Better business writing; tips from the pros; five steps to better letters - directory

Home Office Computing, Jan, 1991 by Eric Adams

BETTER BUSINESS WRITING: TIPS FROM THE PROS

FIVE STEPS TO BETTER LETTERS

It's impossible to overstate the importance of letter writing. Letters help you attract customers, make sales, keep clients happy, and collect money.

Business letters also enhance your legitimacy. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, failure to be taken seriously ranks as the number-one problem of home-based businesses. In many cases, letters are your only contact with clients and therefore your only chance to create a professional, competent image. Unfortunately, many of us haven't taken the time to study and analyze examples of good letter writing and learn the basics of business correspondence.

BE FOCUSED

"It's amazing how many people sit down to write letters without knowing what they want to communicate," says Jan Venolia, author of Write Right! and Better Letters: A Handbook of Business and Personal Correspondence.

Venolia suggests that you begin the writing process with a statement of purpose and an outline: "Begin by thinking through your purpose. Ask, Who will be reading my work? What have I got to offer? What action do I want the reader to take?"

When drafting a sales letter, for instance, you might follow this well-tested format:

* Attract attention with an opening that grabs. Ask a question. Pose a challenge. Make an attractive offer. Be intriguing, enticing, bold. Make them want to read more. * Build interest with additional information and benefits. Add details that justify and enhance your bold opening. * Make an argument for your product, service, or point of view. Explain the value or advantages of what you're selling. * Persuade readers by explaining the benefits in their language. Answer the all-important question, What's in it for me? * Inspire action by telling the reader exactly what to do. Be clear and direct. * Induce the reader to act promptly by including additional information, a special offer, or a personal note in the postscript.

BE CONCISE

You'll be amazed at how many words you can cut simply by imagining that every word costs a dollar. "Good writing is free of the superfluous, excessive, and redundant," says Jeffrey P. Davidson, author of Marketing for the Home-based Business. Reread each letter with these guidelines in mind:

* Does every word carry its weight? * Have I refrained from repeating myself? * Have I used short phrases or single words instead of tiresome phrases ("cannot" instead of "not in a position to"; "since" rather than "in view of the fact")? * Have I used the active rather than the passive voice ("The board passed the resolution" instead of "The resolution was passed by the board")?

BE CLEAR

No one writes to confuse. Yet think about how many letters you've received that were nearly impossible to decipher. People don't have--and simply will not take--the time to figure out what you have in mind. It's up to you to be clear.

"It takes a real artist to make a long sentence clear," says Venolia. "Clarity begins with short sentences." Here is a checklist for clarity's sake:

* Are my sentences short and precise? * Do I refrain from using too many relative or personal pronouns (which, that, it, he, she)? * Have I correctly used commas, hyphens, colons, and semicolons? * Is every word spelled correctly? * Have I avoided slang and jargon?

BE VISUAL

A letter is composed of words, yes, but the way it looks on a page can be as important as the text. Visually scrutinize your letter. * Is it free of smudge marks, cross-outs, and white-outs? * Have I used standard letter-writing layouts? * Is the body of the letter arranged correctly on the page? * Are my paragraphs short and inviting? * Have I used--but not overused--bold, underlined, or italicized words and phrases? * Would I be interested in reading this letter if it were delivered to me?

BE HUMAN

A letter is a communication between one human being and another. It's not a legal document or a testimony to your ability to write in legalese. Even a formal letter should reflect your personality with language that is easy to understand. * Have I used conversational language? * Have I avoided stilted phrases ("per our conversation")? * Have I respected the integrity of my reader by refraining from pompous or patronizing language? * Have I respected my integrity by not making offers, threats, or statements I cannot support? * Have I avoided sexism by deleting the rote use of "he" and "his"?

When your letter is finished, give it one more inspection. Is it focused? Concise? Clear? Visually appealing? Reflective of your personality? If so, send it off with high hopes that the reader will gain a good impression of you and will want to respond favorably.

WRITING AD COPY THAT SIZZLES

Probably the most difficult writing assignment you'll ever face is writing copy for a display ad. That's because an advertisement is successful only when all its elements--headline, copy, illustration, and design--work in harmony. Sign painters have a word for it. They call it snap.