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Answer: "It's even more expensive to have CRM problems because customers
are upset due to bad documentation."
On Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 7:00 AM, Cardimon, Craig <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>
wrote:
> "You're expensive" translates into "Anyone can write."
>
> One way around this is to get something an engineer/developer has written,
> and then rewrite it to be client-facing.
>
> Then have a higher-up look at both and ask which document they'd rather
> place in front of a client.
>
> If you still get the same answer, then they are simply not willing to pay
> for your services.
>
> Craig
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:
> techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
> Monique Semp
> Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 3:57 PM
> To: Wright, Lynne <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- Kronos -dot- com>; Jody Zolli <
> jody -dot- zolli -at- gmail -dot- com>; TECHWR-L Writing <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Subject: Re: "Age-old" question
>
> > We believe that our skills and experience are worth high-end salaries;
> > but from the company's perspective, its better to hire somebody who
> > will do an adequate job/improve as they go but who is willing to
> > settle for significantly less in terms of salary and vacation time, etc.
>
> Yes, precisely. Certainly/obviously age discrimination does exist. But I
> believe that many times it's our demands that are "the problem", not our
> age, per se. And this transcends age as "an issue" to all sorts of things,
> such as the basic need to even have a tech writer.
>
> Anecdote time: A client told me recently that for a new product coming
> out, they're going to have the engineer write the docs. Clearly the client
> thinks that they'll get something good enough while saving $$ by not paying
> the tech writer. (Said client has recently started telling me at almost
> every in-person meetingâI typically work remotely with onsite visits every
> few weeksâthat "you're expensive.")
>
> So if a company doesn't see the value we provide, it can be totally
> unrelated to our age, gender, etc. We all can argue 'til the cows come home
> that these are bad decisions for the company. But given how short-term the
> ROI must always be in this fast-paced business climate, companies don't
> really care if the long-term effect of poor docs is angry or lost customers.
>
> None of the above is meant to discount the very real problems that
> experienced, 50+ old workers have with getting hired. And I wonder if this
> has always been the case or is significantly worse now than 20-30 years ago?
>
> -Monique
>
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