FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My rate for materials under 20 pages is $30/hr. Consultation time for background and understanding the customer's business and project is the same rate. For projects greater in scope and scale, or that will last over a period of time, I can develop a project price based on the parameters, type of work, and review of a few sample pages, if appropriate, to develop a quote.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I first need to understand the details and level of work/service they are seeking for their project. Then, if applicable, I spend time with the customer talking about their business products, processes and markets served. If appropriate, I will review a few sample pages of their work in process. Since my business offers a variety of services, depending on the project's nature and medium (ie an academic paper, website review, translation proofing, small business or non-profit marketing), I will then begin to work in the capacity the customer requires within their requested time frame.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
After graduating from Duke University, where I proofread friends' papers (thus learning that I had a knack for this type of work), I entered the corporate workforce in an Investor Relations job that included production of the company's annual and quarterly reports, SEC filings, transcripts of large meetings between our senior executives and large investors, and speech writing for those same investor meetings. For this area of my job, I enrolled in continued education classes about proofreading, writing and editing, and I also learned through collaboration with a professional proofreader hired to review all public materials. In the subsequent 30 years, I continued to use these skills while still in the corporate world in a business development role with 23 direct report salespeople - many of whom required my review of their proposals, presentations and other forms of written communication as our customer base consisted of large, national companies like Welch's, Campbell's Soup and Kraft Foods; therefore, it was extremely important to provide the optimal professional quality. Experience in the business world also added additional dimensions to the services I can offer for non-profits and small business owners who need strategic help developing their business plans, or someone who can develop marketing materials for them as they might not have experience in this area. Since retiring from corporate life, I have increased my customer base, which has provided me the opportunity to work in many different mediums and with many types of businesses at varying degrees of involvement dependent on customer goals and needs. The experience and continual work involving these skills over such a long time period has been excellent training, and the feedback and level of customer satisfaction I have lets me know I'm using my skills to greatest benefit.