In a creative meeting, I had the new art director turn to me and ask, “What is your process?”
“I sit and write,” I replied while finishing up my notes from the meeting.
“Yes, but what is your process?” He wasn’t being rude. He was trying to figure out how I work at writing.
“I find out what the client wants, what their customer wants, and I write to fit the outlet.”
“Yes, but what is your process?”
“Okay. I find out as much as I can about my client and their customers. I ask a lots of questions and take a million notes. I look at their competitors. I read the industry magazines. Then, I sit down in my office in front of my computer and I write whatever comes to mind while I’m focusing on what the client’s needs are.”
“Yes, but how do you write?”
“With the keyboard and headphones with a Pandora station on.”
“Yes, but what is your process?”
“I sit down and don’t get up until I have something decent on the page. Then, I go for a walk, work in the garden, or work on something completely different. After I’ve taken a break,—then and only then, do I look at what I have written and tear it apart and make it better.”
He blinked, “Okay.”
I’ve been writing content for 20 years and my process is part of my daily life. I never thought about it until he kept digging into the guts of how I worked. Now that I have spent some time thinking about it, I am more efficient and effective because I have specific steps I follow.
What is your process for communicating with your clients? Have you thought about it? Do you have a plan? What are you doing to make sure you stay on track?