Buffett writes like he speaks. Direct, immediate and without pretension.

“For more than forty years, I’ve studied the documents that public companies file. Too often, I’ve been unable to decipher just what is being said or, worse yet, had to conclude that nothing was being said. If corporate lawyers and their clients follow the advice in this handbook, my life is going to become much easier. “ Warren Buffet

In 2002, I found the Plain Language writing technique almost by accident. It’s also called Plain English, by the way. I was reading a lot about Warren Buffet a few years back and came across a nice, short document he wrote for the SEC. These are the folks who submit legal and business document to Wall Street when going on the stock exchanges.

Ever read an annual report from Warren Buffet. Try it. Easy, isn’t it? Few successful business-people write so clearly. There is no pretension, no haughty references to obscure allusions and no strange acronyms. It’s all there in black and white. Here’s what Buffet had to say about other business writers, though,

Audience Analysis worksheets.

From the handbook:

There are several possible explanations as to why I and others sometimes stumble over an accounting note or indenture description. Maybe we simply don’t have the technical knowledge to grasp what the writer wishes to convey. Or perhaps the writer doesn’t understand what he or she is talking about. In some cases, moreover, I suspect that a less-than scrupulous issuer doesn’t want us to understand a subject it feels legally obligated to touch upon. “

He adds that “Perhaps the most common problem, however, is that a well-intentioned and informed writer simply fails to get the message across to an intelligent, interested reader. In that case, stilted jargon and complex constructions are usually the villains.”

It’s a great read and you can download it here www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf in PDF.

Write Business Proposals in clear English

So, with this in mind, I wrote this short guide to help you write Business Proposals in clear English. It explains how to prepare an business documents that readers can digest in one reading. That’s the acid test. They shouldn’t have to read them twice and three times to get the meaning. It also covers how to use Plain Language writing techniques to win more business, accelerate your tender process, and encourage staff to contribute to the overall tender process.

1. Start Early

Developing a Plain English document takes time – the first time!. For your first Plain English proposal, allow extra time to write, edit, and revise. Add more time than you would expect to your usual schedule if possible. The next time it’s easier.

2. Study the principles of Plain English

Remember: you want your request for proposal to be understood in one reading. This means you need to:

• Identify your target audience i.e. Government departments.
• Consider what they need to know.
• Consider the technical terms they may, or may not, know.
• Develop plain English writing guidelines for your staff.
• Think about how to organize and format your Proposal.

3. Promote Plain English amongst your Staff

Once you’ve seen the benefits of plain English compared with other writing styles, you can promote its values to your own staff and senior management. You need to get your staff onside so that they will begin writing in this style. Likewise, you also need to convince your managers of its values and possibly funding for a training program. Explain to both camps how they will benefit. Outline a high-level roadmap with timelines for the overall program.

4. Contact an experienced proposal writer

The first time you write a plain English proposal, you may find it time-consuming and more difficult than you thought. If this is the case, you’re on the right track! Everything worthwhile is difficult the first time round – soon you will get the hang of it.

You can also approach a writing consultant, especially someone who has a proven track record of writing good, clear English.

5. Review previous Proposals and see where you can improve

Before you start writing, consider the following:

• Literacy level. What level of education is required to understand the Proposal? Use the Fog Index to test your proposal’s readability.
• Clarity. What parts of the Proposal are hard to understand? Are the sentences too long and complex? Does it use technical terms and acronyms that the target audience will not understand?
• Organization. How easy can you find relevant information? Would the Proposal be clearer if you reordered the main sections and possibly the sub-sections within it? Does the table of contents and index need sharpening? Are there too many/too few levels of information in the TOC.
• Repetition. Is the same information repeated in several sections? Does it have any real benefit?
• Headings. Should the headings be re-written in the form of questions that each section answers?
• Format. Do you need to add more bullet-point lists? Put keywords in bold? Use more white space?

6. Create an outline to help readers find information faster

One very effective writing style is to write headings as questions,which each section answers. If you include sub-sections, use a numbered outline format (e.g. 1.2, 1.3) for the section headings. This helps the reader find the main sections quickly and see the relationship among subsections.

7. Write the RFP, section by section, using plain language techniques

If some sections are hard to write, read them aloud and see where they are difficult to understand. Go through the document section by section.

Write the first draft of key sections first, and then work on the inside sections. Once you’ve written these, refine the text by editing each section tightly. However, make sure your text does not become too cold and dry. Write as if you were speaking to a colleague whom you respect; this often helps control the tone of the document.

