Peter Bowerman, AKA The Well Fed Writer, wrote in this week's e-newsletter about how to stand out in a sloppy business world.
I couldn't agree more with his list:
1) Do What You Say
You’re Going to Do: Had a phone call scheduled with
a client a few weeks back, and on the appointed day and time, his
phone rang and there I was. He said, “Hmmm. You called exactly when
you said you were going to call.” Not terribly impressive in my books,
but the fact that he’d even notice, points to the relative rarity of
professionalism and reliability in the business world. If you deliver,
call, show up, etc., when you say you will, you WILL stand out.
2) Turn in Clean Work: Nothing
like copy with typos and grammatical
errors to quickly sour a client on working with you again. And it’s
far more common than you’d ever imagine. But it’s so absolutely
unnecessary, AND inexcusable. Sure, we all miss one now and then, but
make sure it’s just now and then.
3) Be Easy to Work With:
Clients love to work with people who are not
only reliable and good at what they do, but are flexible,
uncomplaining, good-natured, and can roll with the punches. Think,
“breath of fresh air.” This quality can actually make up for less-than
brilliant writing skills. I’ve seen it. Nice, likable, easy-going
FLCW’s get more business.
4) Look for
Opportunities to Reveal Your Ethics: In the current WFW
Blog post, I share a story of meeting a guy at a networking event, and
was so impressed with a story he told about his business dealings,
that I wanted to hire him on the spot (but, alas, didn’t need his
services). Clients (like all human beings) want to associate with good
people who know right from wrong and live it every day.
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