You’re reading this week’s pricing report on your chemical of choice and thinking if only those prices were $20/tonne higher, how much easier your life would be. But how to do it? Ever think of picking up the phone and persuading the ICIS editor that the market is moving up this week?
Here are some masterclass tips on how to have input to the reports. Be nice. Return calls, preferably before deadlines. Answer questions, and be full of useful information. Do this consistently over months and even years and you are well on the way to seeing your numbers in print.
And here are a few obvious don’ts. Don’t harangue your editor for hours, wasting precious reporting time when he/she could be gathering useful information. Don’t shout abuse at any time of day, but particularly not around deadline time. Don’t send multiple and incoherent emails of complaint to the editor, or higher levels of authority, written in rage and all in lower-case lettering, and particularly not over the weekend.
Needless to say, ICIS couldn’t produce the high quality pricing reports we do without the input from a wide range of excellent contacts throughout the industry. Most of our editorial contacts are a delight to deal with – intelligent, well-informed, friendly and very forthcoming. Of course you are.
Not forgetting that ICIS pricing editors generally begin to lose their sanity from about 4pm on Friday afternoon, and may react with uncharacteristic vehemence to any complaints, requests or suggestions they receive!