Shape of Things

Provide information before it is requested.  Turn things in before deadline. Clients, peers and supervisors will love you for it.

I’ve been away from a traditional corporate structure long enough that I get surprised when things I thought died with the fax machine pop up again like some strain of indestructible weed.

The latest is what I call the stingy expert.  You know this person: the genius with all the credentials from 10 to 20 years ago who can tell you exactly what is wrong with your business or strategy, but won’t offer any concrete information on what to do to improve things.  You are supposed to sign on to that five- or six-figure retainer based on the guy’s (and it’s almost always a guy) charisma and guile.

It takes a lot of nerve, chutzpa, to do that kind of high-end carnival barking today.  But, in the last week I’ve seen a couple examples of it.  And, intelligent people being swayed by it. The cult of personality lives, and evidently in some quarters it still thrives.

I grew up with this philosophy of “don’t give away anything unless someone pays for it,” but when I started my own business 20 years ago, I rejected that notion.  I figured I would have to prove – in very specific ways – that I can plan and execute a project for a potential client.

From the outset, I gave potential clients detailed descriptions of what I would do, how I’d do it, and what kind of results they could expect.  It might seem like giving away the store, but I’ve had very few cases of people stealing my ideas.  Those that did were not the kind of people I’d want to work for anyway.  And, of course, there’s always the fact of execution – let’s see them fulfill my plan after they’ve ripped it off.

If you’re good at what you do, ideas and plans should not be a limited quantity – something to hold close to your vest.  There should be more from where that came from.  If someone is trying to sell you secrets that can’t be revealed until a contract is signed, it’s probably for a very good reason: He has something to hide.

If you know you have good ideas, be generous with them to people you respect and trust. Give them out for free, and you’re likely to get more than your share in return.

Target is doing a remarkably effective advertising campaign based on a simple premise: Expect more, pay less.  The ads list examples of the diversity of products available at Target and how easy it is to shop in one stop.  Seems obvious, but they are the only retail store I’ve seen promoting this message really well.

My local wine retailer, Great Grapes, gets it.  They have more than doubled their selections in the $8 to $12 range, and increased the quality of wines in that price range by cutting deals with desperate distributors.  They are offering their normal case discount for 6 bottles and highlighting weekly two-for-one deals.  This isn’t window-dressing, but real value for money.

Three of my clients — Geomagic, Red Gate and Blue Ridge Numerics — do well in tough financial times because their technologies enable customers to do more for less.

Red Gate has the best “try before you buy” policy in the IT business.  Geomagic has just added a Geomagic Labs website where customers can test out new technologies under development.  Blue Ridge has a new HPC module that can generate 100x speed increases for upfront CFD simulation.

I don’t have any official “more for less” policy.  I’m just trying to make it business as usual to go beyond what is required for clients, friends and colleagues. At certain times, this is called value-added.  In today’s economy, I call it essential.

My brother-in-law, Jim Spillane, is a professional photographer.  He’s currently in Nepal, where he’s photographing people going about their day-to-day lives.

Today, he sent an email about his motives for photographing local brick workers:

“It’s the expression on their face(s).  They don’t hide their feelings.  If they’re sad, they show it; happy, you know it.  Unlike the business class I had left in Kathmandu with their masqueraded friendliness, they are not trying to sell you something.  The difference is so stark you notice it immediately.”

This got me to thinking about why I was uncomfortable when I first started in business and what still makes me itch when I see it today: People putting on a mask and playing a role.  In a world of greater transparency, I hope that business people can learn to become more humane and less deceptive – that feelings can be expressed and respected.

Call me a dreamer, but I’m seeing the best companies on the planet being founded on the premise of helping people – both employees and customers – get better.  It’s a fairly clear corporate choice: be a genuine company with a conscience, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Thirty years ago, Ian Dury and the Blockheads recorded a brilliant song called Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3.  Don’t know what happened to part 1 or 2, but this song always makes me smile.  With apologies and the greatest of respect to the late Mr. Dury, here are some of my reasons. I’d love to hear yours.

