I told myself to stay away from this forum.
It's a bit distracting.
But I HAVE to ask you this question.

How do you distinguish yourself from other copywriters?
I am still a beginner, as most of you already know.
But I have a decade of business experience (lousy business experience!)
a master's degree in Communications, effective writing skills...and a sense
of humor.

Many prospects express concerns about some of the copywriters
they used to deal with. How do I position myself, with all my limitations,
a lack of valuable experience, no references, etc?
After all, the biggest challenge is to CLOSE the DEAL.
Need your input. Thanks!!

PS: Working for free is out of question.
Messages recommending the above strategy will be
completely ignored.

Angie

Angie,

You're so naughty. You know someone is preparing a "toon" as I type this.

Seriously, I read what you wrote and the first thing that hit me is that it's all about YOU.

A Unique Selling Proposition isn't all about YOU. It's about what YOU can provide the client that is of value and isn't being supplied by competitors in a way that is meaningful to the client.

Here are some things you can build a USP around:

Pricing
Guarantee
Speediness of delivery
Quality of product
Variety of products
Experience in a specific niche or area of expertise
Versatility

You follow?

Angie,

you know there may be some mileage by tapping into some of the concerns your prospects have had in dealing with copywriters in the past.

Could there be a USP in there?

Best Wishes,

Tom

Every product (or in this case, service) has three levels. The core product, the product itself, and the augmented product. (This is something taught in academia, in marketing management classes, which I used to teach.)

What does this mean? It means the core product is the actual end-result, the benefits, that the product offers. It's what the product does for people.

The actual product is what the product is. Those are the features, the components, the essence of what is being delivered.

The augmented product is what is added to the product or offer to augment it. Things like free shipping, guarantees, customer support, etc.

Now, in the context of copywriting, you can look at it this way (and this is just an example):

1) Core Product:

Generate and/or increase response.

2) Actual Product:

The copy itself.

This includes research, writing the first draft and delivering the final draft, probably in the form of a Word document or plain text file. It includes all the elements that help to achieve the core product: headline, storyline, bullets, features and benefits, offer, response device, etc. It also includes the market you're selling to, such as focusing on a specific niche, industry or audience, or a particular kind of copy, such as salesletters, autoresponders, websites, catalog copy, etc.

3) Augmented Product:

Whatever you add above and beyond the actual product.

Extras, value-adds, add-ons, bonuses, premiums, and additional things, which can vary tremendously from copywriter to copywriter, and industry to industry. For example, it can include formatting and design, layout suggestions, unique project management interface, deeper research, free rewrites, guarantee, split-testing the actual copy before the final draft, exclusivity, free rush service (quicker turnarounds), etc.

Think of these three layers in the form of a bullseye, where you have three concentric circles, and the center of the "bullseye" being the core product, the middle layer being the actual product and the outer layer, the augmented.

Now, to develop a unique selling proposition, you can add, remove, change, or add a unique twist to any of these three levels. The easiest way, of course, it to go from the outside in. That is, find ways to augment your product that few do, or that no one does. It may not be one single thing. It may be a combination of them.

For example, you can offer design suggestions, layouts and mockups, additional tips on how to best use the copy, offer free revisions, writing copy for other parts of the sales funnel (optin page, order page, thank-you page, autoresponders, etc), etc.

Next in the layers is the actual product. What can you change, add, or remove from the actual product so that it makes you unique? The easiest way, of course, is niche marketing. It's to focus on a particular audience, style or type of copy. You could be a copywriter specializing in, say, health products. You could even hone it down to, say, diets and weight loss. In fact, you could be focus on vegetarianism exclusively, etc.

But don't just focus on niches. Remember, it's the "actual" product. In fact, you don't have to add. You can even remove. For example, you might be a copywriter who focuses strictly on headlines, or one who only focuses on initial drafts in plain text -- and you can turn it around and say that this is a benefit since you're entirely focused on the content, unlike other copywriters who offer too much and overextend and dilute themselves. Etc, etc, etc.

There are so many ways to do this, and so many variants. The idea is to be a bit creative, a bit of a contrarian, and a bit different -- not necessarily a whole lot. Just by being 10% different, unique, original or special is enough to make you stand out like a sore thumb in an overcrowded, hypercompetitive marketplace.

Hope this helps.

How about this one Angie:

"I'm nicer than the rest, that's why I cost more".

We ARE talking about Angie, right? LOL!

How about...

1. First and foremost, many thanks to Michel Fortin for taking the time
to provide a detailed and comprehensive response to my question.
Michel, you never disappoint.

2. Michael W,

Price
Most masters, everyone is drooling over, warn against competing
on price. This could drive you outta business in no time.
And possibly outta your house.

Speedy Delivery
I surcharge 15% for rush delivery.

Quality of Product
I am not sure I can guarantee quality, due to lack of experience.
All I can do at this point, is work very hard and do my best.

Guarantee
I offer a full-money back guarantee.
If a client is not completely satisfied
with results, she/he is getting all their money back.

And it will take a while to develop a niche.

In any event, thanks for responding to another challenging
question of mine. You did good.

Angie

Soooo...

You don't think you can provide quality, but you'll charge more to rush the process (one you already have doubts about), and then you'll refund all their money when they're not happy?

Why not just write for free in the first place...

Angie,

Do you have a product of your own to sell? If so, you could write copy to sell the product, and if the sales are good, use those results to give yourself credibility.

Alex

Mate,
I am afraid, I didn't make myself clear in my original post...
I said I was going to disregard COMPLETELY
this type of advice. Save it for the less educated ones.

Alex,
Your response holds some water.
But if I had my own product, I wouldn't be
exchanging "toons" with Mr. Subtle.
I would be busy selling it.
There is a reason why I am still lingering here.

Angie