And storytelling is not only possible in business … it’s desirable.

Using interesting and honest details to provide the who, what, when, where, why and how of your company, product or service will make your story worth listening to.

Stuck telling your story? Start by telling it to a friend, colleague or coworker. Pretend you’re trying to entertain someone at a party. Say what you really want to say rather than what you think you should say (or what your legal department or boss would like you to say).

Record your story and then transcribe it to use as your first draft.

Remember, it doesn’t matter how you get to the story – only THAT you get to it.

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Post tags: audience, business, corporate storytelling, story, storytelling, telling your story, visual image, words

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What she said neither shocked nor surprised me. Unfortunately, I hear it all the time from clients who hire me to fix or clean up the aftermath of hiring the wrong person.

Let me say upfront that some freelancers are just plain awful at their craft; others are well intentioned; and still others make excellent partners. And just because someone is good at what they do, does not mean they’ll be the right partner for you.

I could literally write a book about when and how to hire a freelancer — and when not to. So, for brevity’s sake, let’s just look at the topic based on what my colleague shared.

Here’s what she said made her blood boil:

Freelancers who are copywriters but try to be marketing consultants

Marketing communications “consultants” or “coaches” who recommend the same cookie-cutter approach for B2B that they recommend for B2C

Those who are so into social media that they make social media the focus of their conversation before they really understand my business

Yikes. I winced at those. It’s embarrassing to me as a consultant/coach/freelancer to have others tarnish my beloved profession.

As a consultant experienced in both B2B and B2C marketing and communications, I know how challenging it can be to distinguish the two. In fact, I’m working with a client who is using a big, fancy New York agency and we’ve had to repeatedly remind them that our end-customer is not the consumer. The distinction can be a fine line, and I’m of the opinion that social media and e-communication is changing even the B2B space. (More on that another time.)

But, that’s no excuse for delivering shoddy, ineffective copy. And there’s never an excuse for delivering templated anything.

So, here are my suggestions for avoiding what my colleague had to endure:

1. Find and qualify. Get referrals from peers and colleagues, networking groups, etc. But don’t stop there. Do some additional research. Visit their web site, Google their name, set a Google alert, pre-screen by phone before meeting them face-to-face, do a reference check, compare them to others, etc., etc., etc. Be thorough in your research. My own toolbox contains a simple pre-screen questionnaire that I use to qualify clients. Know what your  expectations are before you start looking for someone who can meet them. And remember, it’s rare to find someone who can “do it all.” You may need multiple partners to accomplish your goals. For example, I know some about social media, but it’s not my area of expertise — and I tell my clients that. If your potential partner says, “yes, yes, yes” and claims to be an expert in anything and everything, run for the hills … at least be sure to do additional research. Do they know the difference between PR and publicity? Are they accredited in their niche? How long have they been offering the service and in what capacity? Interview them and research their background thoroughly. Of course, balance that with the fact that until you’ve hired them, there’s a limited amount of time they can invest with you. Be respectful of their time and circumstances while you do due diligence.
2. Perform a gut check. If their web site copy sounds like hype, perhaps it is. If you hear nice things about them with an underlying “be cautious” tone, don’t ignore it. Do not talk your way into or out of a partnership. You should be genuinely excited about who you’re going to work with. In my own business, I only work with people who seem as though they’ll value my contribution and respect my time. I’m not in the business of doing rush jobs, for example. There are plenty of great freelancers who cover that niche. I’m not one of them so I would not be the best partner for a client who has a hurry-up need. If a potential client tells me it’s not a rush job but I still get the sense that it is, I heed the warning. Doing a gut check saves me and my potential client a lot of heartache. Here’s another example from my own business: Like many freelancers, I typically invoice new clients one-third of estimated hours and wait for payment before getting started. Clients who balk at my terms are a red flag for me. Now, I’m not saying every freelancer should do that, but it works well for me and, more importantly, it helps me vet my clientele.
3. Do your part. Sometimes, like it or not, the issue is with you, not your consultant or freelancer. How’s your communication? Do you hand off work and disappear, only to come back at the 11th hour? Touch base, schedule status updates, set guidelines and milestones. Your job is to manage the expectations of the project. Even the most independent professional cannot operate in a vacuum. I recently ended a client relationship for that very reason. My client simply would not engage with me, nor would she delegate that responsibility to someone on her staff. While I’m very flexible in how I work with people, I will not sit idly and listen to the sound of crickets. It’s a deal breaker for me.
4. Remember you get what you pay for. While price is not necessarily equated to quality, it can be an indicator. Great partners charge a fair market rate that’s probably on the high end. While my hourly rate is competitive, I’m certainly not the lowest priced freelancer around. Why? Because I’m worth what I charge. I write fast. Very fast. I write well. I deliver results. And I charge accordingly. When considering hourly  or project rates, consider the time your project could take. A $45/hour freelancer may take three times as long as, say, a $90/hour freelancer. (Not always, of course, but keep it in mind.)

Okay, so I could keep going and going. I have opinions about these things! :)

Bottom line? Do your research, trust your gut, set and manage expectations, take the plunge and learn from your mistakes.

Share your freelance/consultant horror and success stories with me by leaving a comment.

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Post tags: coach, communication, consultant, consumer, copywriter, copywriters, customer, Effective, expertise, freelance, marketing, research, social media, success, tip, web, web site, writer, writers

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Improve your writing instantly with my three top tips:

1. Read it out loud to see how it will “sound” to the reader. Fix anything that trips you up. (I call these hiccups.)

2. Examine each individual word. Can you delete it? If not, can you substitute a short, simple word? (One of my favorites is swapping “use” for “utilize.”)

3. Vary sentence length. Some should be short. Some long. Still other sentences should be longer, since they create a rhythm that’s more interesting to the reader.

© JanO for , 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: document, email, Improve, memo, sentence, sentence length, sentences, Write, writing

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In the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the AARP Bulletin, there’s a short article about a British survey commissioned by financial company AXA, and the subsequent renaming contest surrounding the word “pension.”

Turns out that nearly a fifth of 18- to 24-year-old Brits think the word pension is stodgy. (No duh.)

The winning replacement, submitted by 29-year-old Donna Wood of Hampshire, England is:

Save Now. Play Later.

Genius.

But what this really brings to mind is how we get stuck using words and phrases that have lost their relevancy. With business writing and marketing/communications, it’s far too easy to lapse into same-old, same-old boilerplate language.

No word or phrase should be sacred. Everything should be, at least periodically, rethought. Step back now and then and ask this question: “What does this word or phrase really mean to my reader?”

P.S. Hey, State Farm Insurance, are you listening? With the transient culture we live in, I’m pretty sure “Like a good neighbor” doesn’t resonate like it used to.

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Post tags: AARP, AXA, business, business writing, communication, communications, Donna Wood, marketing, relevancy, State Farm, words

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