What’s on the iPod: Runaways by The Killers
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Despite a few stops and starts yesterday and one minor interruption, I was able to unravel the Eurozone crisis and put on paper enough words to get the job done. I’ll go over the article today and hand it in. This one was so intriguing. I love these financial topics. I don’t understand why — I can’t handle math or finance personally. Maybe it’s being able to understand it at all that appeals.
I was talking with a writer friend the other day about something an editor had said to me way back at the beginning of my career. It was my first writing job – a stringer for a local newspaper – and of the 22 people they had hired, I was one of three who’d stuck it out and did the job. One day, an editor for the Sunday insert magazine called. She wanted someone to write business profiles. “I thought of you because you’re reliable.”
At the time, I was a little disheartened. Where was the “Your writing is so fantastic” praise I was hungry for? Then I realized she didn’t need to say it. She assumed my skill was there or I wouldn’t be writing for them at all. Instead, she’d complimented me in a much nicer way. She’d called me reliable.
In my book Marketing 365, I wanted to include this as a strategy because it’s a strong attribute. Clients look for someone with talent, sure, but they can’t do a thing with talent that doesn’t show up when expected.
So straight from my book to you:
when promised and you’ll get the same answer – reliability is a critical
element to business success. People love
doing business with people who don’t make them wait with or without
explanation.
5 responses to “Marketing Strategy: Reliability”
I do the work, on time and on budget. I don't promise more than I can deliver. I work well with editors. I'm willing to try new things, out of my comfort zone.
You know, a lot of writers underestimate how important reliability is to clients. Just showing up, doing what you promise, following a clients instructions carefully and delivering as promised gets a writer some pretty high marks with clients. Based on feedback from (several) clients I've worked with, a lot of writers fail to do these very simple things.
The first time a client praised me for being reliable, I immediately reacted like you, Lori, wondering why that first complement wasn't praising my talent as a writer. My reliability has lead to repeat business, so I'm more than content with that attribute.
I like the way you discuss it as a marketing strategy. Never thought of it that way.
I addition to the usual ways (meeting deadlines, exceeding expectations, etc…), I also keep editors or clients appraised of any issues or questions that arise. If there is a question – maybe a key source is unavailable – I'll let the editor know, offer a couple possible ways to handle it, then ask how they'd like me to proceed.
Lori, you and I test each other's reliability a lot with the 5 Buck Forum etc. We're both pretty good at it… and I'm always surprised when someone isn't.
Kim, I've learned to live with the compliment, too. 🙂
As you mentioned, it's something that gets you repeat business. So it's definitely a marketing strategy!
Paula, that's a biggie. If they know what you're up to, they're not sitting there worrying or making up scenarios in which you're the incompetent, uncommunicative writer.
Anne, I'm still surprised that we have each other's back so well. You're just a good partner! 🙂