One of my clients is a rubber manufacturing company. They make custom compounds for a varitey of different industries. Their products can be found in the car you’re driving, for example.
The client often complains about regulations. They have a lot of hoops to jump through just to make one pound of rubber. Environment, labor, disposal, transportation and a host of other regulatory demands have to be met every day.
Blessing for them, really. It’s a barrier to entry for their market.
My business, on the other hand, is different. Anyone can say they’re a writer.
I’ve got experience, with a B.A. in History from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Journalism from USC. But who the heck cares about that. So I jumped through some hoops way back when. I’ve been writing for 15 years as a technology-specific copywriter (and for rubber manufacturers, financial co’s, real estate moguls and medical equipment companies). That’s nice, but someone else could easily make the same claim, and you’d never know the difference until you look closely at their clips.
My point is this: Look past the credentials. Forget the bragging. Discard the testimonials. The bottom line? It’s easy (and cheap!) to try out writers.
Grab a few contacts from your Google search. (Include me in your evaluation, of course.) Then see if you can find something you like. Read their clips. Ask for specific kinds of samples. Not everyone’s the same, of course. Some will be more appropriate for your goals. When you settle on one, make sure they’re quick, responsive and reliable. That’s it. Connect the dots, and you’ve got yourself a writer that can make a difference in your business.
So, no I don’t have a big moat around my business. Anyone can hang up their shingle and compete against me.
This whole try it and buy it approach, however, is a big blessing when it comes to “barriers to entry.” I can shine quickly. I don’t need a huge capital investment. You don’t need to tour my plant. Our lawyers don’t have to sniff each other out.
You like it, you buy it. End of story. Give me a call (949-515-3510).
