by Chip Tudor | Dec 30, 2009 | Blog
A recent article in my local community paper reported that the U.S. Postal Service may close the post office branch conveniently located in our neighborhood. A bummer. I drive past it frequently and often make quick stops to mail letters and buy stamps. I even like the friendly, folksy attitude of the clerks. Well, most of the time.
Recently I was in a bit of a hurry to buy a roll of stamps and although there was only one other person in front of me, we had to wait while the folksy clerk finished a lengthy conversation with the patron at her counter about the brutality of bunions in a job that requires standing. No offense, but can you please take that one outside? See a podiatrist? Get a chair? Really, I just want a roll of stamps!
Still, I’d rather not drive the extra 3 miles to the post office branch on the other side of my community. It’s newer, much more high tech, and very business-like. At least they appear business-like. There’s still always a wait time and it’s never any faster than the folksy branch near my house. So in reality, it’s not anymore efficient. A bad case of Government-itis would be my guess. That’s a simple term for: I have a government job and it will take an act of God and 15 years of legal court battles to fire me. Therefore I have no motivation whatsoever to provide any level of customer service if I don’t want to. And then, it will only be within my union’s stipulated work hours minus my lunch hour along with my morning and afternoon breaks. Furthermore, discussing the intimate details of my health condition with patrons who are total strangers and a captive audience represents another exception to work ethic because it is therapeutic, which is important to my overall level of personal work satisfaction and self-esteem.
So the only real difference between the high tech branch and the folksy branch then is a snobbish attitude. This seems to indicate that a snobbish attitude of superiority among post office branches has no observable impact on Government-itis. Seems to but doesn’t prove. Hmmm. Perhaps time for a million dollar government commissioned study on Government-itis and its relationship to the private sector? That would be an appropriate government solution. So my preferred post office branch is on the chopping block. Why? The U.S. Postal Service plans to close or consolidate 3,300 offices because at the conclusion of its 2009 fiscal year the Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion dollars. And that is due to the fact that the Postal Service receives no tax subsidy to operate, but must fund its operations from the sale of postage, products, and other services it offers.
How terribly unfair to expect the U.S. Postal Service to operate under the same conditions as other delivery services like UPS and FedEx. Of course, both of those companies have fallen on hard times too. FedEx recently reported a profit of only $181 million, or 58 cents a share, for the first quarter of 2009 that ended on Aug. 31. This is down from the $384 million, or $1.23 a share they earned last year. And revenue fell 20 percent to only $8.01 billion. UPS shares a similar fate. While overall revenue for the company was up 7.4% for its third quarter, total operating profit was down 7.0%. On the positive side, all three business segments reported an increase: US Domestic Package’s $7.84 billion was up 3.9%; International Package at $2.95 billion was up 16.6%; and Supply Chain & Freight with $2.32 billion gained 9.0%.
Whew! For a moment I feared these 2 private, international shipping companies might have to close offices too. After all, they share the same handicap as the U.S. Postal Service in not receiving any tax subsidies. Fortunately, it appears they will squeak by after all. And as I reflect on the woes of the United States Postal Service, FedEx and UPS and the impact their financial difficulties will present to me, I find myself asking another important question: Considering the obvious success the government demonstrates in its ability to compete with the private sector, how can we not embrace a government take over on healthcare?
by Chip Tudor | Oct 30, 2009 | Blog
The problem with writing words is that words commit me to nothing. They don’t necessarily communicate my real thoughts, values and beliefs. They don’t always reveal what I consider important. They don’t always represent who I really am.
However, my behavior says a lot about me. If I say I love my wife and kids, but spend very little time with them, do I really love them? Perhaps. Will you believe it? Probably not. Because the evidence doesn’t support my words. What truly matters to me always comes down to actions. It’s the only real measure you have to know what kind of person I am deep down.
I think it gets even more specific. What is important to us can be identified by where we put our time and money. If you really want to know what matters to a person, look at their calendar and check book. So what if I say that I care about the poor. Do I contribute any money to charity? Do I invest my time in any causes that aid the poor? If not, what’s the chance you’ll take my words seriously?