8. Review and Revise

Once you’ve finished the first draft, get it reviewed internally by colleagues who can add value to the review process. Don’t choose colleagues who are too close to the Proposal, as they will not see errors. Instead, get a neutral reviewer if possible. After getting the feedback, make the required edits.

If possible, ask volunteers from the target population to review the draft Proposal. Ask them if they can locate information easily. When interviewing ask open questions and you will get a better response.

Avoid closed questions, such as, is this a great RFP? Most will say Yes, just to please you – and make you go away!

Ask how much they could read in one sitting. Again, revise as needed.

9. Create an easy-to-read format

Format the document to make it easy to read and attractive in presentation. If you have time, prepare a template that can be re-used for all future RFP’s. This will reduce the time spend on preparing the document.

• Leave a blank line between paragraphs
• Use bulleted lists
• Highlight main points with bold and italics
• Use boxes for examples
• Use white space generously
• Include margins of at least one inch all around the page
• Use two (2) columns to increase readability, if practical

Use several different type sizes for headings. In many documents, the headings are in San Serif font (i.e. Verdana) and the body is in a Serif font (e.g. Times New Roman). Use a contrast in style to add emphasis.

10. Get feedback – and share it

Lastly, see if the Proposal works! Ask the external reviewers how they felt using the ‘new’ plain English Proposal. Get feedback from personnel involved in the review process and collate it for distribution.

• Did they find that the plain English Proposal made a better application?
• Was it easier to write the application, and what made the most difference?
• What worked and what needs more refinement.

Summarize what you learned and share this information with colleagues. Encourage them to try writing plain English Proposals.

Track Your Proposal Wins

Keep a record of all the Proposals written in plain English and see if their success rate is higher than the previous styles of writing. There are more great writing resources are at: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/

About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Planning Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him on Twitter @ivanwalsh

Related posts:

1. 10 Steps For High Impact Proposals
2. 29 Ways to Write Your SOP Procedures Faster
3. Proposal Writing Course – Lesson 5 Writing a Request For Proposal

Yesterday we looked at what needs to be in place before you start writing your procedures. This involves getting the funding, creating a project plan, needs assessment and/or scope of work depending on how complexity of the assignment. Once you have the budget, the next stage is to get support from Management and to find someone at an executive level who will Champion the project.

Why You Need Management Support

Before you start the SOP development process, you need to ensure that you have some level of support from the Management team. Unless there is a commitment from the management layer, your team will have a hard time of it especially when they need to make demands on other co-workers’ time.

What you’re looking for is:

• Budget and financial support to get the necessary human resources (e.g. technical writers) and technical resources (new licenses for MS Visio or other diagramming software)
• Commitment from the board that this activity will be championed and the necessary support will be provided to drive the project.
• Communications from the Management team to inform, update, cajole and direct its staff. Unless other departments highlight the importance of this activity, your team can be seen as an interruption into other’s schedule. To avoid this, work with the Management team and show there how this project benefits their Department. Also, you may need to ‘script’ some guidelines for these Departments to get the ball rolling.

While many colleagues may be willing to help, they may struggle to explain your goals to their colleagues and team members. For example, what your long-term goals are and how these relates to the company’s success.

Otherwise, you’re just writing a bunch of documents, right?

How do I get support from Management?

There are several ways to do this.

• Emotional triggers – find ways to demonstrate that the SOPs work will improve the company, not from a financial perspective, but ways that will boost morale, increase employee satisfaction or provide some benefit to customers. Once you have found ways to hit the hot buttons, then getting the funding may not be so hard. The Heather Brothers book Switch gives some good examples of how to do this.
• Demonstrate the benefits – after you’ve warmed them up and generated interest in the project, show them how and where the company will benefit with charts, diagrams and other materials that will appeal to the more logical part of their brains. Process flow diagrams are an excellent way to visualize how a business scenario works.

It’s all about winning hearts and minds!

Finding An Executive Champion

Many companies dedicate a high-level executive to ‘champion’ the SOP process. This ensures that the project is given the attention it deserves and that line managers give the procedure writers access to their staff when necessary.

While not every company will have an obvious champion, see if there is someone you can ‘butter up’ and help get the project started. See who would benefit most if there were accurate processes in place. Show them the cost savings, faster turnarounds, and other pain points that could be reduced.

