This is the sort of response we like

I recently started working with designers Aricot Vert on materials for Raison d'Etre spas, who create bespoke, five-star spas at hotels and destinations worldwide.

My first submission of work, for a new brochure, brought this response from the client, which was too good not to share:

"I just want to say thank you so much for the copy ... I love it. It is so easy to read and has very subtle unexpected twists. I will of course go through it with a tooth comb, but on the first reading nothing stuck out. So thank you so much."

Something tells me this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Nice words from Michael Wolff

I've just begun what could be a really interesting collaboration with Michael Wolff, formerly the Wolff in Wolff Olins, and the branding agency Heavenly.

I submitted my first bit of copy to the team yesterday, and got this from Michael this morning. It was so nice I wanted to show it off:

Beautiful, calm, enthusiastic and reassuring.
Thank you Mike.

And thank you for demonstrating the value
of tone of voice so eloquently.

Isn't that nice? And from a proper legend, too. Chuffed.

More in the blush-free self-promotional line

I've just started working with luxury travel consultants Exosphere. We seem to have got off on the right foot. Havng submitted my first piece of copy, Sophie at Exosphere wrote to say:

"Very good indeed - you have managed to sum up what we have been trying to sum up for ages!"

Which is nice.

A lovely email

I've been neglecting this blog, so apologies for that. There are exciting developments in the wings re. the website, and I've mentally put the whole thing on the back burner while those developments... develop.

But I can't resist quoting this email I've just had from Phil Power, my client at Crisis. I started working with Crisis last year, when 300million got me involved in the charity's rebrand. And I'm happy to say the relationship has blossomed. I've since worked on their Impact Report for 2008, and a recent brochure. Phil has now asked me to work on 2009's Impact Report, along with the following blush-inducing words:

'Can't say how great it is to have you working with us. You absolute get what we are about and how we need to articulate things, so a big thank you.'

For my part, I'm thrilled to be working with such an important and fascinating organisation. So it's all good.

And again.

It's been a good week for my ego, and it's ending on a bit of a high.

I've been doing my first job for Manchester designers True North (thanks to a very kind referral from Michael Johnson, since we're in trumpet-blowing mode), and it's going pretty well. In fact, I just had an email from Claire there, and she says:

'Mike I haven't spoken to the others but for what it's worth I think this is bloody great. Exactly what I was looking for.'

'Bloody great': that'll do me. Have a good weekend, all.

Shameless again.

It's always nice to hear that one of your clients has recommended you to someone else. Is there a more genuine or valuable recognition of your work?

Recently I had an email from a potential new client, who'd been given my name by James Backhurst, a designer at Elmwood whom I've worked with a few times over the years.

It was lovely to know that James was confident enough to recommend me, and even better to hear what he'd said. Apparently his exact words were:

"Mike is kick-ass, very funny and uber-smart!"

Goodness. Thanks very much to James, I've never been described as "kick-ass" before. Or "uber-smart", come to that. I like the sound of both very much.

(If you can stomach it, there's more about how wonderful I am here, here, here and here.)

Further shamelessness

Here are some more nice words, this time in an email from Jane at Tayburn, for whom I recently wrote my first piece. Jane wrote to say,

"Thanks so much for your hard work on this. You came highly recommended to me from the guys at my previous company The Partners and my friends at The Chase. So thanks again."

Which was very kind, and good to hear. Thanks, Jane.

(Previous self-trumpeting here, here and here.)

More shameless trumpeting

Following on from this post and this one, here's another in my occasional series, 'E-pats on the Back'. This time , I've had a very nice email from Phil at Gavin Martin, the brilliant printers who did my folding mailer, and for whom I have now written a brochure.

The brochure was designed by the also-brilliant Magpie, one of the most exciting new design consultancies around. I'm waiting with bated breath for my file copies to arrive, as it's obviously come out really well. Just listen to Phil:

"Brochure looks spectacular. Thanks for all your hard work, copy really makes it."

Thanks, Phil.

You can download a PDF of the brochure by clicking here (4.7MB)

Shameless II

Following on from the earlier post about nice things people say, I've just had this email from Laura at Reef, in response to my first draft of a piece I'm doing for her:

Amazing - love it.
We may need to tweak a few [bits] but first impressions are good.

This is the sort of thing that brightens a cloudy day.

Shameless

I've decided I'm much too shy about telling you all the nice things people say about me. (Although you'd never think so from my Testimonials page.)

I quite often get very nice emails from clients, thanking me for the work. But I don't quote them here. Which is probably very silly. (It's something I've noticed other writers using on their websites, so I'm clearly missing a trick.)

To begin redressing the balance, here's a very nice email I just received from Lin Dickens of Aricot Vert, in response to a little piece of work I did for her. She seems pleased.



Expect further blush-free propaganda in the coming months.