Why marketing should make the user manuals

[Beth Agnew]

This is a huge business tip that more companies should take note of. 
When putting together individual performance targets, they should wrap 
into the unit targets, which contribute to the departmental targets, and 
of course the overall company targets. Michael Gerber's The E-Myth talks 
about a business as a system. If you don't know how your work helps make 
the system successful, you cannot make that vital contribution, and the 
company is in trouble.

Companies also forget that there are different buyers. The sales people 
may talk to the Decision-making buyers and the Technical Buyers, but no 
one who represents the actual user of the product. Al is right, that the 
end user often doesn't know about the purchase until they are asked to 
use it. And then all too often the response is "What are we using THIS 
for??"

If, as a technical writer, you see your job as only to sit in your 
cubicle and turn out great documentation, that's fine. But we have a lot 
more potential than that. We are often the only people in the company 
who can see the product as a whole. We are also often the only people 
with an interest in working cross-functionally, talking to sales, 
marketing, training, QA, as well as development. We get to see the big 
picture. If we don't then share our insights from that perspective with 
others in the company so that things can improve, it's a waste of our 
talents. True, it's not always easy, but it is so worth it.

Al Geist wrote:
>    I read an article once (in INC magazine) about a guy who bought an
>    envelope manufacturing company. ... When his
>    employees realized that they were all (even marketing) actively involved
>    in the success (or failure) of the company, profits started growing
>    until the company is now one of the envelope industry leaders.
>    The user guide is as much a marketing tool as anything else and tech
>    writers are as important as marketing in presenting the best image to
>    the existing and potential customer.  ... Unfortunately, the problem is not the marketing department as much as it
>    is the sales process.  Most buyers are not end users.  ... Unfortunately, the end user is often the last person    	consulted on what products to purchase.
>   

-- 
Beth Agnew
Catch the Buzz: http://bethbuzz.blogspot.com
STC Presentation archived at:
http://www.301url.com/podcasting

Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto, ON 416.491.5050 x3133
http://www.tinyurl.com/83u5u