But, I don’t know how to get started

If you are new to procedure writing, then it’s hard to know where to start. There seems to be some many tasks that need attention. Well, the first thing to do is talk to those who currently use the process. This is also called the As-Is process. In other words, this is how the process works  – warts and all – right now.

One of the barriers that procedure writers face is getting ‘face-time’ with those who understand how the procedure works and those who helped define the current as-is process. Sometimes they may have left the company and then you have to dig around as best you can.

If the original people are still there, try to contact them in person. Dont email them or leave a voicemail. Walk over to where they work and introduce yourself.

“Sorry, I’m too busy.”

You’ll hear this a lot. It’s understandable. They are already under pressure from other projects and don’t need another to-do added to their list.

Remember the Champion?

See if you can get the Champion to drop over and give them five minutes. If you can show the SME that they’re not doing this for you but for someone much higher up the food chain, they may be more willing to help.

Also, the Champion will ‘bend the arm’ of those who are holding up the project or slow to review the material, ensuring that the project is delivered on time.

As you can see, if you don’t have an executive sponsor, your team are likely to suffer at the hands of unhelpful colleagues. It can be very demoralizing for the procedure team to chase SMEs who drag their heels when reviewing the documents. This is likely to lead to the project missing its targets and running over budget.

Next Steps

Once you have backing from an executive level is becomes much easier to drive the project forward. The endorsement of a senior figure gives your team that clout to open doors and ‘encourage’ others to attend meetings.

Mentioning that the status reports go all the way to executive level is usually enough to motivate folks to attend workshops or give time to your team.

Tomorrow we will look at how to start putting your team together. We will also outline the skillsets they need and the type of non-writing activities involved in procedure writing.

Confused? It will all make sense tomorrow. See you then

Related posts:

1. Stage 0 – Before You Start Writing Standard Operating Procedures
2. 10 Step Plan For Writing Standard Operating Procedures
3. How Many Hours Per Week Do Actually Spend Working? (tag: Productivity, Planning, Management, Writing)

This week we start a series of articles on how to write Standard Operating Procedures (also called SOPs). The aim is to introduce the key concepts involved in:

• Designing
• Writing
• Formatting
• Testing and
• Maintaining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

These tutorials will look at how you can put together a team of writers who can write procedures to an acceptable level so that your company is better organised, both internally and customer-facing.

Is it for experts of beginners?

We’ll start with the fundamentals and then work our way up to more complicated areas. For example, we’ll look at how to get funding for your project, how to write technical writers and how to use naming conventions so that you can find document more easily once they have been archived.

10 Step Plan to Writing Standard Operating Procedures

The process of developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) involves ten steps.

The approach we will use is to assume that you are starting from scratch and want to develop your SOPs in a structured manner. This means that along with writing the SOPs, you will also have them written in a way that allows others to find them, update them and share them where necessary.

• Organise the Procedure Writing Team
• Get Support from Management
• Define Team Procedures, Templates and Style Guides
• Information Gathering Phase
• Examine As-Is Processes
• Explore To Be Processes
• Write the Standard Operating Procedures
• Test the Standard Operating Procedures
• Sign-Off the Standard Operating Procedures
• Release the SOPs
• Maintain the SOPs

How about Style Guides and Templates?

We will also look at how to setup style guide, templates, and adopt naming conventions for all procedures.

What else will the course include?

Some of the other topics will include:

• Role and Function of SOPs
• How to conduct a Needs Assessment
• How to implement SOPs
• How to Evaluate SOPs
• How to create SOP templates
• How to format SOPs, Process, and Flowcharts
• How to define a SOP

At the end of the course, we’ll share some free sample SOPs and other resources that will help you write your procedures.

That’s it for now.

From tomorrow, we will begin to walk you through the entire process and look at each step involved in creating your procedures.

If there is something that you’d like us to clarify or expand upon then please share it in the comments section below.

See you then.

PS – you may want to add this site to your RSS reader or subscribe to the Newsletter. That way you’ll get all the blog posts to your inbox and won’t miss any tutorials.

Related posts:

1. 6 Examples of Standard Operating Procedures
2. Procedures Writing Guidelines
3. 29 Ways to Write Your SOP Procedures Faster

Doing business in China has meant more business analysis, process design, proposal development, case studies and writing standard operating procedures.

