When I first started my copywriting business in 2012, I launched a slew of “copywriting packages” on my “work with me” page.

My packages were similar to what you’d find on any copywriter’s website. And that’s because I created my packages by comparing what I was doing to all of the other copywriters out there. In sum, I became the average of every other copywriter out there.

Do you want to be average or do you want to be unforgettable?

If you’re a life coach who offers packages similar to other life coaches, potential clients will always compare you to others before they decide to say “yes’.

If you’re a web designer who offers packages similar to other web designers, you will find yourself in a proposal bidding war every time you try to book a new client.

If you’re a social media expert offering nothing more specific than “social media strategy”, people are left wondering how that differs from anyone else.

So… in August 2012 I decided that I was going to stop offering services as a “copywriter”. I quit writing proposals cold turkey. I refused to be compared to other copywriters. I removed myself from the category.

 

Instead of offering “copywriting services”, I created a signature package containing my signature method and my point of differentiation.

I was able to charge 2x as much money for the same amount of work because I’d packaged and positioned it differently from everyone else and there was nothing to compare it to.

Fast forward a few years and I now offer a service called Sales Page CPR based on my signature Sales Page Framework and my Signature “Rainbow of Sales” method.

I found a specific problem that my audience was having: getting help writing their sales page copy, and I found a way to help them without offering a typical copywriting package.

 

 

I’m not the only one creating a signature method. You’ll recognize that many of your favorite books, programs, and entrepreneurs are using signature methods too:

For example…

The TV show “What Not To Wear” always followed the same formula despite how “unique” each participant was. The formula never changed.

The bestselling book, “The Total Money Makeover” teaches a method so specific that its author, Dave Ramsey, writes that there is no situation unique enough that you should change the method.

The “KonMari” method became a hit in the summer of 2015. There’s really nothing revolutionary in the book, but the method is infallible. Marie Kondo even has a chapter titled, “Don’t change the method to suit your personality”.

Marie Forleo’s “B-School” is based on the 6 pillars that she developed, which is a great way of organizing the information and positioning the program.

 

These successful entrepreneurs understand that creating a method is essential, but most entrepreneurs I encounter don’t have the balls to create a method and tell people “don’t change the method to suit your personality”.

Point blank. That’s the truth.

I talk to so many entrepreneurs who tell me that what they do is too “custom” or “creative” to create a signature method.

Here’s how I feel about that:

 

Your job as an entrepreneur is to create a step-by-step method based on what is similar about each of your client’s situations, not what is special.

 

In short, I’m telling you that you (yes YOU) will benefit from creating a signature method for your business.

Not convinced? Here are 7 reasons why having a signature method will attract more clients:

 

#1 – Signature methods organize your know-how

I’m super turned off by coaches who say they “feel their way” through working with clients because to me, it’s a red flag that they don’t have a process and they don’t necessarily know how to work with someone just like me.

“Feeling” your way through working with a client is like BS-ing your way through a final exam. You might do ok, but not as good as you would have if you had prepared in advance. Can you imagine if teachers “felt” their way through teaching long division? Yes, you need to adjust your style to the student, but the overall method stays the same.

I know that might sound harsh, but it’s the thing that no one is saying (and I’m really good at saying the thing that no one else will say!)

Having a signature process forces you to choose what matters and what doesn’t. What is the essential information that someone needs in order to get from point A to point B? In what order?

Without a signature method, you wind up spraying your clients with a firehose of information. More will wind up going past them than they will actually absorb. You’ll wind up with confused, overwhelmed clients who never take action.

 

#2 – Signature methods boost your credibility + eliminate the competition

Can I get a hallelujah?

Creating your own signature rainbow (as I like to call it) shows that you know your shit. It shows that you’re enough of an expert and that you’ve been doing this work long enough to have developed a formula for making it happen.

Not to mention, if you name your signature method, you can add it to your bio. “Courtney Johnston is the creator of The Rainbow of Sales” is fun to say and piques people’s curiosity.

Your signature method is also a great way to escape feeling like you’re competing with other people in your industry. When I get known for teaching “The Rainbow of Sales” formula for sales pages, I’m not even being compared to other sales page copywriters. No one else has a “Rainbow of Sales” and there really isn’t anything to compare it to.

 

#3 – You can charge more money when you have a signature method

Because you no longer are competing with other people in your industry, you now get to charge what your offer is worth instead of competing with other businesses (which never ever works).

I have a whole video on my pricing strategy if you need help coming up with a price that has nothing to do with what other people in your field are charging. Yay for that!

 

#4 – Signature methods are more memorable + fun

People remember what you teach and ultimately get better results because they have a container + formula for it. That’s why acronyms are so popular. They’re a memory tool.

When you create a silly, fun, or memorable method, people will have an “aha” even if they’ve heard the content before. Hearing it in a new way is probably what they need. (Bonus points if your method evokes specific imagery. Mnemonics are the best way to remember new things. The Rainbow of Sales does exactly that!)

 

#5 – You can automate, scale, and leverage a signature method

We’ll talk about how to do this in the next point, but this point is all about the fact that it’s a million times easier to rinse and repeat a signature method than to sell a custom service that’s different each time.

If you’re writing a new proposal for each client, you then have to spend time remembering what’s included for each client. It’s called “context switching” and it winds up costing you more than you’re getting paid for those custom services of yours.

Once you have a signature method, you can create systems and even automate and outsource parts of your service. Yes, it’s true! Then, you’ll have time to work on the stuff that you’re great at with your clients and not worry about how it’s going to happen or what’s included.

 

#6 – It’s easy to create a suite of products + services from a signature method

In my case, I’ve got The Sales Page Kit (a DIY program that teaches you how to write your own sales pages) using The Rainbow of Sales as well as my one-on-one service, Sales Page CPR, which also uses The Rainbow of Sales method.

Once you have a proven service, you can use the same structure to create a DIY version of your service for people who can’t quite afford to work with you one-on-one. In order to do this, though, you need a signature method 🙂

 

#7 – People will want to share it

The KonMari method, The Total Money Makeover, The Fly Lady, The Fascination Advantage, The Paleo Diet. These are things that people talk about because they’re given the language to do so.

“Have you heard about so-and-so’s approach?”

“So-and-so says to…”

“You’ve just gotta read it!”

You can repeat the same message repeated in a million different ways, but it’s when you create a signature method or construct, you give people the tools to share your expertise without being an expert themselves.

 

Tell me in a comment below: What’s holding you back from developing your own signature method?

Now that you see why it’s beneficial to have your own method, it’s time to take action. Do you feel like you need more training? Like you need to customize your work for each client? I’ll help you troubleshoot in the comments below!