Business Writing for Success - Evergreen Writing Services, LLC

Business Writing for Success

By: Valerie Weber Hamann, President - September 2005

At one point in our careers we all have to write business correspondence to a prospect, customer or another business professional. How confident were you when you wrote your first business letter?

When I first started my sales and marketing career, the thought of communicating through the written word was exhilarating, but at times, it made me question my writing abilities. I was always concerned about how I was communicating, so I did my best to make sure what I was writing made sense. I believe it is good to question our business writing skills as it makes us aware that we need to continually improve.

My first year as a marketing professional, I had to write a business marketing survey letter asking 500 customers and prospects to complete a mail marketing survey, and mail it back to our department. Trying to establish a positive connection was nerve racking at times because the success or failure of the marketing campaign was dependent upon the perception of the message. I will share with you that I ended up editing the letter many times over several days to make sure I was communicating the best possible message. I must have done something right, because we ended up having a 40 percent rate of return, which was a great success.

Communicating through the written word is much different from being directly in front of that person. When someone is in front of you, you are able to be an active participate, and read their facial expressions and body language. When you are communicating via letter or email, you don't know for sure what that person may be thinking after they read your message ... no matter how well it may be written.

What I have learned is that our business correspondence is a carbon copy of our business skills. When corresponding with customers, prospects, and business associates, it takes communication to a new level because it is a representation of our professionalism and the company. Making a good first impression is important, because it determines whether or not a customer may be doing business with you.

Since I wrote my first business marketing letter, I have learned so much more about business writing. During the process of learning, we all may make a few mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from those mistakes and quickly move on.

Whether or not your sales letter is a success is dependent upon your level of commitment to get it right, and sometimes getting it right means hiring a copywriter to get the job done for you. For the most part, it takes practice and a desire to keep improving and learning. In fact, business is that way ... it takes passion, determination and motivation to keep moving forward.

One thing I learned for sure is that business writing requires being conscientious about what you are communicating. More importantly, good business writing requires being passionate about what you do, and having a strong belief in your product or service. When you believe in something so strongly, the words will flow better.

About the Author:

Valerie Weber Hamann is the Founder and President of Evergreen Writing Services, LLC. Valerie has accrued over 10 years of sales and marketing experience, and is a member of the American Marketing Association. Read more insightful articles on sales, marketing, writing and marketing communications, at http://www.evergreenwritingservices.com/marketing.html.