As some friends on LinkedIn are also moving into business analysis and SOP writing, I thought I’d add a few tips here. While there is some overlap with technical writing, it does require a different mindset, for example, to understand the process flows and narratives that hold the procedure together.

This purpose of this article is to reminds us that our sales, marketing, business, and proposal development do not stand alone. It is all part of a larger process that involves planning, research, writing, editing, proofing, submission and acceptance.

This list gives 37 ways to improve your next set of procedures.

Scroll through it and tell me what I missed.

1. Show that your procedure is logical and organized
2. Make the information easy to find.
3. Include a table of contents for procedures over 10 pages in length
4. Ensure that your procedure is in compliance with the Security guidelines.
5. Arrange material in order of priority to the reader
6. Arrange everything in the order that’s most important to the client
7. Arrange the procedure in accordance with the user’s requirements
8. Number pages and sections consecutively; do not re-number each section
9. Use headings that make sense to your readers. See Audience Analysis template.
10. Each section title should stress the main benefits
11. Each section title should help readers orient themselves
12. If possible, express the key point of the section in the headline, or immediately after it.
13. Highlight important points
14. You can emphasize the most positive points by using bold, underlining, different fonts, spacing, titles, bullets and summaries
15. Write all action steps. Don’t skip anything.
16. Avoid banal headings and titles
17. Rather than say “Development Section,” say “Ten Ways to Improve Your Processes”
18. Use action verbs in heads, especially verbs that stress a benefit for the client
19. Avoid boilerplate text.
20. Avoid hype, padding and other self-congratulatory drivel. Remember that the proposal is a legal document that becomes part of the contract if you win
21. By giving specific details and quantifying the benefits whenever possible
22. Don’t just say that you will comply with a requirement — say how we’ll do so
23. Use a strong closing statement
24. Avoid business cliché’s
25. Avoid hackneyed openings and closings that clients have read a thousand times. Avoid “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for considering the enclosed . . .” Get to the point: “Here is your proposal.” Avoid “If you have any questions, please feel free to call.” That closing has been done to death, so avoid it and write something more genuine.
26. Make your procedure easy to understand
27. Use the same terms and jargon that appear in all SOPs. Don’t try to impress the client with your own special brand of buzzwords or TLA (three-letter acronyms)
28. Use simple, direct language
29. Close your business documents on a high note. Don’t be too humble. A little confidence never hurt!

What did I miss?

About the Author: Ivan Walsh is a Beijing-based technical writer who writes Web Business Proposals. He also shares business writing tips for smart people at Klariti

Related posts:

1. Procedures Writing Guidelines
2. How to Write a Business Needs Statement – Part 2
3. The Gil Grissom Guide to Microsoft Word 2007

Sandra wants to know where is the Styles menu option in Microsoft Word 2007?

She wants to update her new business plan and add Notes, Messages, Quotes and other pre-formatted styles. The Styles in Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 seem to be different.

Even Gil Grissom would have a hard time doing this.

She’s right. The Microsoft Word user interface in 2003 and 2007 is very different.

1. The best way to add Styles, such as Notes etc (2007) is to go to the Home tab. It’s the default.

2. Click the little arrow button under Change Styles.

3. This opens the Styles menu along the right-hand side of the page.

4. Select the text you want to change.

5. Scroll down and find the Note style, for example.

6. Change the text.

Does it work?

<styles would be saved but in my “styles” drop down menu, I do not see these styles.

Do you see the little arrow under Change Styles. Click this and the Styles will appear! If not, drop me a line.

PS – if you’re looking for tips on writing user guides, then check out I Heart Technical Writing.

Related posts:

1. Can’t drag a slide from PowerPoint 2007 to Word 2007?
2. Update for Word 2007
3. Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats

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2. New Facebook Group – Web 2.0 meets Technical Communication
3. New Facebook Group – Web 2.0 meets Technical Communication

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1. What guidelines can you offer when interviewing writers?
2. How to Interview Tech Writers
3. Which makes a Better Technical Writer? Writers with Language Skills or Technical Skills?

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1. Tips when Writing for the Web
2. Writing for the Web Tips
3. Proposal Writing Tips

Have you noticed this obsession with speed? Everyone is doing things, real fast. Even failure has to be fast. Fail fast is the new mantra. Christopher S. Penn takes up this point, ‘Ever done this? You see a traffic jam ahead, get off at the next exit, and spend 30 extra minutes on side and back roads to go around the jam… which in reality is only a 10 minute traffic jam? This is the dabbler. This is the person who fails too fast.’ Do you fail too fast?

