Where I come from as a professional

Before I became a business-to-business writer, I aspired to be a journalist and then a lawyer. But even while in law school I never liked the adversarial system; I prefer cooperation to confrontation. So it was not long after I graduated that I found myself working with business clients to support sales activities. What drew me to business-to-business dealings was because instead of starting out from a position of reflexively opposing and fighting each other – like most lawyers end up doing when they represent their clients – they entered into negotiations with a common goal: “Let’s make money!”

My entry into this field came when I spent three years in Osaka, Japan, working at the Overseas Business Development Division of Panasonic Electric Works. My role was to support sales negotiation teams to establish long-term relationships with business customers in North America, Asia and Europe. I found out quickly that my main value to my client was not so much in drafting sales and distribution agreements, but in bridging cultural and business philosophy gaps between my Japanese teammates and their foreign counterparts. This role frequently required the use of both verbal and written communication skills to resolve problems during negotiations.

When I returned to the United States, I worked for a time in a law office that helped business clients to understand local land-use regulations, but also had to deal with the old adversarial system again; so I ultimately decided that it was time for a career change.

Putting my undergraduate degree in journalism back to use, I went into freelance technical writing. I worked multiple contract assignments with Intel Corporation, preparing marketing materials (technical marketing white papers and case studies) and creating online content in the form of software documentation and help files.

My most recent work before transitioning to become a full-time business-to-business healthcare copywriter was to help one of the five top ballistic test laboratories in the United States to implement its regulatory compliance programs with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as its ISO 17025 compliance program. I also helped it to market itself through both federal and state-level grant solicitation proposals.

What this background means to your business

Before a copywriter can help your customers to understand you, he needs to understand you.

But when you engage a business-to-business freelance copywriter, the chances are good that you will not find someone with a lot of experience in your particular field. What you need is a professional communicator whose track record assures you that he can get up to speed quickly with your company: its market, its products and services, its customers and what their needs and core buying motivations are.

My professional experience over more than 30 years has shown repeatedly that I can do this for you:

• I am a quick learner. I was able to successfully produce marketing and other materials for Intel despite having no formal computer technological background or training.

• I can firmly grasp complex subject matter. Whether it is studying Japanese or studying law, or wading into and making sense of things like international arms trafficking regulations, firearms and explosives regulations, facility and personnel security clearances, or quality assurance management – or learning the details of your business, market, customers and competitors – I can tackle the challenge successfully.

• I can empathize with your customers while promoting your products or services. Much of the practice of law is persuasion: a good business lawyer does not try to hornswoggle trade partners into submission, he makes them feel like they are working with someone they can believe and trust. Someone who understands their objectives and needs as well as his client’s, and who will help to build bridges to benefit everyone involved. Being “customer-oriented” needs to be more than a slogan: it must be an ingrained philosophy. That is what I brought to the negotiating table for my Japanese client’s customers, and is what I can do for you when it comes to how they perceive your business.

• I can work effectively in fast-paced and deadline-sensitive environments. Failing to comply with things like court filing dates, or federal government license and registration disclosures and renewals does more than make the client unhappy. It can lead to disaster. If you work on a tight schedule, be assured that I understand what adhering to time-sensitivity means.

• I am accustomed to significant work responsibility. Whether as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, or as an attorney, or as a compliance manager dealing with agencies like the Defense Department, State Department, FBI, Defense Security Service and the ATF, I am accustomed to dealing with significant responsibility for my clients’ welfare. I can put the same sense of dedication into your service.

If you would like to know more about how my professional background in business-to-business communication and persuasion, adaptability and spirit of service can help you to reach your objectives, please contact me. I will be happy to answer questions.