In the last session with my leadership coach, we’d been discussing about how clients of emdash have dropped prices for the work we do. I was telling her that in 2020, we’ve done more work than last year, but earned less. She asked why. I told her that clients claim their budgets have shrunk and the ability to pay has reduced. She was asking me questions about the value of the work we do, if the client understands that and so on…reflecting on that conversation later, something struck me.
Clients hardly pay for the content we write — the content writing business is a race to the bottom with people willing to write at as little as 50 paise a word. Clients pay for the experience. At emdash, it was always about:
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Reliability: If we promise, you’ll get it on time.
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Quality: There’s a minimum standard we won’t or even can’t fall below.
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Closure: We don’t fuss over the number of reviews — we’ll do what it takes to complete the work to client satisfaction.
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Collaboration: We take the time to understand the business. Our content will speak from a position of authority and passion that the client would need.
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One remarkable thing: There will be one remarkable idea / concept / writing trick that’ll make the reader click their tongue in surprise.
This isn’t just about post-contract exprience, right? It is as much about delivering a consistent experience from the moment the customer speaks to us for the first time. In 2020, every customer who has received a good brand experience has been willing to pay a good price. For those we’ve dropped the ball — delayed delivery, had nothing remarkable etc. — we’ve seen the client complain.
So, I’m taking the last week of December to think about and hone the emdash brand experience. What does the client want to feel when they contact us? And what can we do to deliver that?
Think about it. Might just be your way of stepping out of the price race.