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Chris Penn discussed the Dunning-Kruger effect where:

• Incompetent people are so limited by their abilities and lack of competence that they don’t realize they’re incompetent.
• Competent are the last to get the memo.
• When it comes to goal-only perspectives… your lack of meta-cognitive awareness about your limitations means that if you give up all the time, if you abandon ship too fast, you will NEVER reach excellence.

Do you see what he’s getting at?

How To Fail Slowly

Here’s my thoughts:

• Speed is sickness.
• I lived in the US for eight years. I felt guilty if I wasn’t doing something, always on the go.
• But some things can’t be rushed, like trust, friendship, and appreciation. You can’t enjoy Mozart in a rush.
• Today I live in China. It’s just as busy. But, here’s the difference. The expectation here is that certain things have to be done slowly.
• Ever been to a dinner with Chinese-business men? There’s a reason it lasts 4 or 5 hours. They want to see who really you are… after you’ve had a few drinks and loosened up.
• Like another person said on Chris Brogan’s site, the golden mean in everything, i.e. balance.

Many people are driving 100 mph down an alleyway. Sometimes it’s good to pause for a moment.

No related posts.

I see it all the time. And perhaps you do too. Letters and proposals that bury the price at the very end of the document. By explaining all the benefits in the first few pages and then leaving the price for last, people believe that buyers will be pleasantly surprised when they see how much it will cost.

In actual fact, it doesn’t work that way.

Think about it. What do you do as a buyer?

I know I flick through the document until I find the price. Then, if it’s more than I want to pay, I put the document away, never to be seen again. I don’t bother going back and reading from the beginning.

Instead, what well written proposals do is tell the person up-front, how much something will cost. That way the reader doesn’t need to go digging.

They see how much it is, have an instant reaction to the amount and THEN … if it’s more expensive than they thought, they’ll keep reading through the document to look for ways to justify the price in their own mind.

Why is it more expensive?

What special results does it achieve?

What claims do they have to back up the price?

I’ve tested it many dozens of times in our own campaigns and proposals, and with clients. Every single time we test it, putting the price up front wins “hands down”.

Here are two more tips on price …

1. Never say “price” or “cost” in your document. Instead, use the word “investment”.

It may sound like a little thing but it has a major psychological effect on your reader.

The word “cost” makes the reader feel like it is an expense they need to shell out for. Conversely, the word “investment” makes them feel like it is an investment that will give them a considerable pay back.

2. Never say “Your investment in the xyz widget is $1235″. Instead say, “Your investment in the xyz widget is $1235 which includes 14 refills (valued at $xxx), a lifetime replacement guarantee, free lifetime technical support etc. etc.”

See what we’ve done here. By ending a sentence with the price, you give them time to pause and reflect on the monetary amount.

Instead, by mentioning the price, then in the same breath giving a brief snapshot of what it includes, your reader instantly makes an association between the price and the return they will have on their investment.

In other words, the buyer makes a purchasing decision based on value for money and NOT on the actual cost.

Makes sense, doesn’t it!

Kris Mills of Words that Sell is a seasoned copywriting professional and author of “How to Create a Sales Explosion With Every Ad and Letter You Write”. More information on this popular guide can be found at http://www.synergie.com.au/explosion.htm or check out more of Kris’ many copywriting articles at www.advicegalore.com.
Kris@wordsthatsell.com.au

Related posts:

1. Proposal Writing Tips
2. Proposal Writing Course – Lesson 3 Golden Rules Before Starting Your Proposal
3. Proposal Writing Course – Lesson 5 Writing a Request For Proposal

I see it all the time. And perhaps you do too.
Letters and proposals that bury the price at the very end of the document. By
explaining all the benefits in the first few pages and then leaving the price
for last, people believe that buyers will be pleasantly surprised when they see
how much it will cost.

In actual fact, it doesn’t work that way.

Think about it. What do you do as a buyer?

I know I flick through the document until I
find the price. Then, if it’s more than I want to pay, I put the document away,
never to be seen again. I don’t bother going back and reading from the
beginning.

Instead, what well written proposals do is tell the person up-front, how much
something will cost. That way the reader doesn’t need to go digging.

They see how much it is, have an instant reaction to the amount and THEN … if
it’s more expensive than they thought, they’ll keep reading through the document
to look for ways to justify the price in their own mind.

