I’m not a very good liar by nature … apparently my mother did something right.
So, when I decided to become a copywriter, I immediately called people I knew. Being good friends, they referred me to business people they knew who needed help with their copy.
I was beside myself with visions of a seven-figure income. Until, that is, I got “the question” …
“Can you send me some samples of your work?”
OMG. I froze.
The first time I was asked that, I pretended to get really busy for a few days and ignored the email … not the best way to market yourself as a professional. I felt like a total idiot.
Finally, I got up the nerve to say, “I’m new and I don’t have any samples.”
Either out of sheer desperation or terminal niceness, they hired me … at a substantial discount, of course. But, hey. It was work, and now I’d have “a” sample.
Things worked that way for several months until I had an actual portfolio I could send people. The irony is that I hardly ever get asked for samples anymore, and I believe there’s a really good reason why.
