How I Write & Work
Contact and Communications Policies
“It’s critical we have fast and easy communication.
During our project, I am available 6 DAYS a WEEK, from 8am-7pm AK time
(4 hrs. difference from the East Coast-as a reference point; and -9 UTC)
By far, the best way to reach me is to call – +1 907 398 0788
EMAIL 2nd – IAN@stirlingCW.com (or: ianandrews03@gmail.com ) "
Discussing the Project and Questionnaire
“To start a potential project, I’ll send you a Discovery Questionnaire.
This will help both of us clearly define the scope of the project and
ensure maximum results. I will send you a link to the Questionnaire
through Google Docs [or a WORD FILE via EMAIL].
Please return it as soon as possible —between 1 and 3 business days is preferable.
Once I receive the Discovery Questionnaire, I’ll review it, and study your answers (plus any other applicable initial research needed).
From there, I’ll create a short Project Outline. This will save you time
and help you see I fully understand the project. It will also be the basis
for our GoAhead Call.
Then, 3-10 days after I receive the Discovery answers, we will schedule
a 20-minute GoAhead Call. During this call, we will discuss the Project Outline.
I will listen to any additional directions and insights you have on the project.
Following that call, I will draft and send you an Agreement.
If your legal team has an Agreement, we can use that.”
Investment and Getting Started
“The Agreement will contain all the specifics on exactly what I will deliver,
including project deadlines.
It will also list your investment for the project and terms of payment.
(Note: I require 50% of the project total to begin. Most of my clients prefer
to pay by bank wire or overnight payment.)
Once we have both signed the Agreement, I will begin working on your copy
as agreed.”
Research
“My research process is very comprehensive.
I begin with a complete review of your website and any other materials you send me. From there, I will research the market, including your competitors. In some cases,
I will ask to visit with your customer service team, past clients/customers,
and different department heads.
As needed, I will reach out to you for additional details, product samples,
and other resources.
Data collection, organization, and analysis is a forte of mine. You can be confident
that I will quickly and effectively understand your product, your voice,
and your customer’s core emotional purchase drivers.”
Collaboration
“As we work on this project together, communication is foremost.
Some of my clients are very busy and prefer to hand off the project to me and review the first draft, with very little communication in between. Others like dealing with me on an almost daily basis and be involved at just about every step of the way.
‘Which are you?’
Send me an email and let me know how often you’d like to communicate
and what the best way is to reach out to you (i.e., email, phone, text, etc. ... ).
Also - please assign a single point of contact on your team for me. I will
communicate directly with that person and they will deal with your other team members as needed to obtain information and approvals.
Finally, I STRONGLY encourage you to become familiar with Google Docs.
I do all of my writing with this word processing tool. It allows us to track changes, comment, and collaborate in real time. It can be shared with various team members and the working document is always the current document —
no need to worry about sending wrong files or things getting lost. ”
Review of First Drafts
“Typically, you’ll receive the first draft in 10-14 business days,
depending on the project size and scope.
When you get the first draft, please review it carefully. Also, have any applicable team members review it. The most important thing at this stage is, making sure that the tone, message, and offer are right. We’ll fine-tune during the second draft ... and third draft, as needed.”
Revisions
“After you review the initial draft, it’s likely that you’ll want some things changed. Please note those changes using the comment feature inside of Google Docs.
You can also suggest changes using the Edit Mode feature, which I’ll turn on
when I share it with you.
I will review all your suggested changes within 24 hours of you submitting them.
I will make my adjustments within 2-4 business days, depending on the breadth
and the complexity of your suggested changes.
In all cases, I recognize that these are your customers, and I will defer to you
as much as possible.
Sometimes, there will be cases where my clients make suggestions
that I know will not work, and will hurt profits. In those cases,
you can expect me to be bold and direct in my feedback. When clients insist on changes that I feel will not work, I always recommend a simple A/B split test.
Let the market vote.”
Additional Reviews
“After the first round of changes, there may be some additional fine-tuning needed.
You can be confident that I’ll gladly work with you until you are excited about the copy. In most cases, my clients find that one review volley is enough.
When more are needed, it is usually just one or two and the process goes quickly. Typically, we can get to a final copy within 1-3 business days.”
Final Approval
“Once all revisions are done, I will submit a final draft to you. At this point,
you approve the copy by sending me an email stating that everything is ready
for distribution.
Once I receive this final approval from you, I will invoice you for the remaining 50% of the project investment. The invoice is due upon receipt.
I will make every effort to be prompt in responding to all of your requests,
and assume that, as a professional, you will do the same with my invoices.
In most cases, the final copy is sent to a designer for formatting. I strongly encourage you to send me a PDF of the final version. I will double-check that any graphical elements added by your design team enhance the copy and make it more effective.
‘Visual effects’ is another forte of mine.
If I see something that is distracting and may hurt your response rates,
I’ll be direct in letting you know.
If requested, I’m happy to work with your design team to make any changes needed
to make the end version as effective as possible.”
Transition to New Projects
“Once a project is done, I provide all my clients with a complimentary follow-up consultation. We spend a few minutes on the phone and discuss what went well
and where improvements can be made.
We review the Discovery Questionnaire and discuss additional ways to uncover new profits.
Where appropriate, we map out a new project to ensure that you continue to have excellent copy that meets your goals and grows your business.”