It's amazing how an innocent question can bring forth the wrath of an easily-offended "other." Luckily this kind of thing happens about as often as hens' teeth with me, but it's a case in point...
There was a writing project recently that I was very interested in bidding on because just last week I was looking online for (holy) Easter gifts and crafts and all I found were Easter bunnies, Easter chicks, and Easter egg-type offerings. That frustrated the starch out of me, because I was looking for Resurrection Sunday-type products and crafting ideas for the wee ones at church, now that I'm the nursery supervisor.
There was a "spot on" writing job online asking for a copywriter to write a series of articles about Easter/Resurrection Sunday products. Because I had already looked for this very type of thing (and found nothing), I asked the prospective client if he (or she) would be providing website URLs and other source materials for the project. I adapted a template query that usually reads...
"Since you're the expert on the subject, will you be providing the talking points for this project via a bulleted list or reputable website URLs, or will independent (completely undirected) research be required? Bids will vary enormously depending on your answer to this question. Please advise. Thanks!"
I changed the first line to read, "Since you're the expert on selling Easter,will you be providing..."
The response was blistering! It was apparently blasphemy that I had suggested s/he was selling Easter! Heck, I was DELIGHTED that someone was selling the REAL Easter for once!
The costliest part of this particular reactor's meltdown is that I was just getting ready to blog about his/her website so interested parties would know about it (whether or not I actually got the gig) because it sells RESURRECTION SUNDAY PRODUCTS, but the response to my question--which ended in a terse directive "not to bid on this project or any other we ever post"--killed the urge in its infancy.
I simply responded, "I'm sorry my question was misinterpreted" and left it at that...
Isn't that sad? I think so.
Not only will I refuse to buy from the company that treated me like pond scum, I also will not advertise their website URL for free on this blog... and I suspect that this blog entry will end up on the first or second page under "Easter/Resurrection Sunday products" whenever the search terms are googled.
A blog about THEIR website (or their website itself) could have been here right now, instead of this sad commentary. When they dissed me, they distanced themselves from their own cherished goal: high-profile, targeted traffic.
Tragic.
If this post has been instructive, please let me know. If it hasn't, I'm wasting time...and I loathe doing that...so think about it, OK?
Bottom Line: Don't treat people like pond scum--especially copywriters and other compassionate commentators. When you treat us like the "motivational speakers/writers" we are, we'll often go out of our way to do something nice for you without it costing you so much as a dime.
All things considered, I got the better end of this deal. I still have a stable of 100%-terrific clients. People on hair triggers need not apply.
2 comments:
I wonder what their response would have been had you written "selling the true meaning of Easter" since that really was your intent. What I find hard to believe is that anyone in a marketing business would respond in such a negative manner. Not a smart business move regardless of what they thought about your question. I'm sorry you had to go through that!
Side note...are you going to the ST Con in Vegas this year? I've never been and am seriously considering it.
Amy
Thanks for the suggestion, but "Selling the true meaning of Easter" would likely have received the same response since the word "selling" was the sticking point... and the articles weren't about selling the true meaning of Easter, they were about selling Resurrection Sunday products.
I realize now that I should have left the template exactly as written. I think that may have been just fine as written... That said, I'm GLAD I didn't get the gig because it may have become a nightmare based on this one hiccup and the response I received.
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