The JRW Blog

Before moving to Virginia in 2001, I worked for a large software company in southern California. I was attached to the marketing department and wore two hats: copywriter most of the time, event planner on an as-needed basis.

One of my projects was to organize and manage President’s Club, a glitzy annual incentive event for those who made product sales of $1 million or more. In addition to the management duties required, I was also tasked with creating marketing materials that would push the sales team into selling more software. The company’s CFO wanted these people to make their first-quarter numbers. My job — this time as copywriter — was to tempt them with the prospect of a four-day, all-expenses-paid visit to Grand Cayman Island in the sun-drenched Caribbean.

I began my marketing efforts with a great flash-email campaign that began in late January and went to each salesperson’s inbox. I thought the weekly campaign was effective because I was getting some positive feedback. But by the first week in March, it was clear that the expected quotas had not yet been reached. The CFO was getting nervous. His consternation quickly spilled downhill to me and I had to come up with another plan. One crazy question kept popping up in my mind: Was I reaching the right audience?

Knowing that ninety percent of the sales folks were road warriors who might not be paying close enough attention to my flash program, I began casting around for a way to nudge them. And who better to provide effective nudges than the spouses of said road warriors!

New audience, new effort. I created a lively little direct mail piece, complete with come-hither glimpses of sandy beaches and sparkling azure water. I sent it not to the salespeople, but to their spouses. Worked like a charm. I could just hear the gist of the resulting conversations: “Hey, honey, have you made your numbers yet? What do you mean, no? Get with it so we can go to President’s Club in the Caymans!!”

We had over 400 people at President’s Club that summer, thanks to the spouses who made up an audience I hadn’t thought to address until it was almost too late. Everyone had a great time in the Caymans, the CFO’s attitude improved dramatically and I ended up looking like a genius.

It was a good lesson learned; things aren’t always what they seem. So just think about it a moment: As a writer, is your only audience the one that’s right smack in front of you?

Today we have a guest post from author Chuck Klein:

In 1986, I self-published my first book. It took a couple of years to sell out the original press run, but with that track record, I was able to secure a royalty publisher with an editorial staff to proofread and edit the 2nd edition. That was then. Today, most publishers and agents won’t look at a work unless it’s copy-perfect.

When I finished WHERE THE OLD HIGHWAY HAD RUN, Classic Tales of the Road and Beyond, I secured the services of JRW for proofreading and editing. Lucky for me, as they caught a number of mistakes I had made. A writer can read their own sentences – a dozen times – and still not see the missing word, punctuation marks or the awkwardness of a sentence. Spellcheck is a wonder, but it can’t determine incorrect word selection. Case in point: I wrote a piece for a police magazine that had a line beginning, “Security at penile institutions…” I knew the word should be penal, but even the multiple times I reread the article, it never clicked that I had the wrong word. Fortunately, the editor had a sense of humor and all was not lost. When it comes to writing, there is no substitution for correctness.

Chuck Klein

http://chuckklein.com

Good B2B copy gets your message across with the professional tone required, and as much (or as little) pizzazz as you like. After all, you know your clients best. At JRW, our job is to learn about them. discover their hot buttons, find out what triggers their buying decisions and use our “pen power” to help you close the sale.

You see, no matter the size of your business, or the kinds of widgets or services you offer to other companies, good B2B copy figures prominently in the sales effort.

And writing good copy is what we’re all about.

You might have a small construction firm, a public relations startup or an office supply company with hundreds of employees. But businesses of every description have the same goals: expand territory, attract more customers, increase revenue.

Skill and experience plus bells and whistles

So how about it? Do you need new marketing materials? An updated website? A white paper written?

We can assist you with all that and much more. We’re connected with an amazing group of “business buddies,” professional graphic designers, photographers and others who work with us when the project requires. Most of us work remotely with no overhead to worry about, which guarantees you an affordable rate for excellent work.

Simply put, if you want to make your mark in the business-to-business world, the team at JRW can help you get the word out.

I am a voracious reader, have been all my life, which is probably why I eventually became a writer. I love opening lines. Good ones draw the reader in, and some are so alluring that you remember them forever.

One opening line I’ve always loved is the beginning of Daphne DuMaurier’s wonderful romantic mystery, Rebecca: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” I read the book first, then saw the film. Happily, the movie version did not disappoint by straying too far from the image the author had created of a brooding English estate and the mystery attached to the home’s late mistress.

In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens instantly conveyed the mood surrounding the French revolution when he wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Good opening lines are not easy to write; you have to pack a lot of information, emotion or outrageous blarney into a few well-chosen words and make your reader want to find out more. It is a part of writing that the author finds challenging, yet addictive. On some days, a line of ad copy or the first words of a new chapter might flow effortlessly across the computer screen. On other days, the flow might stall, then trickle to a complete halt.

At James River Writing, I try to make opening lines the very best they can be, no matter what kind of message they are meant to introduce.

So what’s my own opening line? It’s very simple:

Helping you get the word out.