It’s FRIDAY! Gadzooks, and it’s less than three months to Christmas! Where has 2007 gone? I’ve been at On-Hold Concepts (www.onholdconcepts.com) for ten months and four days already! Incredible.

I’m a better writer than I was on January 2nd, for sure. This position has honed my skills as an ad writer. I’ve learned to "cut to the chase" and use words that draw the listener into what seems to be an intriguing private conversation, whether it’s a warm conversation, a fast-paced conversation or something in between.

I write differently for different clients, often based on the music background they choose. If they want smooth jazz, I write copy that’s smooth, elegant, lyrical. If they want something upbeat (as auto auctions and casinos usually do) I write copy that’s fun, energetic and sometimes even bizarre! A Mercedes Benz and Infiniti dealer expects (without saying so) different copy than a Chevrolet or Mazda dealer because the businesses cater to different kinds of people – well-heeled, status-conscious folks on the one hand and fun-loving, family-friendly rides with family pets on the other.

My aptitude regarding different clients has improved. It has become second nature to "know" the type of writing different businesses expect.

The amazing thing to me is that so few of "my" clients have ever rejected outright anything I’ve written – and in the few cases where they did, they decided to lean in a different direction than the direction they asked me to write toward; in other words, their vision of what they wanted running on-hold changed.

The bosses are always remarking how quickly I "turn copy around" – that is, how quickly the copy I write is approved by the client and placed into production with the voicing team and music men. It has always been that way, since the beginning. Rarely does a client find fault with more than a word or two out of six different fifteen to twenty second messages.

It’s a total blessing to find myself in a career where what I do is viewed as "right on" most of the time. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried when I first came on board. I was given the low-down on the job: It’s fast-paced and deadline-driven (we try to have an on-hold program ready to voice within 48 hours of the time a client says they want one).

The powers that be weren’t sure I could handle the "pressure," the stress of having to produce copy on command day in and day out. I certainly didn’t know, either – but I wanted to give it my best shot!

As it turns out, I write BEST when deadline-driven. There’s no time to be an internal critic or second-guess what needs to be said. I’ve been a writer long enough (40 years) to know that my Critic is the worst thing going and that other people think I’m a much better writer than I do. So being on a deadline frees me from the straitjacket of perfectionism and allows me to gallop full-speed toward whatever destination the client has outlined for me. I catch their passion for their business and head out with it, choosing words that reverberate and hypnotize as much as possible (using alliteration, empathetic resonances, and the like).

It’s actually FUN! I’m not saying it’s not also hard work, but it’s FUN hard work. I realize how hard it is when I get home at night and my mind goes on the fritz and I can’t come up with words to carry on a conversation on the phone! It’s quite exhausting – but it’s an exhaustion I was born to meet daily! I just love what I do! And others do, too! How cool is that?!
So! Do you know of a business that can use what we do here at On-Hold Concepts (www.onholdconceps.com) ? Wrack your brain and tell me about the worst places to be put on hold. I will go after them and see if we can’t change your odious experience on-hold with them to a glorious one instead!

WE CAN DO IT. WE’RE DOING IT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY! Why not let us do it wherever you find yourself being put on-hold – and wanting to cry?