About
Do you lack the time, resources, or even writing skill to raise your visibility? I can help with some Communications Windex.
I’ve spent the past 40 years working with senior executives to more clearly explain how their product or service uniquely solves client problems and developing website content that answers prospect questions.
Companies sell more effectively when their executives publish well-researched, thoughtful articles that aren’t the same old pablum. Salespeople close more deals when they prepare effectively for client and prospect meetings and spend more time asking questions about what’s keeping executives awake at night than pounding their chests about how great they are.
Very few people have spent 40 years across business journalism, corporate communications, AND business development without the massive overhead of an agency structure. I can offer you that diversity of experience.
How Can I Help You?
I’m not a copywriter. I’m a ghostwriter and translator who makes complex topics understandable to mainstream audiences.
I help small-, medium- and startup businesses align their sales, marketing, communications, and service silos to ensure consistent messaging across the organization (although I am comfortable working with the communications and sales teams of big companies to do the same things).
I’m not selling social media services (except advising clients to focus on one platform and do it well). I avoid sponsored content unless the client is committed to high quality. But I DO help clients build sales and negotiation tools (objection and preparation planners and RFP responses), detailed case studies that are much more than testimonials, and long-form content for your website and outside media that will raise awareness and build trust.
I help leaders focus on the questions they and their sales and service teams most often receive. If they aren’t answered on their websites, we create articles that answer them. We crystallize the pain their target customers feel and then develop clear and compelling messaging that differentiates them from competitors.
Here’s why this is important: According to Gartner, 75% of your prospects will wait until they've vetted you to reach out. That means you need to answer their questions proactively.
You can see a few writing samples here and some of the tools I’ve created for clients here (ungated).
An Eclectic Career Path
In the big picture, I ask great questions, thanks to my time as a business journalist and 20+ years at MBNA and Bank of America teaching the skill to account executives and using it myself managing collegiate card programs. My consulting tagline is Answer Their Questions, Close More Deals and my Frictionless newsletter helps subscribers ask better questions.
I started my career as an Army officer, which gave me a foundation for managing diverse people and bringing structure and discipline to projects.
After I left, I went back and forth between journalism and the corporate world.
I spent 15 years in business journalism as a reporter and editor on a startup/turnaround team tasked with beating the large dailies in the market. We then ran ads about being “Fast, Feisty, and First.”
As editor of the Delaware Business Times, we were named the nation’s most-improved business publication in 2020 by the Association of Area Business Publishers (AABP), 30 years after winning the same award for the Dallas Business Journal (there were 20 years in between at MBNA and Bank of America). AABP praised the in-depth, helpful stories, the breaking news, the data nobody else in our market published, and the way we approached business and executive profiles.
Peter has always been one of the hardest working, most thorough and inquisitive reporters/writers/editors I've ever known. Under his leadership at the Delaware Business Times, Peter transformed a once-sleepy, "nice to read" publication with little original reporting into "THE must-read" business publication in the state.
— Jim Donahue, Managing Partner, NüPOINT Marketing
At MBNA, I led communications initiatives that saved the bank tens of millions in annual compensation and avoided many crisis situations with customers and affinity partners. I also led MBNA's $7B collegiate credit card sector, consolidated the marketing operations for 10 marketing sectors into one production unit, and helped executives customize their sales or conference presentations.
After a mass post-merger layoff, I was invited to return to Bank of America as a Communications Executive where I:
Led a cross-functional team connecting Corporate Communications’ digital strategy to business outcomes, focusing on resolving customer pain points.
Focused content creation on three primary areas — Thought Leadership, Crisis Avoidance/Mitigation, and Brand Support — and packaged topics like emerging payments, mobile banking, and retail strategies for use with multiple stakeholders.
Handled the crisis around the ill-fated introduction of a proposed debit fee and other customer-related issues.
Peter’s legacy at MBNA will be the implementation and orchestration of a companwide negotiations strategy that enabled us to achieve solid, WIN-win resolutions while preserving long-term relationships. We have negotiated together numerous times, often under the glare of white-hot competition. These are the times that Peter is at his best: Employing a rigorous approach to preparation, role-playing, and deal rehearsal.
— Jake Frego, SVP (retired), Bank of America
At MBNA, I earned the nickname “Bulldog” because of my tenacity, persistence, and passion. I brought business areas with different goals to the table (think Marketing, Sales, Compliance, and Legal) and got them to talk to each other. I avoided minefields by knowing who to call for help and giving others credit for their contributions.
A senior executive there also called me “Communications Windex” because I clarify ambiguity and eliminate the sludge in the communications pipes.
I returned to Texas in 2014 to help Baylor’s independent alumni association deal with severe university reputational challenges that were affecting members' feelings about the school. I re-energized the quarterly magazine, created new products, and re-engaged lapsed members with great content and a simple tagline — Reminding Alumni Why They Love Baylor — that resonated.
Since leaving DBT during the pandemic, I have:
Helped resource-challenged PR agencies and nonprofits needing help with short-term, deadline-sensitive writing projects.
Managed production of large communications projects.
Worked with dozens of senior executives -- many of them older victims of corporate layoffs -- on their LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and professional bios.
Helped college students and recent graduates raise their visibility (for a discounted rate).
My clients have included organizations in higher education, politics, biomedical research, statewide economic development, technology, and data analytics.
Peter partnered with us to help clarify our message and differentiate our GOBLIN enterprise data platform from those of other advanced analytics companies. He asked great questions about our business and worked quickly to deliver a great product. His work has had an immediate impact on helping potential partners better understand what we do through our LinkedIn presence, sales decks, and op-eds for target publications and our website. .
— Stephen Hoops, CEO, Predictive Analytics Group
In Conclusion…
I try to be selective with whom I work because only Roy Kent can be here, there. and every f##ing where.
I prefer to work on a project basis because hourly rates often lead to trust issues. Frankly, I work far faster than people who charge low hourly rates, so my prices are, in many cases, less expensive than those of people with far less experience.
On the personal side, I’m a Syracuse University graduate, a member of the #BillsMafia, and a strong believer in the Oxford comma, regardless of what the AP Stylebook says.
It’s a Family Affair
Abby Osborne is a 2024 graduate of George Washington University with dual degrees in Art History (with Honors) and Political Communication, who works with nonprofits to raise their visibility. She has completed MarCom internships with the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and The Phillips Collection, with outstanding recommendations from her managers. She published and presented her Senior Honors Thesis on Identity Politics in 1990s Art and Film. Her professional writing and research experience includes the Delaware Business Times (where she was one of the first reporters in the country to announce that Joe Biden was planning to run for president), the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, and Delaware Today magazine. And yes, I’m a proud father!