Very often, what’s right for the client may not be what the client likes. I recently did a brochure that I thought was one of my personal best. Rarely do I blow my own trumpet, for I am often my harshest critic. But for this assignment, I thought I did a pretty good job.

Fast forward to the client’s desk: he hates it! He hates it to the core!! I summoned all my copywriting theories, and years of experience, to try to explain the rationale behind the copy. Just to explain- I took a very reader oriented approach (focusing on what the readers want), while he wanted it to be pure business oriented (telling his readers what great products he has). His main complain was- ” Why does the copywriting say nothing about my products??!!! All it talks about is the reader’s needs!”

It would sound very logical for a business owner to want to trumpet his great products, but years of experience, and plenty of reading, tells me that what really works is not talking about your product. It’s talking about what your customer needs, even if it’s a dumb need.

Aye, there’s the rub- what do you do when your client wants something that isn’t right for him? The answer: It’s not going to be easy, and plenty of patience is needed. Most importantly, a two way communication with plenty of give and take is going to be needed. But we copywriters need to be persuasive. If we can’t persuade our clients to buy our ideas, we can’t persuade THEIR clients to buy their products.

The story has a happy ending. In the end, I managed to convince my client that I am giving him the right solution. It takes plenty of talking AND listening, but I’m glad I did my best and gave him what’s best for him. At  the end of the day, it’s  about the satisfaction of finally wrapping up the assignment, knowing his brochure was in good hands, and that the end result is about how my copywriting contributed to his business needs.

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