Smell of rain in Spring
Satch and Bing
New Elmore Leonard
Feelin’ unfettered

Smart tweets
Marinated meats
Sand on the beach
Squishing thru ma feet

Sugar-cane coke
Everyday folk
Live conversations
Adult libations

Career choices
Singular voices
Emotional intelligence
Witty irreverence

Better days ahead
Books to be read
Support of friends
Even tiny dividends

Greeting another day
Youngsters at play
Doing your part
To prop up art

Blueberry jelly
Cholly Rose on telly
More Nick Lowe
Paying off escrow

Dry martini
Black bikini
No tooth decay
Stayin’ in the fray

Fresh New Yorker
Pelecanos corker
Sunday Times
Brian Wilson chimes

Sharing excitement
The rare indictment
Something hilarious
Nothing querulous

Tortilla Flats
Porkpie hats
Paddling in winter
Finding the splinter

Reasons to be cheerful, part 1
Reasons to be cheerful, part 1

Parts 1 and 2 of this series covered preparation for writing a good case study.  This part deals with the hardest – and most satisfying – aspects of the process: writing and presenting the article.

When fingertips hit the keys

·         Follow your outline or don’t.  Your outline should be a guide, not a noose.  Often when you begin the flow of writing, you find that logic dictates a different sequence of information.  Let logic be your guide.

·         Try not to get stuck or hung up on one aspect or another of the story.  If you are having problems expressing something, leave a placemark and move ahead.

·         If you don’t have a strong lead, don’t fret.  Complete the bones and meat of the story and then come back to the sauce.

·         Stick with the basics.  Get your basic story down on paper first, then go back and fill in the blanks and fine tune.

·         Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.  Good writing is rewriting.  Nobody gets it right the first time.  Don’t fret; consider four or five rewrites part of the process of producing a great story.

·         Read like an idiot.  Read your story as if you know nothing about the product and the application.  Act as if you are learning-impaired when reading through any scenario described in your story.

·         Read like a cynic.  Make believe you are not sold on this product or this story.  Proof-reading with a sneer on your face might help.

·         Eliminate redundancy.  I won’t say it again.

·         Work and rework your lead(s).  Rarely does a great lead introduce itself to you at the beginning of the writing process.  Consider several different leads and analyze them according to relevance, level of interest, connection to the story as a whole.  This is when you wrack your brain for irony, coincidence, humor, comparisons, word plays on clichés, history, current events, or anything else (as long as it is relevant to the story) that will attract attention.

·         Feed your head.  The headline is not a label, it’s a miniature story.  While writing and rewriting the story, work over different permutations of the headline in your head.  Write down ideas as they come to you, wherever you happen to be.

·         Leave something for your fans.  End with a bang.  Or at least come full circle to your lead.  But, don’t end as if you were tired of writing.

Presenting the article

When you send the article for review, make sure the customer knows the audience for which it is intended.  Give a specific date for when you want to have comments and/or approval.  Thank the customer for all of his or her help in preparing the article; treat him or her like a partner or co-writer.

When comments are received, think about them from the reviewer’s point of view.  Make changes that are necessary.  If you think a change damages the story, talk to the customer about it.  Approach it as a partnership, telling him or her that you are afraid that omitting a key fact, for example, will damage the credibility of the story for the audience.  Try to work around problems, while maintaining the integrity and value of the article.

Use in good health

The guidelines presented here are from years of experience in writing case studies that have value to editors and readers.  They are based on many more successes than failures, but they are still guidelines, not rules. Your mileage may vary, but not by too much.

Part 2 of “Anatomy of a Case Study” covers specific interview questions and preparation before writing.

Here are some basic questions (outside of the 5 Ws and an H) that can be used to get detailed, results-oriented answers that are the foundation of good case studies:

·         What factors made you decide to purchase Product A?

·         How did Product A compare to other products on the market?

·         What process did you go through to make your buying decision?

·         Did you have metrics or goals set for Product A before your purchase?  Are those metrics being met?  Do you anticipate the metrics being met?  If metrics will be exceeded, by what percentage?