Yes, we all have to earn a living. And as a professional, freelance copywriter, I write words that present clients in a positive light. Actually think I do a fairly decent job of it. Nothing wrong with that as long as we’re not falsely misleading or misrepresenting. I just need to keep in mind that at the end of the day, when the computer monitor is dark and the keyboard is silent, it’s the actions that really matter. That’s what I most want to get right.
ABOUT CHIP TUDOR
Chip Tudor is a freelance copywriter, published author, playwright and pastor. He publishes drama at www.chiptudor.com, books on Amazon.com, and articles on his blog.
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by Chip Tudor | Sep 30, 2009 | Blog
Customer service is important. And in a highly competitive environment characterized by a slow economy, it is paramount to survival. Customers know this and can abuse their power. Tell me what you think about this story:
I was writing website content for a customer. I had already significantly reduced my fee just to land the project and was near the end of it. Up to now, everything had gone fine and the customer was happy with my work. I had written copy about a particular service and the customer wanted to give it a greater presence by highlighting it in a separate page. She asked me to re-interview the subject matter expert in order to create more content for the new page. I did so and in a timely manner. Unfortunately, the subject matter expert did not provide much new information to work with so I had to rework the existing content and do my best to creatively expand the content in order to get a page worth of text.
I submitted it to the client for review and revision, but none came. I waited and followed up, and still, no response. I had finished everything else on the project and was only waiting for this final approval in order to close it out. I sent an e-mail asking if it would be okay to invoice, but still received no reply. I admit, I was growing frustrated. So I finally sent the invoice anyway. That may have been a mistake. Again, I waited and then sent another e-mail asking when I could expect payment. Nothing. So I finally re-sent the invoice, politely asked about payment and copied the e-mail to her boss. That probably was a mistake for sure. But it got a response.
She apologized for not getting back to me, citing vacation and other things that had put her behind. Then said her only issue with the copy I had created for the new page was that it was mostly copy and paste of existing content and did not have much new information. I was therefore to adjust my invoice accordingly and she would process payment.
Well, duh! I’m not Houdini. If my source doesn’t have anything new to add, it’s a bit hard to create copy from thin air. But I never had an opportunity to discuss any of that with her or address the content since she never responded. And what does “adjust my invoice accordingly” mean? I cut it to half of what we had agreed on for that page and re-sent it with an apology and an explanation that I had done the best I could with what I had to work with. I guess it was acceptable. I was paid promptly. Have a similar story or an opinion? Let’s hear it.
by Chip Tudor | Sep 6, 2009 | Blog
Writing comedy church skits was a fulfilling ministry for me. My professional work was freelance copywriting, but I also enjoyed writing skits for my local church in a volunteer capacity.
Writing comedy church skits
Many of the comedy church skits I’ve written were used as part of the church worship service to illustrate or support a particular theme or sermon. But there are also scripts for children’s church and youth events.
There are also several longer comedy dramas written for seasonal church services and events.
Are you looking for a humorous script for your church?
You can purchase the scripts from my website for a nominal, one-time fee.
About Chip Tudor:
by Chip Tudor | Mar 27, 2009 | Blog
As a freelance copywriter, the writing part of an assignment is only one aspect of your business. You also have to market yourself to land the job and collect payment when it’s complete. Attention to customer service is the glue that holds everything together and facilitates a smooth, trouble-free process. Here are 3 tips to make sure your customer service is exceptional.
Communicate clearly
Making assumptions is a recipe for disaster. It is probably the main cause of miscommunication and the subsequent problems between you and a client. You assume they know your price only includes 3 drafts. They assume your price includes as many drafts as needed to complete the job. If this is not communicated clearly in advance and a 4th draft is necessary, it presents an awkward moment.
Some writers use a contract. This is the ultimate method of communication and form of legal protection. It’s also an administrative headache that slows down the process. I’ve managed to survive without it. I do however, write a paragraph that outlines the scope of the project along with my quoted price and send it by e-mail before I begin. And I ask the client to respond back their acceptance. I keep both a printed hard copy and store the e-mail electronically.
