One thing we have adopted in our business is our commitment to compelling content. We require at least the basic needed content from a customer or when won’t even begin the design process be it for print or web. Our company is not in the business of creating empty shells. If a customer doesn’t agree or is not ready then maybe they are not ready for us. Yes, we might lose a customer but it’s already saved us time and heartache.

If they don’t have the content we will certainly help them develop it, for reasonable charge. This results in one of two things, We earn more writing copy, photographing or graphic design or if the customer doesn’t want to spend the extra money with us they will gather the material together sooner so we can begin the technical part of the project.

The goal is to help our clients deliver compelling content so they can general more sales, membership, etc.

I’m sure I will be writing more on this process in the days and weeks ahead.

I’ve been doing this for more than a decade now and preparation time is the biggest time suck/ stumbling block, especially when working with the “marketing virgin” client.

The client who has already prepared marketing products such as sales brochures, sales letters, logos, etc is INFINITELY easier to work with than the one who answers the question about logos with, “Logo? Logo? I don’t need no stinkin’ logo!”

For many new business owners, the logo is the HARDEST part of the process. It’s the first time they’ve tried to condense their “business identity” into a two dimensional image. That’s why the first “item” on my “checklist” is to ask, “Do you have a logo?”

The thing about “checklists” is my client’s don’t read them. (If yours do, then I’m really jealous!) Checklists are useful to help keep ME organized though.

The problem is clients don’t know what they don’t know and they don’t discover the depths of what they don’t know until they’re deep in the development process.

You know what they say… experience is when you learn from YOUR mistakes… wisdom is when you learn from someone ELSE’S mistakes. When someone is determined to create their own set of “experiences” there’s not much you can do other than take their money and do as you’re told. After all, this isn’t your first rodeo… and wisdom would be seeking YOUR advice now… wouldn’t it?