Why is it more expensive?

What special results does it achieve?

What claims do they have to back up the price?

I’ve tested it many dozens of times in our own campaigns and proposals, and with
clients. Every single time we test it, putting the price up front wins “hands
down”.

Here are two more tips on price …

1. Never say “price” or “cost” in
your document. Instead, use the word “investment”.

It may sound like a little thing but it has a
major psychological effect on your reader.

The word “cost” makes the reader feel like it is an expense they need to shell
out for. Conversely, the word “investment” makes them feel like it is an
investment that will give them a considerable pay back.

2. Never say “Your investment in
the xyz widget is $1235″. Instead say, “Your investment in the xyz widget is
$1235 which includes 14 refills (valued at $xxx), a lifetime replacement
guarantee, free lifetime technical support etc. etc.”

See what we’ve done here. By ending a sentence
with the price, you give them time to pause and reflect on the monetary amount.

Instead, by mentioning the price, then in the same breath giving a brief
snapshot of what it includes, your reader instantly makes an association between
the price and the return they will have on their investment.

In other words, the buyer makes a purchasing decision based on value for money
and NOT on the actual cost.

Makes sense, doesn’t it!

Kris Mills of Words that Sell is a seasoned copywriting professional and author of “How to Create a Sales Explosion With
Every Ad and Letter You Write”. More information on this popular guide can be
found at http://www.synergie.com.au/explosion.htm or check out more of Kris’
many copywriting articles at
www.advicegalore.com.

Kris@wordsthatsell.com.au

Related posts:

1. Proposal Writing Course – Lesson 3 Golden Rules Before Starting Your Proposal
2. Proposal Writing Course – Lesson 5 Writing a Request For Proposal
3. Crafting a Request for Proposal

People of influence are the men and women within an organization whose opinions count – not necessarily because they rank high on an ‘org’ chart but – because they have acknowledged experience or are associated with people of authority.

This article is one in a series of five articles on how to expand your sphere of influence through better communications.

Download Now for only $9.99 – Buy Here!

If you add fancy footwork, a unique flick of the wrist or extra lower body movement, you may connect occasionally but, in the
end, you’ll create more problems. Be consistent. That way, even under pressure, you’ll always remember exactly what should be done to succeed.

This advice applies equally well to the world of
business communication. People judge you all day, every day, on many
factors including the words and phrases you use. Too often, business
people believe they will appear more professional if they cloak
their written and spoken messages in pompous words and clichés.
But it doesn’t work. Don’t try to impress your readers or listeners.
They are too busy to find convoluted messages interesting or useful.

In writing

Focus on what the reader wants to know and needs to know
and deliver that message, using words the reader can easily understand.
Contrary to popular belief, polysyllabic words and passive voice
sentences will not make you look professional in the reader’s eyes—only
clarity and conciseness will.

In preparing e-mails

Tell the reader why he should read your e-mail in the
opening line. Too many writers deliver an e-mail in a chronological
order. They give the background information first and wait for the last
screen before telling the reader what they want from him. As many people
read opening paragraphs to decide whether to continue reading, backward
writing is not effective. Deliver “the hook” first.

If you have a deadline, place it in the subject line.
That way every time the reader opens his inbox, he’ll see your time
line.

In listening

Use your eyes, as well as your ears, to listen. Don’t
busy yourself mentally rehearsing how you are going to top the speaker’s
comments. Keep it simple. Stay in the moment and work with the
information the speaker is giving you. Ask him questions to extend his
thoughts and to further clarify his viewpoint.

In leaving voice mail

Deliver a strong upbeat and brief message. Don’t get
cute. Be polite, firm and assertive. You have only 10 to 15
seconds to make a good impression. Never start with “I’m sorry
I missed your call.” No one believes it.

Offer callers the option of reaching someone
immediately. Say what you need from them—a message, a name, a phone
number. Tell them when you will return their call or the best time to
call you back. Let them know if the message has a time limit. Change
your messages as often as necessary.

In speaking

People take their cues from your language when deciding
whether or not they want to co-operate with you. If you bluster,
exaggerate or try to upstage others, you won’t gain creditability.
Winning speakers communicate in a straightforward fashion. They project
positive expectations, give credit where it’s due, speak decisively, and
tell the truth.

Whether you are swinging a club on the golf course or
communicating in the business world, remember—for a positive finish—keep
it simple.

