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$500 client vs $5000 client

Writer's picture: John BrandtJohn Brandt

There’s a meme popular on Twitter that goes a lil sumtin like dis:


$500 client:


Pls send me a detailed report every hour. I need to review every single letter of copy you write. And I expect you to answer every text or call within 5 minutes.


$5000 client:


I wired your money. Thanks.


It’s a hilarious meme which spawned millions of iterations.


And in my experience?


This might be the truest meme I ever did see with my own two eyeballs.


Weird how that works right? But the people who pay you the least feel the most entitled to your time.


And I even got an irl example for you:


Once upon a time, one of my lowest paying clients ripped me a new one on an email I sent.


She went as far to say that readers would be embarrassed if’n they read it. (It didn’t sound as harsh as it does now.)


I scanned through the copy I wrote at least 5 times looking for this egregious error.


Nada.


So I asked her.


Her response?


I ended a sentence with a preposition.


Lmao.


Oopsie.


Barely even know what a mf preposition is though. (Grammar =/= copy skills)


Few months later…


She again forwarded me an email telling me how great it was.


Only to ask if I’d stop starting sentences with “and.”


This time she got major pushback from your humble narrator.


Here’s what I told her:


1. It’s a myth that it’s grammatically incorrect to start a sentence with “and.”


2. Starting sentences with “and” is one of the best hacks for improving your flow that you can do.


3. Using “and” to begin sentences keeps other sentences shorter and punchier.


4. It would be a massive net negative to all copy forward with this limitation on my skills. It’s like tryna to tell Obi-Wan Kenobi he can’t use a lightsaber.


Then I straight up told her I can’t commit to never starting sentences with “and.”


And… (pun intended)


She apologized.


But what a weird concept:


I’m a professional copywriter. You’re not even a certified grammar nazi.


This how I make my money.


I don’t go to my clients and tell them how to run their business.


(Okay, maybe I give them a few ideas, but I don’t attack them for their unique ability.)


Anyway, I don’t blame the client.


Such is what happeth wheneth thou charge loweth.


Moral of the story?


Charging more not only stuffs your coffers with more moolah, but it also lands you higher-quality and less annoying clients.


You can apply this “lesson” to any biz too.


Onto bidness:


If’n you wanna increase your income by 30% or more in the next 30 days via email:


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