Working With the Right Clients. Advice from a Direct Response Copywriter. Email archive February 2017.

A Somewhat Different Approach to Working with a Potential Client

A few years ago, I started to work with a company in the health space. They are based in Los Angeles. Everything went well during the introductory phase. I was living in North Carolina at the time. I had two long conversations with the marketing director and the CEO.

We agreed on a fee and the deliverables.

They invited me to visit them in Los Angeles and paid for my flight and travel expenses.

We had a day-long initial "kick off" meeting and everything went well. I liked the CEO a lot. The marketing director was direct but OK ... at least in person.

However, once I started to work on the project, the marketing director turned into a total jerk. He accused me, among other things, of blatantly stealing copy from another site, which is something I never do. He was also extremely "picky" about the copy, going through every word and harshly criticizing my work.

After three weeks of this nonsense, I wrote an email to the CEO saying "I'm moving on. Thanks for the opportunity."

It was a difficult decision as the monthly retainer was substantial. But I could not work with someone who was so totally horrible.

I didn't have the guts to tell the truth to the CEO: your marketing director is a ... INSERT EXPLETIVE HERE.

But the CEO put two and two together. The marketing director was gone in a few months.

I have a fairly long list of criteria for potential clients. One of these? The client has to be professional and generally pleasant. There's no need to work for rude, arrogant, and undesirable clients.

Scott Martin

Direct Response Copywriter