{"id":174,"date":"2011-07-13T15:19:40","date_gmt":"2011-07-13T15:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.write-angle.com\/thewritestuff\/?p=174"},"modified":"2011-07-13T22:47:03","modified_gmt":"2011-07-13T22:47:03","slug":"how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-writing-consultants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.write-angle.com\/thewritestuff\/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-writing-consultants\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get the Most Out of Your Writing Consultants"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Under<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A hallmark of successful clients is an insistence on getting candid advice from consultants who speak \u201cstraight talk\u201d. \u00a0Telling a client what they need to know rather what they want to hear is simply smart business.<\/div>\n

At first blush, this may seem like a given.\u00a0 After all, clients hire a writing service<\/a> for domain expertise, proven methodologies and a track record, right?\u00a0 In theory, perhaps, but in practical reality it\u2019s always more complicated.<\/p>\n

Constructive criticism isn\u2019t for the thin-skinned on either side of the table. \u00a0Especially when you think you\u2019re dead right about what the words should say.\u00a0\u00a0 But time and again, the clients who encourage writers to candidly engage in the work are more likely to benefit.\u00a0 This is especially true at key junctures in a project when course corrections can determine success or failure. A writer\u2019s willingness to play a vigorous devil\u2019s advocate is indispensible. And even more so if a company finds itself mired in a stale or failing campaign, losing market share or suffering from being elbowed out of leadership.<\/p>\n

Not all companies possess the DNA for thick skin.\u00a0\u00a0 Here are the warning signs and the antidotes:<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve re-invented our segment and don\u2019t have any direct competitors<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Really? \u00a0If so, chances are you don\u2019t have much of a market, either. Better revisit the business plan.\u00a0 Or do some market research right way.<\/p>\n

Rx: Make your content reflect a rigorous understanding of your prospects and users. Choose writers who know the territory<\/a> and express your competitive differentiation in the language users actually use.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

2. \u00a0\u201cOur value proposition is time-tested and we haven\u2019t had to update our web site in more than a year<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Ouch.\u00a0 Keeping content fresh, provocative and current is a given in the Web 2.0 world of social marketing.\u00a0 Not to mention that competitive environments in this mercurial world have a way of changing suddenly, regularly and disruptively.\u00a0 Overnight.<\/p>\n

Rx:\u00a0 Do regular site checkups.\u00a0 Get customers to give you feedback on your content and compare you to your competitors.\u00a0 Engage your writing service to do a content audit and make recommendations.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>3. \u00a0\u201cWe have more customers than we can service<\/em>.\u201d You might think of this as the lulled-into-complacency syndrome.\u00a0 Getting comfortable is an open invitation to competitors looking to feast on your early gains.\u00a0 Never forget the sage words of Intel\u2019s Andy Grove: only the paranoid survive.<\/p>\n

Rx: Lively, engaging content that spotlights the way users apply your technology can form the basis of much more than garden-variety application stories.\u00a0 Dive deeply into unconventional applications as a way to showcase more features and benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve got a three year technology lead on our closest competitor<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 No you don\u2019t. \u00a0Cling to this misguided notion and you\u2019ll spend more time playing defense than you will on offense successfully marketing your differentiation and advantages that address your customers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n

Rx: Concentrate on practical market education tools that explain your distinction in the market from a rational, pragmatic and credible point-of view.\u00a0 No reader wants to be told how great your technology is.\u00a0 They want to know how your technology is best suited to their <\/em>requirements to determine if you\u2019re worthy of making the short list.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. \u00a0\u201cOur carbon sequestering technology advances make us a lock for a feature article in The New Yorker.\u201d <\/em> Right.\u00a0 The editors there are aching for a tutorial on multi-pollutant removal strategies because the readership is chock full of energy czars, sustainability directors and energy policy wonks. \u00a0Not.<\/p>\n

Rx: Ask your writers to weigh-in on if and how your written pieces can be best placed or re-purposed.\u00a0 Don\u2019t \u2018spray and pray\u2019 your content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bringing new ideas to the table is the engine room of business.\u00a0 But before adopting those great ideas as gospel, put them through a messaging stress test.\u00a0\u00a0 Unless, of course, you subscribe to the irony of David Brinkley\u2019s collection of closing commentaries entitled, \u201cEveryone is Entitled to My Opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

What other signs of “thin skin” can you think of?\u00a0 What does your team do to encourage outsourced content creators to “push back” on directives they believe are misguided?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A hallmark of successful clients is an insistence on getting candid advice from consultants who speak \u201cstraight talk\u201d. \u00a0Telling a client what they need to know rather what they want to hear is simply smart business. At first blush, this may seem like a given.\u00a0 After all, clients hire a writing service for domain expertise, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,36,45,44],"tags":[26,48,79,19,49,41],"class_list":["post-174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-content-marketing","category-content-strategy","category-outside-writers","category-writing-services","tag-content-creation","tag-contract-writers","tag-peter-dave","tag-refreshed-content","tag-third-party-writers","tag-writing-collaboration"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Get the Most Out of Your Writing Consultants - The Write Stuff<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.write-angle.com\/thewritestuff\/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-writing-consultants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Get the Most Out of Your Writing Consultants - The Write Stuff\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A hallmark of successful clients is an insistence on getting candid advice from consultants who speak \u201cstraight talk\u201d. \u00a0Telling a client what they need to know rather what they want to hear is simply smart business. 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