{"id":10385,"date":"2013-01-27T05:33:27","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T10:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dobermandan.com\/?p=10385"},"modified":"2021-10-13T17:34:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-13T15:34:09","slug":"how-i-get-ridiculously-high-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dobermandan.com\/blog\/how-i-get-ridiculously-high-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Get Ridiculously High Fees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Friend,<\/span><\/p>\n

Just this morning I was reminded of an interesting communiqu\u00e9 I received several years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Doesn’t communiqu\u00e9<\/em> sound way sexier and a lot more high-falutin’ important than just saying “I received an email?”)<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyhoo, here’s what that message was about so many years ago:<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the biggest of the big, deepest of the deep pockets, 800 lb. gorilla of direct marketing…<\/span><\/p>\n

Can’t afford my fees!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How about them apples?<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt an immediate swelling of pride the minute I read that emai… er, I mean communiqu\u00e9<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I probably shouldn’t blurt out their name. I don’t want to embarrass or disrespect anybody. So… all I can tell you is… their name begins and ends with the first letter of the alphabet.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, THAT marketing monstrosity.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fee I quoted them for some online copy was so darn high…<\/span><\/p>\n

They Gasped!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You see, in 2012, for the first time ever, I decided to sell most of my business ventures (except my inner circle, the Marketing Camelot<\/a><\/span>) and become a full-time freelance copywriter for a while. Back then I needed a break after more than 17 years of serial entrepreneurship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, word of that decision started spreading throughout our tight-knit little direct response community. And some exceptionally good gig opportunities started flooding in. And THAT is when I started upping my fee with each successive offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

Supply and demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

There’s only one of me… and there were a LOT of offers on the table.<\/span><\/p>\n

Truth is, I didn’t need any of ’em. <\/span><\/p>\n

That’s not a positioning statement or a “psyche myself up” attitude technique. I honestly didn’t<\/em> need any of them. My monthly nut was covered whether I accepted any of these offers or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

And THAT is the biggest secret
\nto GETTING high fees!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I’m telling ya… prospective clients can FEEL need. It drives them away faster than saying “pro bono” to an ambulance-chasing attorney.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Interestingly, I discovered the same thing with the opposite sex back when I was a single man.)<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the first thoughts I had when all these primo copywriting\/consulting gigs started flooding in was… where were all these offers when I was broke and living in my car?<\/span><\/p>\n

Back then I really needed the money.<\/span><\/p>\n

And THAT, my cherished reader, is why I never had any. (I used to roll my eyes at those kind of statements when I was broke, too. Don’t worry… it will all make sense soon enough.)<\/span><\/p>\n

You see, need is a really poor position to be in when negotiating anything… copywriting fees, business deals, one night stands…\u00a0 anything. You’re negotiating from a position of weakness and your adversary knows it. The smell of your need permeates the room like a fart in church… and you’re gonna wind up being the sucker in the deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you not “need” when, in actuality, you DO need the money?<\/span><\/p>\n

My pragmatic answer is to make sure your monthly nut is covered. <\/span><\/p>\n

Duh, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, there are lots of ways to do that…<\/span><\/p>\n