About Jane Watson

© Jane Watson is dedicated to advancing business communications. jane@jwatsonassociates.com or (905) 820-9909.

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Have you noticed that really successful people, the most successful in their field, rarely talk directly about their success? Instead they tend to turn the conversation and, very subtly, remind you who they’ve met, where they’ve been on business and what they plan to do next. Video lets you do something similar. Short, personal videos are a very effective way to develop your brand, generate leads, and show people how your business works.

Using Video to Generate Leads & Show Your Success

Three ways to use video to generate new business:

* Share Experiences – don’t talk yourself up; share what you’ve learnt.
* Invitations – Use video to invite people into your world.
* Generate curiosity – Encourage them to see what you’re doing.

This also works for home-office workers and Entrepreneurs who want to demonstrate their expertise. Short videos can be shared on sites that compliment your line of business. By creating high-quality video content, you’re giving others the material they need to develop their sites/blogs.

Tips for making business videos

* Focus on one topic
* Talk into the camera
* Use captions, if possible
* Edit out the waffle
* 2 minutes per video

Do videos Bring in new business What do you think?

Please let your comment below.

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One of the best ways to promote a Website inexpensively is to write articles about your Website’s topic and submit them to free content sites. These sites are easily found; just type submit free content into your favorite search engine. Each article you write will have a resource box that includes your name, a brief bio and a link to your own site.

These articles are shared with other Website owners to publish them, and soon, your name and links to your site will propagate throughout the Web.

The system works well, since search engines respect incoming links to Websites as indicators that the site is important. The more links you have to your site, the more highly the search engines regard your site. Many authors realize that writing articles will generate links, but most write a few articles and then give up.

The reasons vary, but most authors will probably say that it simply becomes tedious to spend time writing articles without direct compensation, only to give them away with the faint hope that Website traffic will come about as a result of the work.

It is indeed difficult to maintain the discipline to continue writing articles day in and day out, but there is one thing that motivates me on a daily basis readily observable statistics that show that writing articles is generating traffic for my sites.

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Finding a business opportunity on the Internet is easy. But evaluating the right one for you, takes a little knowledge. With so many scams, takers and failed ventures you need a little more than the, “highest dollar for the least amount of work” approach. So what should you look for when evaluating an opportunity?

1. Is it legal?

Do they have a product? Many programs on the net are simply “money movers” with no real products. If this is the case then it’s probably illegal simple as that. If you are serious about developing an online reputation for quality and reliability, then don’t even entertain the idea of quick easy money. It will catch up with you!

2. Does their product have value and advantage?

Is the product something that people want with the potential for repeat sales giving value for money at a competitive price? Do your homework. Search the net for equivalent products and do a price comparison. Does it offer a marketing advantage of some kind? What are the selling benefits of the product over their competitors? If they don’t have a marketing advantage why would anyone buy their products?

Business Proposal – Work Breakdown Structure

3. Is it residual?

The best opportunities are the ones that have a growing industry and ideally repeat sales. Make sure if you are marketing a product that you get the benefit of the repeat sales.

This is called residual income.

If you are expected to find customers but only get the benefit of the first sale, this is unethical and unfair. It is a good idea to evaluate what % is paid back in commissions for the cost of the product or service. All good opportunities pay back an absolute minimum of 20%. Decide you are worth at least that much to them.

4. How long will it pay?

Ask yourself where will the product be in 12 months, 2, and 5 years down the track? This is particularly important for digital and information products. Ask yourself the same about the company. Are they around for a quick buck or do they have a plan to establish long term commerce? Will they develop or keep up with new technologies to maintain a competitive edge? If this information is not readily available on their website, ask them. If they are not planners then they will not survive.

5. How long will it take?

Take a long hard look at their compensation plan and compare it to your own goals.

Is it cost effective on an hourly basis for the final outcome. You may have to make a decision by balancing time for outcome. You may consider it worthwhile putting in 20 hours work over and above a regular 40 hour job for a small return initially, if the final outcome is say 10 hours per week total for a 5 fold income.

Of course you will have to decide first of all exactly how much time you are willing to work on the proposal then ask yourself is their program sufficiently automated to be worth your while?

6. Do they want your success as much as their own?

What is their commitment to you in terms of training and support? If they are not willing to train and support you for your success, are you willing to carry the responsibility of training yourself and dealing with product problems? In my opinion you must have online support and training for whatever you need to do for the mutual success of both you and the company. This can be in the form of email support, forums and a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page on their website.

