DO YOUR HOMEWORK

I was called to "fix" a script the other day. Actually there was more than a fix involved, because the sales message consisted of a string of cliches, incomplete sentences and poor grammar. Basically, I started from scratch. The client was a large dealer of manufactured housing.

Oh, you mean -- mobile homes-- ?

No, I don't and neither do they. But that phrase was included in the original copy.

However, when I surfed to the company's website, I found out "mobile home" is a term that only applies to housing manufactured before 1976. Unfortunately, the original copywriter never bothered to read the company's website.

This mistake is more common than you realize. If you watched any of The Apprentice over the past couple of seasons, you would have seen one team or the other called to task for not doing any research on the client before starting the project. I don't get it. It seems simple. Ask, "What are your problems?" before you offer any kind of solution.

Do your homework, so you AND your client will succeed.

--Thanks for reading.