VOLUME 16, ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2017
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: THE PROACTIVE TESTIMONIAL
Yours Truly Strikes While the Client is Hot, and Grabs a Boffo Blurb!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOOD WEB WRITING IS LIKE SPINNING STRAW INTO GOLD
SEO Writer Hates Writing at Times, But Her Process Ensures She’ll Love the Outcome!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: ADMITTIMG DEFEAT WHEN A PROJECT GOES SOUTH
Canadian FLCW Suggests the Right—Not Easy—Path When You’re In Over Your Head
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
VT FLCW Learns the Long Shelf Life of One Short Meeting, Lands Gig!
TIP: WAY-Cool Video Tool Saves Typing, Offers Killer Service to Clients
I. APPETIZER: THE PROACTIVE TESTIMONIAL
Yours Truly Strikes While the Client is Hot, and Grabs a Boffo Blurb!
So, a few weeks back, I hit a welcome lull between projects. Had just finished the first phase of a longer gig, and the client was thrilled with the work that my designers and I had done.
My design partners had called me up to quote yet another project (I’m telling you, this stuff works…), and we had a few other bids in clients’ hands, awaiting their replies. I thought to myself, “If I were one of those clients, and I got a smashing testimonial from one of this team’s current clients, that’d certainly make it easier to say yes…”
So, I picked up the phone, called my happy client, and said, in essence, “I know you’re swamped right now, but would you be willing to dictate a testimonial to me about your experience of working with us? Don’t worry about speaking in perfect sound bites. Just say what you want, I’ll clean it up and run it past you. You game?”
She absolutely was game. So she talked and I typed—occasionally asking questions designed to yield the good stuff (i.e., how we made her life easier, what we did that far surpassed her expectations, the tangible outcomes that have come from our work, etc.).
I had her on the phone for maybe 8 minutes, went away, took 15 minutes or so to trim, tweak and shuffle, and sent it back to her. She loved it, made a few tiny edits, and we were done. I created a shorter version, and sent both of them onto my design pals.
Want to know how to endear yourself to your design partners? Do the above. I mean, heck, if you were them, wouldn’t you be delighted? And the whole thing took me, what? Maybe 45 minutes, start to finish?
So. If you finish some work for a client—work you know they loved—then, right then, while they’re thinking all sorts of warm and fuzzy thoughts about you, you need to get a testimonial.
Sure, you can ask them for one, and hope they can work it into their crazy schedule. OR, you can take responsibility for making it happen, and do what I did above.
A whole lot of pluses to the latter approach:
1) It ensures it’ll actually happen, not left up to chance.
2) By asking the questions, you control the final result, and how effective it is, than if you left it to them to put together.
Trust me, it’s a whole lot easier to help craft the content on the front end, than to get them to change/add to what they wrote, after the fact.
3) They’ll be happy to help, without adding more to their plate.
4) You’ll impress them as being one sharp, buttoned-up cookie.
On that “carpe-diem” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOOD WEB WRITING IS LIKE SPINNING STRAW INTO GOLD
SEO Writer Doesn’t Always Love Writing, But Her Process Ensures She’ll Love the Outcome!
Another quick and useful “Easy Web Tip” from Web Optimization pro/copywriter Katherine Andes, whose stuff I love! To sign up for her EWTs, click her name above. Here, Katherine shares her strategy for creating an outcome she’s proud of, even if she often doesn’t like the writing process (I can relate). Thanks, Katherine!
Sometimes when I take on a new client who has a lot of pages already written on his website, and they aren’t that bad, I wonder how I’m going to improve on them.
Then I dive in. I do a thorough creative brief on their business. I find out things like:
- Target audience
- History of the business
- Products & Services
- Guarantees
- What’s worked in the past? What hasn’t?
- Customer testimonials
- Competition
- And more.
This process helps me learn my client’s story. And there’s always a story.
In addition, I turn up valuable information that’s currently nowhere on their site.
That makes me happy because then, I know I can help them shine.
Still, when the research is done and I have to sit down in front of my computer screen and begin that first new web page, I dread it. Despite all my prep work, I really don’t like the moment when I have to actually begin writing. I doubt myself and think, this time, I won’t be able to do it.
So how do I get out of my funk when facing a blank screen?
I just start anyway—usually with some random and easy aspect of the page, like writing the who-to-contact information, phone numbers, etc. It’s weird, but that’s enough to get me going. Other writers may have different methods; that’s just mine.
As I continue writing, I am often amazed at what I am able to do. When I compare the original with my revision, the pieces are worlds apart.
A well-written commercial web page that tells my client’s story in a way that helps him get more business, is beautiful. It’s as if I’ve spun straw into gold.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: ADMITTING DEFEAT WHEN A PROJECT GOES SOUTH
Canadian FLCW Suggests the Right—Not Easy—Path When You’re In Over Your Head
Sometimes projects don’t go well, clients aren’t happy, and we’re not hero(ine)s. And when those unfortunate, but inevitable moments arise, British Columbia, Canada FLCW Carol Ann Quibell’s solid advice below will serve you well. Thanks, Carol Ann!
