ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Shop Talk's Master Marketer: The Brief Statement That Breeds Success

What else helps a creative team hit the mark more accurately?

You may have a trove of treasure for them — sales DVDs, sell sheets, database profiles (that’s my favorite!), research results (as recent as possible), samples of prior efforts, current efforts and brand rules, including an FTP site with logos, colors, photos and any other resources you can provide. Don’t allow freelancers to use your FTP site until you’ve made it clear on the brief what they're allowed to use.