Question About Customer Contact

[Lori]

I submitted an article I already had on CC that I thought might meet a customer's request. The customer responded and thanked me for the submission but indicated she was looking for something more specific. She indicated she liked the tone and style of my writing and asked if I would submit more. She also asked if she could contact me outside of CC to provide more information and I'm pretty sure that's a big NO. I didn't get the impression she was trying to circumvent the system, but to provide information. It appears she has purchased quite a bit of content.

How should I respond to this? I was thinking of telling her to possibly amend her original request with the additional information for everyone to see. If there's another option, please let me know.

I don't want to do anything incorrectly, so I wanted to double check on this before responding.

Thanks.

[Amy W]

You're right to not provide her with your contact info. I'm sure she's just trying to get you the info you need to write the articles, but by providing her with your contact info, you're going against CC policy - and that could get you kicked out of here.

If I were you, I'd ask her to set up a private request. Just tell her that you'd love to work with her, and that the easiest way to do that would be for her to set up a private request - that way, she has exclusive access to your work, and she can message you as much info as you need. She likes your style of writing, and she's asked to see more of your work - that sounds like a private request to me.

[Celeste Stewart]

Also, if she needs to send you large files, you can ask her to email them to support@constant-content.com and have them forwarded to you. CC does this when needed.

[Lori]

Amy & Celeste,

Thank you both for your information and insight. However, I'm back with another question. I received the private request and it's actually very specific content they're looking to put on a web site related to their business. With this type of request, am I allowed to send drafts to the customer to ensure I'm getting the tone and feel she's looking for prior to submitting the final to CC for approval?

Maybe I'm overthinking the situation, which I often do, but I like to be certain what's allowed and what's not!

As always, I appreciate any feedback you all can give me.

Happy Writing!

Lori

[Celeste Stewart]

I wouldn't send full drafts. At the most maybe an outline and a paragraph or two, via the CC messaging system of course. She already likes your tone and style, so continue along in that same voice with confidence. Since she's given specific direction, you should have plenty to work from. Think of it this way, customers like writers that can follow directions and make their lives easier. Ask questions if you need clarification, but try to make her life as easy as possible by not giving her too many choices.

[Amy W]

You can also post the entire article in the long summary when you submit it - that way, your customer can read it over and request any changes before she purchases it. If you have to make changes, just resubmit the article with a note to the Eds in the short summary telling them what has been changed and where.

Just make sure you submit to the Private Request category - that way, other customers can't read or purchase the article.