·         What effect is Product A having on time-to-market?  Can you give a percentage increase in speed?

·         What effect is Product A having on quality?  Can you give a specific example?

·         How is Product A saving your company (or potentially saving your company) money?  How much money do you think you’ll be able to save? (dollar value or percentage)

·         Is Product A helping increase customer satisfaction or participation?  How?  What effect has that had on your company and its products and/or services?

·         Has Product A eliminated any steps in your processes?  If so, how?  Why is it significant?

·         Can you describe a project in which Product A has been particularly effective?

·         What was the process before implementing Product A?

·         What is the configuration (no. of systems, hardware, name of software module, peripherals, etc.) of Product A?

·         Is Product A being used in conjunction with other products?  Which products and how are they used together?

·         In what departments or facilities is Product A being used?

·         Has Product A improved communication between departments, functions or facilities?

·         How has Product A helped your company become more competitive?

·         In what upcoming projects will you use Product A?  When will they take place and how will Product A help you improve your results?

·         Do you expect Product A to be used by other departments, functions and facilities in the future?  Which ones?  How will it be used?

·         Anything to add that we haven’t covered?

Before Fingers Hit the Keyboard

Before you begin writing, read over your notes a few times thoroughly, embedding the information in your head.  Think about these things:

·         Similar stories you’ve read in the publication(s) targeted for the story.  How are they presented?  What information do they highlight?  How long are they?  For whom are they written?

·         The single, most unique aspect of the story.

·         Measurable, definable benefits that can be documented.

·         Prioritizing information from a reader’s standpoint, from most to least important.

·         Quotes that can be used to enhance information, express opinion, or act as an anchor to the story.

·         Look for irony, coincidence, humor, history, a tie-in to something familiar, or a specific scene that can set a stage.

Based on the information above, prepare an outline of the story.  Don’t worry if there are still some holes or if you don’t have the lead figured out.  Holes can be filled or worked around and leads often bubble up once the basic story is down on paper.

Next: Writing and presenting the story.

One of the best things a company can do is write about how customers use its products.  Not in the pandering way that makes “case study” a dirty phrase, but in a way that enlightens current and potential customers about how your product works to solve a problem or make something better.  Provide stories about solutions to common problems and you’ll have a built-in readership, whether the stories are published in a trade publication or website, an e-newsletter, the company website, or all of the above.

In the first of a three-part posting, I’ll define what makes a good case study and how to obtain the information you need before writing. 

What is a case study?

A case study outlines how a customer uses a product or service to do something faster, better or cheaper.

What makes a good case study?

• Detail. With a case study, God is in the details. Readers want to know exactly how something was done and why it is important. They want solid information: numbers, comparisons, customer testimonials, “before-and-after” contrasts.
• Uniqueness. The best story is one that an editor or reader has never heard before. Or, if he or she has heard it before, it should be presented in a way that will make it stand out from the hundreds of others appearing on the web at any given time.
• Relevance. The story has to be relevant to key issues facing your customers or potential customers.
• Good writing. Well-written stories, even if not as newsworthy, will get read before ones that are written poorly.
• Images. Images might not sell a mediocre story, but they can make a good story great.

Peeling the onion (getting inside the story)

Background Information.  Before conducting interviews, obtain as much information as possible about the application and the customer.  The best sources:  the account rep or technical person who deals with the customer for project-specific information, and the company web site and/or trade publications for more general company information.

The Interview.  This is the most important source of information.  The information you are able to coax out of the customer contact will mean the difference between a generic story and a story that has uniqueness, detail, personality and focus.  Because many customer contacts are difficult to reach, you must try to get all necessary information in one interview.  Some things to keep in mind:

• Concentrate on the 5 Ws and an H (Who?, What?, When?, Where? Why? and How?), as well as on the SW (So What?).
• Be polite, but firm in your questions. Don’t be negative, but be cynical, as cynical as the editor or reader who will be judging your story.
• Don’t accept vague statements on face value. The response to “Our customers are happy with our new products,” should be (in a most pleasant voice): “How do you know that? Have you surveyed them or found a way to measure their happiness?”
• Be curious and interested. Listen attentively and ask questions to find out more. If the person whom you are interviewing feels that you are curious and interested, he or she is much more likely to spend more time with you.
• Be prepared, but be flexible. Always have a list of questions you need to ask, but don’t be afraid to deviate into other areas if that’s where the interview takes you. Tangents often reap the greatest rewards.
• Be gently persistent. Keep trying to get the key information you need. If a question doesn’t get you what you want the first time around, have other variations of it ready and ask it again later in the interview.
• Ask about the people you are interviewing. Find out how long they have worked for the company, in what position they started out, other companies they have worked for, etc. If they had a particularly tough problem to overcome, sympathize. Remember, you are interviewing a person.
• Put the interviewee at ease. Make sure the interviewee knows up front that he or she will have a chance to review the article before it goes to the publication.
• Don’t be afraid to appear dumb. If you are prepared, you should be confident. If you don’t understand something, ask the person politely to explain. “Perhaps I should know what a tessellated pixel is, but I don’t. Could you please define it for me?” If you don’t hear something correctly, ask again: “I’m sorry, could you tell me again what hardware you are using?”
• Three words: benefits, benefits, benefits. Technical information is good for supplying the detail required for a good story. But, the benefits to the company are the real story. Technology without results is just a toy.
• Get correct titles and name spellings. Nothing turns off a source of information worse than having his or her name spelled wrong after spending 30 minutes to an hour talking with you.
• Find out if they have images available. A picture is worth…
• Thank the interviewee and ask permission for future help. Time is extremely valuable. Thank the interviewee for his or her time and ask if it is OK for you to call him or her in the future if you need more information.
• Be clear about your intentions. Let the interviewee know when you will have a draft for review and in what time frame you are seeking approval and images.

Next: Interview questions and pre-writing preparation.

Is there any document more vilified – and justifiably so – than the press release? Maybe legal documents and corporate mission statements, but in the land of bad writing, confused messages and blatant puffery, the press release is royalty.

As a public service, I present a short guide on how to do palatable press releases.  If you go beyond palatable to noteworthy, congratulations, you are in the elite company of about half of one percent of press release slingers.  Don’t believe me? Go to BusinessWire or PR Newswire and check it out for yourself.

Here are my 10 simple tips:

(1) Ruthlessly consider whether you need a press release.  The world would be a much better place if this sniff test was applied (see earlier post).

(2) Consider what you are announcing and who is going to want to hear about it.  Divorce yourself temporarily from your company’s or client’s corporate rhetoric and consider how you can show – not tell – the value of your news to the IT guy, CAD user or animator in your target audience.

(3) Determine the one or two things that are most newsworthy about your release and put that in the lead paragraph (the “lede” in news parlance) as simply and clearly as possible.

(4) The timeless five Ws and an H (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How) still work. Make them the foundation of your release, and add one more for the cynics (most of us) out there: “So what”?

(5) Avoid adjectives and overused, trite phrases.  In best cases, they will be ignored.  In worst cases, they’ll be a source of derision.  Leave any superlatives to customer or third-party quotes, and even tone these down so as not to create suspicion of payoffs.

(6) Write headlines that entice (“Headless body in topless bar”) or at least clearly summarize your news and the impact it will make on the target audience.  If a brief headline can’t do the job, add a subhead.

(7) Use declarative sentences.  Use short paragraphs. Use bullets for lists, but don’t make lists too long.

(8) Look at your release with a jaundiced eye.  Imagine Bogart as Eddie Willis in “The Harder They Fall” looking over your shoulder at your copy or Tina Brown peering over her reading glasses at that overly long paragraph.

(9) Have some fun with analogies or quotes – unless you work for certain agencies, your releases aren’t likely to be life-and-death stuff.

(10) Be interesting.  Surprise or delight if possible.  If you can’t manage any of those, at least be honest and straightforward.

There’s a whole lot more that could be said, but follow the above and you will be a superstar in the pantheon of press release writers.  Dubious distinction perhaps, but it’s a start.