About Bill Short
My Story
Just three individuals in one – me, myself, and I with a passion for creativity — creativity makes us happy. We schizos believe in the transformational power of stories and copy and their ability to simplify communications, elevate experiences, engage, and inspire people everywhere. Let’s create something beautiful together.
I still remember when Ron Casey was diving off the coast of Turkey with me at Kiz Kalesi – one of our old diving sites. He showed me his Diver‘s Watch dial and I saw that it was registering 35 meters. He offered me his mouthpiece because he thought I was running out of air. I shook my head and continued diving down to the sea floor to bring up the shell I had spotted from the surface. After retrieving my prize and pushing hard to breach the water, like a Humpback whale, I thought that it was time to get back on the beach. This was a WOW moment for me because I had never been so deep on a breath of air before. That evening as we were having a beer and a burger, Ron glorified me with the sobriquet: „Old Leather Lungs“! I could hold my breath for a long time then, but now it’s hard to not breathe in under a minute.
When was the last time you experienced a WOW moment? Was it when you received that offer to join a fraternity you’d been dying to join while in college? Perhaps when your friends surprised you with a huge birthday cake? Or when you got upgraded to first class from coach?
Every day, we have a variety of different ways to deliver WOW moments. These WOW moments do not have to be grandiose nor do they have to put a hole in the budget. We are in a new age of competition called the Experience Economy. In a world where all brands seem to be alike, it is the experiences that keep customers coming back. It has recently been observed, “Most parents don’t take their kids to Walt Disney World just for the event itself, but rather to make the shared experience part of the everyday family conversation for months, and even years, afterward.” Chances are pretty good that ol’ Walt would probably agree with that.
Exceeding expectations is not a new concept. My guess is that you are looking for memorable experiences, too, but those desires are even more magnified today. You yearn for those personalized and unscripted interactions which is why you are interested if my copy writing skills can bring that WOW moment to your project. If you can WOW each client that enters your doors just once and have them tell one other person about their remarkable experience, you’re already well on your way to being successful. These days, with Booking.com, Twitter, and social media on a plethora of platforms, telling one person is like telling 10,000.
Life is full of surprises
When executed well, surprising a client can actually be very effective. This doesn’t mean you have to give out free beer or run a contest. Simply anticipating a client‘s needs is more than sufficient. A guest staying at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto once tweeted prior to arrival about how much he was looking forward to using the spa after his long journey. To his surprise, the hotel replied to his tweet fairly quickly and asked if they could make reservations. A second tweet the next morning about how much he loved the bathroom led to a handwritten note and a bottle of bath salts to enjoy the bathtub experience. He was eventually blown away when, on his departure, the lady responding to his tweets came to wish him a safe journey. Like this cameo, I try to anticipate your needs and then act to meet them with my writing skills and other services.
I try to listen to you without being intrusive. If you mention you are celebrating your company’s founding, are feeling deadline stress, or have a lunch booking with your bank, you just revealed important information that I can try and accommodate . Even in difficult times, you just might be able to enjoy that I can turn a bad situation into a positive lasting memory for you. My task is to listen, react, and create an experience that is worth your shouting about.
Empower me to go the extra mile for you
Empowerment revolves around the aspiration and desire to provide genuine service. However, finding, training, investing in, and retaining the right people who are able to provide this level of service is crucial. Sometimes, it helps to think of my clients as guests staying at my home. If going above and beyond to ensure my relatives’ stay was as smooth and flawless as possible (i.e WOWing these house guests), it might actually be beneficial to do so for you as well.
It’s the little things that count
This is not a cliché. We’ve all heard it over and over again. It’s so familiar. Teenagers still roll their eyes after hearing it at the back of, “no, we can’t go shopping to get that brand new Android, just be happy you have a roof over your head.” People don’t talk to brands. People talk to people. Spending an extra two minutes getting to know you can do wonders for the overall experience we will develop together.
An accumulated number of “little things” delivered often and consistently, will surely leave a lifelong impression. Each WOW moment is a magical experience in which the bond between us is forged. It’s not my intent to just provide you a one-off service. Let me do a lot of small things for you each day so at the end you can say, “WOW, we did that?!”
Treat others how you would wish to be treated
Any brand, from affordable to luxury, and any one, from the general manager to the janitor, can create WOW moments. New York restaurateur Danny Meyer once said “You get more when you give more.” I’m willing to bet that as I go the extra mile for you that I can create raving fans on your side of the fence. WOW moments are not hard to create. The challenge is finding and keeping the right people to deliver that experience and making WOW an integral part of a company’s culture. Why not give me a chance to serve you and make you say WOW!
Feedback & Reviews
It’s been said that testimonials are the lifeblood of an enterprise. Here’s what a few clients have said about me.
“Zerynth started the collaboration with Bill Short in 2021 with the goal to support our growth in the Industrial IoT sector. We rely on a competent professional to help write our content such as presentations, brochures, white papers, blog posts, emails, and web pages. From the beginning, Bill has been a team player that we value because of his positive and no-nonsense approach to throwing himself into our projects. His efforts have helped Zerynth in many ways – from defining its USP as well as how we communicate with this industry in promoting our products and services. He is attentive to detail, delivers more than asked for in the scope, is always on time, and has helped, in many ways, to develop Zerynth’s brand.”
Emanuela Checchetti
Director of Marketing at Zerynth
“As a startup with global reach and remote staff, Arena has a creative team with diverse backgrounds and many non-English speakers. It relies on competent professionals to straighten up our language and content. Bill Short is one of those. With his work, he has helped Arena sharpen the way it communicates with its audience, always delivering on time, and on brand.”
Gui Boechat
Content Marketing Manager at Arena.im
“I have known Bill for more than 10 years now. I have always been very pleased with his services and creative work. Not only is his work outstanding, but Bill is also a kind person. A real boost for me and my business.“
Patrick Crauser
Author of Misophoniehilfe
What Can I Do for You?
Together we can do the heavy lifting to solve the problems that you are currently fighting. Often heuristic methods find the solution one needs to surmount the inexorable challenge.
I’m a freelance writer with a reasonable track record. To see some of my work you can go to my Portfolio page and learn more.
In addition to freelancing, I try to be kind. I guess this is just part of me that I can’t explain. Kindness doesn’t have to be a large act for someone else. It can be a small random act of kindness for one another. Regardless, kindness is rooted in these four principles: mindfulness, no reservations, non-judgment, and action. First and foremost, in order to be kind, you must be aware of all the various times and opportunities to be kind to others. If we are too absorbed in our own world, we will never recognize those opportunities and miss countless opportunities to be kind.
Be sure to show yourself and those around you some kindness!
Call me crazy – maybe my motivation is altruistic. These are some of my internal needle movers:
- Empathy
- Proactive Behavior
- Service
I can help you reach the next level if you want me to.
Kindness is often misunderstood, and some see this as an innate character flaw or weakness. Actually, it has the power to benefit the physical and mental health of everyone involved. That is one of the reasons that I try to put kindness into my writing efforts – everybody wins.
I’ve worked with a diverse number of clients. Each had their individual needs and along the way I tried to keep the relationship friendly but, also, professional. So far things are working out well.
I like being generous with myself and others. When working with clients I usually give my time and talents to support those who are in need. Part of my charter is being there for someone, listening intently to their story or just being supportive. Part of me is to have a deep concern for the welfare of others. I like doing little things — to enjoy doing favors for them, to take care of them, and to look after their best interests.
Is There Anything I Can Do To Help?
Sometimes there is just something small that needs fixing. I get it. Having a quick fix can often keep you from putting out fires. Let me know what I can do to help you succeed.