Web-based Professional Services

"Customer-satisfaction numbers don't show a consistent correlation with actual customer behavior"

--Bain

I am interested in learning firsthand whether it's possible to market web-based professional copywriting to new clients. Conventional wisdom says distance no longer matters except for physically dependent services, like surgery or dog walking.

So, is copywriting physically dependent?

Part of any service is the marketing of it. Simply knowing that it is possible to do something virtually doesn't mean a client will let you. Furthermore, clients often behave differently from the way they think they will behave. (See the Bain and Mercer research.)

So lets get down to cases. I created a web-based offering called Copy Protection. For a nominal fee ($199) you can submit marketing documents online for a makeover. People have told me in surveys and directly that this is something they want, and that distance doesn't matter. I have also sold the service successfully to existing clients -- some of whom are very far away.

What do you think? What's the difference between copywriting at a distance versus, say, software development or accounting? The upside is the same -- the client can source talent anywhere in the world.

If you could create your own personal web-based copywriting service, what would you want?