TCC Podcast #92: The “Found Money” Blueprint with Eric Bakey

Copywriter and Marketing Consultant, Eric Bakey, steps into the studio with Kira and Rob for the 92nd episode of The Copywriter Club Podcast. We met Eric a few months ago and got to talking about his approach to his business. It’s different than a lot of other copywriters’, so we thought it would be interesting to talk about how he works with his clients. In this interview, we cover: •  how Eric went from the army to construction to writing a book to copywriting •  why he doesn’t call himself a copywriter (even though he writes copy) •  Eric’s onboarding process and the “found money” blueprint •  the “15 minutes -> hour -> day -> long term contract” roadmap •  how he connected with Dan Kennedy (and the results for his business) •  what you need to know about packaging your services like Eric •  how he uses sketches in his customer interactions •  what he does when clients buy the “found money” blueprint •  how to set up a retainer model so you don’t get burned •  why Eric treats his copy the same way an artist treats her work •  how he turned $80 of Facebook ads into $30,000 in sales •  Eric’s book recommendation for building a steady stream of sales •  why it’s important to create a list of your best 100 clients •  what Eric’s regular work day looks like And if that weren’t enough, we asked Eric how he uses cartoons in his business and why there are so many opportunities for copywriters today. We also sneaked in a question about his favorite tattoo (he has quite a few to choose from). Ready to hear it? Visit iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. Or scroll down and click the play button below, where you’ll also find lots of links and a full transcript.   The people and stuff we mentioned on the show: Strength from Within by Eric Bakey Jocko Willink Dan Kennedy Renegade Millionaire Business Model Canvas Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes 93 Extraordinary Referral Systems by Jay Abraham Sean D’Souza Joe Schriefer Ray Edwards Kira’s website Rob’s website The Copywriter Club Facebook Group Intro: Content (for now) Outro: Gravity Full Transcript: Kira:  What if you could hang out with seriously talented copywriters and other experts, ask them about their successes and failures, their work processes and their habits, then steal an idea or two to inspire your own work? That’s what Rob and I do every week at The Copywriter Club Podcast. Rob:  You’re invited to join the club for episode 92 as we chat with author, copywriter, and combat vet, Eric Bakey, about his long and winding road to copywriting the “Found Money” Blueprint, cartooning, writing for his niche vet-preneurs, and which of his one or two tattoos is his favorite. Kira:  Welcome, Eric. Rob:  Welcome, Eric. Eric:  Thanks for having me. Rob:  Yeah, we’re thrilled. Kira:  Yeah, great to have you. So we met you through Brian Kurtz’s Titans Masterclass. We’re both excited to hear more about your story, which is a great place to start. How did you end up as a copywriter? Eric:  Well, I joined the Army after high school, and I learned how to blow stuff up and mop floors. Neither of them are very lucrative, so I had to start all over again into construction when I got out. I was sick of working and building someone else’s empire, so I decided to write a book as an escape from the corporate world. And then I learned that the publisher, after they make the initial push for your book, they do not care about whether you sell anymore. So I had to start writing copy if I wanted to sell any books, and you have to sell a lot of books if you want to make any money. That’s how I kind of how I got started in copywriting. Rob:  So tell us a little bit about your book. If that’s the doorway to get into copywriting, why did you decide to write it? What does it cover and when you started to promote it, what are some of the things that you learned in order to make that happen?