I'm a freelancer. I work any way you want me to.

I'm serious. One of the major flaws I find with some agencies these days is that they have a one-size-fits-all process for every one of their clients. And they expect the client to adapt to the agency's way of doing business.

I guess that works for some people, but if I'm Bob the Plumber, I'm not going to be interested in going through the same processes and disciplines that a P&G would.

And to be perfectly honest, I think some of the P&G's of the world could do with a little less of those processes. I'm not saying that research and planning and all the rest don't have a place, but some of the most successful advertising campaigns I've ever been a part of came about through a simple dialogue within a small group consisting of client, creative, and account service. And sometimes it was just between the client and the creative team.

Having said all that, it's always a good idea to agree on a few things before starting to make ads. Like who are we talking to? What do we want the advertising to achieve? What do we need to tell people to achieve that? What is the competition doing? How are we going to measure success? The answers to these questions not only help to point me in the right direction, but they also provide a measuring stick when I come back to you with a script/newspaper ad/brochure.

Does it talk to the right people? In a way they'll understand? Will it engage them? Will it cut through the clutter they're exposed to every day? Is it saying the right things?

If the answer to all those questions is yes, then chances are we've got some advertising that might work.

But those are the basics. All the other parts are up to you. How intimately do you want me to understand what you do? Do I need to tour your facilities? Talk to your people?

What kind of turnaround do you usually need? Overnight? In a week? 30 minutes or it's free?

I've done all of them. And to be honest, I enjoy the different requirements of different clients.

If every piece of advertising I did had to go through the traditional packaged goods process that, often as not, means a year between being briefed and seeing the ad run, I'd go nuts. The same with non-stop-turn-it-around-overnight-every-night retail advertising. But I find keeping a balance between the two extremes keeps me fresh for both of them.

I also try to have fun. Despite many claims to the contrary, advertising is neither rocket science nor brain surgery (A true story. I was once in a meeting where the president of a major corporation exhorted his people to bigger and better things by pointing out that it wasn't "rocket surgery"). Even after 20 years, this is a fun, fascinating business. You're presented with different challenges and problems every day. You get to work with bright, interesting people. And when you do it well, you get to point out to all around you, "Hey, I did that".

The fact of the matter is, there's only one thing I insist on.

Civil behaviour.

I'm a nice person. My clients are nice people. If they're not, they're not my clients for long.

One of the great joys of being a freelancer is that you get to pick who you work with.

And life's too short to work with unpleasant people.