A Client Satisfaction Tip
“If you make listening and observation your occupation
you will gain much more than you can by talk.”
– Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts
In Issue #153
- Main Essay: A Client Satisfaction Tip by Krista Jones
- Resource Referral: One of the Best Investments You’ll Make
- Reader Feedback: More on Getting By Your Inner Critic
A Client Satisfaction Tip
by Krista Jones
Last week a marketing director made a remark that surprised me. I’m letting you in on it with the hope that you’ll use it to your advantage.
First, a little background…
We were on the phone to review the first revision of a promotion I am working on for her and a team of four other people. She commented that she had just finished reading the copy and she was quite happy with it. And as we continued chatting she mentioned why she was so happy.
It wasn’t because I had done something spectacular, like come up with a brilliant idea or written flawless copy. It was actually something much simpler.
She was excited that I had addressed all of the concerns she and the other team members had expressed during a previous call where we had gone over the draft promotion.
Wow! All I had to do to put a smile on her face was just listen to and address the team’s comments. That was just too easy.
Then she made the remark that amazed me. She said I’d be surprised by how many copywriters don’t listen to their clients.
So let me ask you: Do you fall into that category? Or if you haven’t worked with copywriting clients yet, based on your previous life experiences is it likely that you will fall into it?
I was caught off guard by the remark because I’ve always felt that it’s my job to listen to what clients say, and then do my best to reflect the essence of their ideas back to them in the copy. (When I disagree with the client, I don’t just accept or disregard their comments. I politely state why I disagree and then we come up with something we can agree on.)
Whether I’m talking with one person or five, whether I’m working with a national client or a local Mom-n-Pop shop, whether people are pleased, indifferent, or dissatisfied with the copy, I do my best to keep my mouth shut and hear what they have to say.
I’ve listened to people spout off about headlines, the audience, common objections, why they like the product, what they worry about with the product, what points they would like to see made in the copy, their competition, their dogs, and the latest books they’ve read.
Sometimes blinding insights emerge from these conversations. Sometimes they don’t. Either way I come out of each conversation having learned something.
And based on the marketing director’s comment, I’ll continue to listen as long as someone wants to talk.
If you find it hard to listen to people evaluate your copy, you’re going to have to get over it. Whether it’s a copy buddy, a willing friend, a coach, or a client, you need other people to take a look at what you’ve written so they can help you bring it up.
I’ll leave you with a few suggestions that might help you in this regard:
- Don’t get defensive when you’re talking to clients or other reviewers about your copy. When you’re defensive, you shut down. And that means you’ll be less likely to catch and take in suggestions that can really help the copy. If need be, prepare yourself before the call or meeting. Do whatever it takes to be able to let your guard down and listen with an open mind.
- Don’t assert your own position at every opening in a conversation. Doing that will eliminate many of the benefits of having a chance to get inside your clients’ head. If you speak up too often, there’s a good chance you’ll inhibit the group’s brainstorming.
- Never say or do anything that might cause the people you’re speaking with to stop talking. Where it helps, use words that show you are connecting with what they are saying, such as "uh huh," "OK," "yeah," "I get it," etc. Sometimes just using connecting words like that will be enough to keep them talking, giving you more opportunities to capture good selling ideas and words that will connect with your reader.
- Listen for more than the words. Notice the tone each person uses when speaking and try to get a sense of the meaning that’s underneath what he or she is saying. Most times, I don’t put the client’s actual words or comments into the copy. Instead, I go for the feeling I sense they want to come through the copy.
Resource Referral: One of the Best Investments You’ll Make
It’s hard to give your full attention to what clients, experts, or customers are saying when you’re also trying to take notes. That’s why I highly recommend getting a device to record phone calls and meetings. (If you’re on the phone, let them know you are recording the call.)
I take very few, if any, notes while I’m on strategy, interview, or copy review calls. I just sit back and listen and ask questions as needed.
You can hook some recorders directly to the phone line. With others you’ll need a good-quality speaker phone you can use to record the call. I use an Olympus, but there are a bunch of makes and models you can choose from.
If you don’t have a recorder, here’s a link to a recorder that is similar to mine. Check it out or look for something else that suits you. Just get one; it’s one of the best investments you’ll make in your copywriting career.
Reader Feedback: More on Getting By Your Inner Critic
In CP Issue #149, freelancer Karen Martiny shared a useful tip for stopping your internal critic in its tracks: turn off the screen so you can’t see what you’re writing.
As an adjunct to that tip, CP reader, Liane offers the following for laptop users:
“Great tip with the turning off of the monitor, so as not to constantly review what one has written.
For those who can’t just turn off their monitors, e.g. laptop users, another trick is to set the font to white with a white background. The
text will still be there, but you can’t see it while you type. After you
finish typing, you can just highlight the entire text with CTRL+A (in
Word) and then change the color.”
Thanks, Liane!