The phone rings. On the line is a prospective client from a well-known international company seeking a commercial writer for a project starting right away.
From the brief description of the experience they’re looking for, you feel comfortable taking it on, even though a couple of the words mentioned didn’t make sense. “That’s okay,” you tell yourself, confident in your own ability to get up to speed quickly.
The above scenario is a common one, and usually works out just fine. But what happens when it doesn’t?
We’re not just writers, we’re businesspeople
Commercial writing is a business and we need to do everything we can to ensure our clients are happy with the services they buy from us. If they aren’t, they’ll get what they need elsewhere—that’s a guarantee.
Not every client will be completely satisfied. Sometimes it just happens, but what if the writer realizes he’s in over his head and just can’t deliver? Sure, it’s embarrassing to admit failure but it’s much more embarrassing and damaging to your business if you don’t.
If a writer realizes a project’s beyond his skill set, it’s in everyone’s best interest if he admits defeat—professionally. So, what’s the responsible way to do that?
Rather than just telling the client you can’t do the work and walking away, first reach out to and identify a few more qualified peers who can pick up the baton.
Then, let the client know you’re unable to get the job done, and give them the list of available writers. Make sure a connection is made, and the client has been looked after, before walking.
And, of course, return the money. Or at the very least, return the portion not already used for work done. No question, it’s tough to return money when you’ve already invested a chunk of time on a project, but it’s the right thing to do.
Lessons learned
Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is admit to ourselves and others that we can’t do something. But, turning a difficult situation into something positive can make a big difference in the success of a commercial writing business and the reputation of that the writer.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, but an important one.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
VT FLCW Learns the Long Shelf Life of One Short Meeting, Lands Gig!
TIP: WAY-Cool Video Tool Saves Typing, Offers Killer Service to Clients
Cool story from Essex Junction, VT FLCW Lisa Rogers about a landing a gig from a client who remembered a brief conversation at an event eight months earlier. After that, a killer time-saver that’ll slash typing time while providing a FAR better way to share feedback with clients.
Every person we meet is a potential client. It’s those warm connections we make in the most unlikely of places that I find the most rewarding. I met my most recent client at an outdoor arts & crafts festival in Florida.
My husband plays his music from his booth among the artists, and we were uniquely positioned on a corner at a crossroads in small town America. A group of women paused to listen to my husband’s music. I’d just been asked for the millionth time if we were selling the instrument, though CDs covered the table.
The word “no” was primed and ready to go, when a woman strode to our booth with purpose. A physician liaison and event coordinator, she needed live entertainment for an upcoming reception.
My husband and I went together; he to play the event and me to network, if I could. I’d been studying the brochures in the lobby and mentioned to the coordinator that I was a grant writer.
She thanked me for letting her know and, and told me her mother had just written a musical and that they were looking for funding. After the event, we agreed to keep in touch. This was March.
Having long left Florida, I was surprised to receive an email in early September. Hoping we were still in Florida, she asked if my husband was available to play an upcoming event. Though we were now in the Northeast, she’d remembered my offer and their family foundation was up and running.
The foundation needed a grant writer and someone who knew the nonprofit world. Given that I’d grown up in the nonprofit world, worn any number of hats, assisted with larger grants that required a team to prepare, written my own grants, and been at the conception phase of a start-up nonprofit, I was hired.
This was October, just shy of eight months since our first meeting. Again remember: Every person we meet is a potential client.
You’re going to love this one—an amazing tool for dramatically reducing the time you spend typing out all sorts of explanations or suggested edits, or any other scenario that involves discussing or reviewing a particular document. AND, it’ll wow your clients.
The program’s called Jing, and it’s a free image/video-capture program that I use to create explanatory videos that run under five minutes. A few examples…
1) I’m submitting a first draft of copy to a client, and I want to “frame” her viewing of that copy by explaining a number of things in the document. I open the document, open Jing, start recording, and talk and mouse my way through the document, pointing to the sections in question and delivering my explanations verbally.
Instead of typing for 15-20 minutes, I talk for three. And it’s a far more effective explanation for her than typed notes would be because she can see exactly the section I’m referring to as I speak about it.
Once I’m done, I click one button to upload the video to another site, which instantly generates a URL, which I can grab and email to her along with the document.
2) I’m working with a coaching client on an extended basis, and he wants me to review some copy he’s submitted to his client, and provide feedback. What if I have 25 little suggestions? That’s a LOT of typing.
But with Jing, I just scroll through the document, recording my suggestions as I point to them, and I’m done in three or four minutes.
Not only faster for me, and more user-friendly feedback for him (the old way would require a constant back-and-forth checking between my typed notes and his document), but also, I don’t burn up a lot of his paid coaching time on the typing process.
Giving you any ideas? I’m telling you, once you have it, you’ll come up with all sorts of reasons to use it, and save yourself a bunch of time every time you do.