Busy day at the Conversion Alchemy HQ.
I just had two separate project kickoff calls with new clients and I’m super pumped.
As part of our kickoff calls, we always try to flesh out every detail about the structure of the client’s business so we can make sure the project goes as smoothly as possible.
A big part of it is considering all different facets of the business.
What’s the best way a copywriter can immerse themselves in the client’s processes, systems and workflows?
Internal team calls!
Over the years I came up with a framework to make sure I speak with the right people, and extract the information I need to write high-converting copy.
I call it “The business prism”.
Imagine you have a precious stone in your hands right now.
It’s a prism.
And the main characteristic of a prism, is that depending on which of those facets you look through, you might get a different picture.
It’s the same whenever you “look into” any business.
Based on which side you approach it from and on the questions you ask, you’ll get a unique perspective.
Thing is, all these perspectives are helpful and critical to understand when you’re writing copy.
You’re not the creative genius most people think you should be.
That’s not your job.
As Eugene Schwartz said, “The power of the ad is always in the product itself. It is not the copywriter. …The copywriter simply finds it and expresses it.”
You have to find that power in your client’s team, product and business.
And pay attention, this is helpful advice even if you’re the business owner or a team member. A little empathy and understanding of your coworkers goes a long way….
So, how should you look into the business? And who should you speak to in order to get the most out of your internal team interviews?
My business prism has 4 sides:
- Product side
- Prospect side
- Customer side
- Service side
And for each side you should ask the right people…
For the product side, I interview the CEO or Founder. These interviews provide insights into the brand as a whole, the value proposition, the ideal audience, the product development and story, the competition and the voice / tone.
For the prospect side, meaning leads and website visitors, I make sure I sit down with the marketing guys. They know more than anyone else about the challenges and the obstacles, the journey and the motivations of potential customers.
For the customer side, I go to sales and customer success. They love customers. And I can glean important insights into their experience and into what makes them happy and willing to buy again or remain a customer.
Last but not least (and this is an overlooked one), for the service side I chat with the support team. They are fanatics about addressing customer concerns and at ensuring buyers overcome any and all obstacles. Which gives me helpful takeaways on what’s broken and what works – but also about potential mismatches in pre and post purchase expectations.
The business prism is a pretty simple system, but it’s helped me shortcut the time I take to “absorb” my client’s knowledge whenever I start a new project.
So I don’t get crazy and run around like a headless chicken asking a hundred team members to pick their brain (keeping up the visuals…).
P.S. Hope your week is busy in a great way too. And if you’d like to support the Conversion Alchemy Journal while getting a chance to win a 1-on-1 consultation with me, check out our giveaway (live for 2 more days only).
Quote and reflection of the day:
“Do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well”
– Epictetus, The Encheiridion
Whenever you expect something to happen as you’d like it, you’re creating friction. Instead, free up that energy by embracing what happens as it does.
