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While strolling through the streets of LinkedIn yesterday I saw a post about a web developer who got hired to design a website for a client.
The web developer and the client had a call and the client sent the initial deposit as agreed.
But here’s the twist;
When it was time to deliver the project, the gods of AI convinced this guy that it would be in the best interest of his business and his client’s business to design the website with AI and submit it to his client.
As you can imagine, the project turned out to be a fiasco.
The developer shipped a terrible site to his client and couldn’t explain what he did, or why he did it.
Naturally, the client was so furious that he refused to give the developer the agreed balance and decided to hire a new one.
(This story should serve as a fair warning to all the vibe coders out there 😉)
And according to the author of the post, the lesson was “your communication skills get you clients but the quality of your work retains clients.
(Yes, you read that right. Client acquisition and client retention are 2 different skills. So it is with making and keeping money, but I’ve digressed. Back to the story.)
Once I read this post, it got me thinking about valuable advice for any business owner -Fitness coaches especially, given by Eugene Schwartz in his book Breakthrough Advertising (a must read for any copywriter) which was written in 1966 yet is still as useful today nearly 60 years later.
In the book, Gene said “if you ever write a piece of copy that turns out to be better than your client’s product, take it to your client and tell him to make the product as good as your copy.”
Simple to understand yet hard to execute.
This hard-won wisdom was learnt by Gene himself firsthand when he had to write an ad for a detergent manufacturer.
As expected, Gene’s ads were so good that they broke all the sales records back then in the 50’s.
But here’s when things went south.
Gene’s ads also set the record for product refunds.
Why? The client had a terrible product.
A classic example of what happens when the copy overpromises and the product underdelivers.
So I guess the message to fitness coaches (and by extension, myself) is this: get good at delivery.
Granted, you want clients.
We all do.
But don’t promise Heaven and deliver Hell.
Nothing destroys trust and relationships faster than that.
Simply do what you said you’ll do in your copy.
And that’s the exact thing I tell all my coaching clients when I write for them.
ThEy MuSt Be AbLe To DeLiVeR oN EvErY sInGLe WoRd oF cOpY I wRiTe fOr ThEiR bUsInEsSeS.
I’m not interested in being the copywriter behind an unethical business venture that promises one thing and delivers another.
That being said, this email would be incomplete if I don’t show you word-for-word the glowing testimonial Dr.Deepak Bhootra, a coach based in Texas, USA gave with regards to my copywriting services:
“Israel provided exceptional support when I urgently needed clear, compelling marketing content. He demonstrated a keen sense of our ideal customer profile, skillfully positioning the copy to maximize appeal and resonance. His ability to step into the shoes of the target audience allowed him to craft messaging with a sharper tone and edge, significantly enhancing its effectiveness. Israel is not only gifted in Copywriting but also a genuine Strategic Thinker, contributing meaningfully to business growth. Highly recommended.”
And as I onboard more clients, I’ll gleefully stack up these testimonials like a 7yr old gorging on Ice Cream.
Client work aside, and onto something more personal though.
Presently, it’s sunny where I live and there’s nothing I love more than a good game of Chess on a sunny afternoon.
So if Chess is your thing, send me a friend request on my favorite chess platform Chess.com
But if not, it’s all good.
Enjoy your weekend and remember to live a life off the internet.
JAI
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