was reminded of it today when I searched for a video of Rush’s YYZ (she does that one too.)

This is Carry on Wayward Son (putting this song here because a lot of people won’t know YYZ). But after listing to this one, go to YouTube and find her other ones (and man, she does a kickass YYZ).