Easy Does It
“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
–Martha Washington
In This Issue:
- Main Essay: Easy Does It by Krista Jones
- Resource Referral: Photo Buffs Wanted
- Quick Copy Tip: Three Tips for Revising Copy
Easy Does It
by Krista Jones
I grew up believing the customer is always right. In the small Ohio town where I was raised that’s how people were treated.
But things have changed. A lot.
As a business owner, home owner, and consumer I frequently run across people who seem to think I can’t or won’t take my business somewhere else. In fact, I’ve had three incidents of “customer no service” in the past two weeks alone…
- I’ve been waiting for a return phone call from my accountant for five days.
- The guy who was supposed to seal the tile in my kitchen missed three appointments in a row.
- A part for my car came in two weeks late, but no one from the auto shop bothered to call me and let me what was going on.
Will the world come to an end because of these things? No, it won’t.
But I’m still getting a new accountant next year, canceling the deal with the tile company, and considering taking my car to a new shop the next time it needs work.
As someone who values customer service, I’ve built my career around making myself easy to work with. I know my clients are busy—their work and personal lives are filled with schedules, budgets, and demands on their time. I feel part of my job is to do what I can to make their lives easier.
That might sound obvious, but not everyone does it. So it’s one way I set myself apart from the crowd.
Here are the main things I do to make myself easy to work with. I’m…
- Available. I return phone calls and emails promptly, and I seldom turn down projects. I’m flexible whenever we’re trying to set up a conference call or meeting. In other words, I do my best to be there for my clients—within reason of course.
- Positive. Not much of an explanation is required here other than to say a lighthearted attitude can be felt by everyone you’re talking to.
- Punctual. I try not to waste a minute of my clients’ time. I meet my deadlines 95% of the time. If I’m supposed to call at a certain time, I do. And I show up a few minutes early for meetings.
- Thick-skinned. This can be difficult when I’m getting less than positive comments on my writing. I’ve found the best way to stay positive during those times is to remember that my copy is not me—it’s not personal.
- Up-front. I make sure my clients know who I am, what I need, and when I’m not going to be able to deliver something when promised.
Making yourself easy to work with doesn’t mean you should be a pushover. It’s mostly about how you communicate and interact with others.
While, in my opinion, it’s okay to let little things slide to make your client happy, don’t compromise on quality or ethics. That will come back to haunt you down the road. Part of being up-front is standing up for what you believe in.
If, for example, a client makes an unreasonable request, such as changing the scope of an assignment mid-way through the project or asking you to lie, the thing to do would be to communicate, in as positive a way as possible, why it’s unreasonable and what can be done about it. Offer a solution or a way out.
All else being equal, clients will choose a copywriter that makes their lives easier over one who is difficult to work with every time. Wouldn’t you?
Resource Referral: Photo Buffs Wanted
If you like taking pictures, have you ever considered selling them? After all, there’s a tremendous market for photos: magazines, newspapers, books, trade journals, technical manuals…almost any published material. These businesses pay hundreds dollars for snapshots of everything from backyards to vacation spots to festivals.
You can usually earn $150 to $800 per sale without fancy equipment or knowing a thing about photography. But you do need to know which kinds of photos sell best and where to sell them.
AWAI’s popular course, Turn Your Pictures Into Cash – A Comprehensive Program in Taking and Selling Amazing Photographs, can teach you what you need to start earning a healthy income stream from your favorite photos. I’ll admit, I’m not very handy with a camera, but if you are, check it out.
Quick Copy Tip: Three Tips for Revising Copy
If you’re like me, you do (or will) spend far more time revising copy than writing it.
For me, revising copy is a juggling act between my intuition and logic. It’s often hard deciding what should go, what should stay, and what needs a complete overhaul. It can leave you fretful about whether you are improving or weakening the copy.
But I’ve discovered three things that help me edit freely without fear that I’m heading in the wrong direction:
- Do your revisions on a hard copy rather than on the computer screen. Just like reading copy out loud to hear the flow and cadence of the piece, editing on paper gives you a better reference point to see what’s working and what isn’t.
- Save all your revisions. Whenever you feel your writing is losing "life," just return to the last draft that had energy—the last draft that interested or excited you. Your saved drafts are your safety net.
- Pay attention to those emotional "pinpricks" that tell you something in your writing is off. If something doesn’t feel right, find a way to make it right. Give yourself permission to play with the writing. If nothing comes to mind, put it away for several hours or the next day so you can see it with fresh eyes.