“…[Neil] gets the big idea, he understands the concepts behind your products, and he asks the right questions. Then he adds another perspective that’s crucial for the type of client we’re targeting the copy towards…”
Ignacio Vidal Traver, Façade National Sales & Technical Director, PORCELANOSA Facades, Ramsey, NJ
Before I started working with Neil, I was asking myself to write the copy. When in reality, that wasn’t my job. I’m not an expert writer. There are professionals that do this. I didn’t even realize there was a professional called a copywriter or content consultant. I’d never been in the position to hire someone to create copy like Neil did for the catalogs, the website, and other marketing.
Once I was introduced to Neil and we started working together, I found it to be a huge relief. I could finally focus on coming up with ideas, and not have to worry about putting those ideas into writing. I have the know-how, I have the knowledge, I know my business, but I didn’t have to put it in writing. I’m not a writer, and English is not my mother tongue.
So, having Neil on the team was great, because he understood. He took my voice, my words, and my expressions, and converted those into the copy. Admittedly, it was a little weird to see that transformation, but it worked. Over the years, I’ve developed plenty of comments, arguments, and reasoning for our products and services. Now seeing it turned into copy by Neil — for our catalogs and the website — is a huge relief.
I like that Neil is an architect, and he understands certain things other copywriters don’t. The fact that he’s an architect – in our industry – I’ve found he better understands our products and the design and construction process.
Now that I’ve worked with other copywriters, I see that Neil can fill the gap when there’s something missing in the copy or the story. With his expertise, I don’t have to explain everything. And you can tell by the questions a copywriter asks afterward.
For instance, other copywriters will ask questions that aren’t relevant for the particular project or copy we’re working on. Whereas, the questions an architect like Neil asks are relevant and help bridge the gap between the manufacturer and the specifier.
Working with Neil, we’ve learned things about our competitors we didn’t know when we were only using our own optics, our own perspective. Also, since he’s an architect and specifier, it’s also useful to see what he understands… How he filters information and the feedback he can give us. It’s a test with the final customer, our ideal architect.
With the Key Message Copy Platform, Neil helped us develop a very complete guide to the message of our product, and of the company. That 20-page document contains all the relevant points. It starts with his market research and competitive analysis. And then provides the support and ideas to keep a consistent message. I especially liked the series of taglines he developed. He was very prolific and creative in bringing ideas, which opened our minds to possibilities.
Another big benefit of working with Neil is he’s readily available for the meetings and for a quick consultation. If I have a question or a doubt, he makes the time to hop on the phone and make himself available to his clients.
I’d definitely recommend working with Neil. He gets the big idea, he understands the concepts behind your products, and he asks the right questions. Then he adds another perspective that’s crucial for the type of client we’re targeting the copy towards. It was great finding and working with Neil at the moment we did. It was a great collaboration. After so much effort in the past year to build the catalog and the web, it was a great fit.