Establish a deadline
Some clients already have a deadline in mind. Some don’t. But every freelance writer I know is used to working by deadlines. If your client doesn’t give you a deadline, set one yourself. It keeps you focused and productive. It suggests to the client that you take an industrious, business-like approach to your work. And it discourages you from indulging in other distractions that are not so productive like socializing on Facebook or over indulging in NCAA March madness basketball games.
Follow-up Promptly
Clients may set a deadline for you and then procrastinate themselves. You sacrifice sleep to make the deadline and then the copy ends up at the bottom of a pile on their desk. Irritating, I know, but it happens. So if I haven’t heard anything yet, I follow-up with a client after a few days by asking them for feedback on the copy I sent. If they are procrastinating, this prods them into action. But be gracious and understanding in how you communicate with them (even though you’re grinding your teeth). The more comfortable they feel with you, the more likely they are to offer more work. You can always drop them as a client later once you have others you like better.
When the job is complete and I’ve sent an invoice, I usually wait about 2 weeks and then ask about payment. Although 30 business days is standard, many clients will pay you sooner when you ask. And if not, the advanced notice encourages them to pay on time according to standard business practice. Consistent follow-up helps you keep the job moving (which you have to do to keep invoices moving) and clients often appreciate the fact that you help them stay on track too. By following up, you present yourself as a professional and demonstrate the fact that you care about completing an assignment to the customer’s satisfaction. And when you keep your end of the bargain, they are more likely to reciprocate.
ABOUT CHIP TUDOR
Chip Tudor is a freelance copywriter, published author, playwright and pastor. He publishes drama at www.chiptudor.com, books on Amazon.com, and articles on his blog.
Join My E-mail List
And I’ll send you my article: Exaggerate to Make Your Presentations Funny. You’ll learn how to punch up your presentations with humor.
by Chip Tudor | Mar 3, 2009 | Blog
Seo article writing–reaching the top search engine ranking is every marketer’s dream. But what’s the secret? And the answer is…it’s more of a grind. Here are some thoughts to help you in your effort.
Seo article writing–reaching the top search engine ranking. Getting started.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the internet buzz word of the day. It involves following certain practices in building websites and writing online articles that achieve the highest ranking in search engine results. In other words, when someone conducts a Google search and types in words related to your business or article, yours comes up on the first page. A daunting task when you consider there thousands of websites and articles competing for the top spot.
Is there any hope for you? Read on for the answer.
Seo article writing–reaching the top search engine ranking. Understanding the basics
Experts talk about two sides to search engine optimization. The first is technical. It involves algorithms, Meta tags and other back-end IT programming features that make your website friendly to search engines spiders. If you have a Word Press site, there’s a template you can follow that performs many of these program functions for you.
And the other side has to do with content writing. The goal here is to position certain keywords related to your business within your written content. And as you write, you intentionally include the keywords throughout the article.
Leverage online article directories to improve your results
Online article directories have already gained favorable traction with search engines. And you can gain high rankings by simply posting articles on them.
I wrote an seo article titled: Comedy copywriting—funny or not here I come and submitted it to several online article directories. My bio and website link appear at the bottom of the article so that a reader can follow it back to my site. The article must pass an editorial review before it’s listed on the directory. But a few days later I was notified by one directory that the article was online. And a few days later it appeared on a second directory.
But the real test was how well the article ranked on the search engines.
I typed the words “copywriter, humor” in a Google search. My article came up as #15 on page 2. Not bad. But when I searched for “copywriter, comedy” my jaw nearly hit the floor. The article was #1! I could hardly believe it. I kept repeating the search with the same results.
Therefore, you don’t have to be an IT program wizard or spend thousands of dollars to gain seo ranking success. Persistent, consistent effort following proven strategies can get you there.
ABOUT CHIP TUDOR
Chip Tudor is a freelance copywriter, published author, playwright and pastor. He publishes drama at www.chiptudor.com, books on Amazon.com, and articles on his blog.