7. What are the hidden costs?

Ask yourself, “What do I need over and above their proposal in order to achieve my goals“, then factor this in to your decision-making process. In this you should include things like further study, tools, web hosting expenses, stationary, travel expenses, accommodation etc.

It is also important with some businesses to find out if you have a minimum purchase requirement, frequency of compensation and the time period between sales and commission.

All these will affect your cash flow. You should then work out exactly what it takes to firstly break even, then become profitable and finally achieve your goals.

8. Is their a lead generation system?

What assistance is given for approaching potential customers through to closing the deal? This is often non existent with you left to do it all. The best opportunities are fully automated for efficiency but flexible enough to have the essential personal touch. It can be hard work sifting through the opportunities to find your “Ticket2Success”.

Proposal Manager Toolkit – Cost Breakdown

9. Do they have a money back guarantee?

Whether the product is digital or hardware people will expect a guarantee. Are you able to return and refund products quickly and easily with out problem? Is it clear who handles the finances and complaints in the event of an unhappy customer? You don’t want to be left with egg on your face after creating a good online reputation!

About Ray Burton

Ray Burton is an internet marketer specializing in affiliate programs, business opportunities, joint ventures and resources to create your online success. www.cyberchoices.net

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Case studies and white papers are very effective tool to promote the benefit of a product or services. Case studies are the first most popular device used to promote the business. If you are planning to write a case study this passage will help you to understand more about this kind of writing.

What Is A Case Study?

A Case Study demonstrates how a specific business condition was identified, how it was addressed, and then summarizes the results or findings.

How to write a Case Study

Case studies tend to be short – between 500-1000 words. In general, aim for three to five pages, and contain single graphic per page at most.

Do not try to add anything more as case studies normally accept a soft-sell approach.

How to Structure your Case Study

Mainly there are three sections to a case study.

1. Problem
2. Implementation
3. Results

The ‘problem’ section has to hold a punch. In other words, it has to signify something to the person who reads something that they are able to relate to.

All the time write about a topic that has important business impact for the reader. Demonstrate how your creation resolved a serious business problem what you are implying in this segment is that if they want your service, you be able to resolve their issues…

Definitely, the more explicit the case study, the more successful it will be. Case Studies that recommend solving all troubles are not taken seriously.

Highlighting the Benefits

In its place, think how the solution, or service, addresses a very explicit topic. You should be very careful here, as the whole case study is built in the region of this single issue.

Don’t dilute the concentration of the case study by addressing more than the single issue fix to one area and make clear how you can resolve the crisis in measurable and proven terms.

Reduce barriers

Case study writer should be able to demonstrate how their solutions improve operations. For example, how does it suitable for their business process?

This is an excellent area to state how your scheme plugs into other applications or costly business significant applications. You must use your conclusion when compile the last case study document. Avoid make it too technical or overfilling it with unnecessary statistics.

Case Study – Sample Templates

Compose the statistics set out so that the person who reads be able to easily grasp them and then memorize them later on.



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How do you justify the expense of writing case studies? Well, it must show that it gives you an edge over your competitor, a better foot-hold in your market, or help define your marketing strategy. Here are four examples to show how this might work for you.

3 Ways to Use Case Studies For Strategic Advantage

A case study discusses a specific business situation which needs to be resolved. In general, it is comprised of four sections:

1. Situation
2. Problem
3. Solution
4. Evaluation

Let’s take a look at some examples:

1. Customer Service – An international airline may realize that its customer service is very poor, for example following an outburst of negative customer feedback. To remedy this it hires a specialist firm to examine their processes, recommend potential solutions, implement the most appropriate service, and then evaluate the results.

Case Study – Sample Templates

2. Training – Following new Homeland Security legislation, a local government agency needs to update its approach to staff training. To address this its brings in a specialist training firm to scope the project, prepare a comprehensive course syllabus, train its staff and review the success (or failure) of the implementation.

How to write a Case Study

3. In response to competitive threats, a high-street retailer may acknowledge that their distribution channels are out-dated and need replacing. It contacts a recognized consulting firm to discuss the business issues, impact on staff and customers, and the potential negative impact of NOT taking new measures.

Following these discussions it approaches an international specialist firm to rollout an upgraded end-to-end system. Once this project is completed the marketing department is tasked with drawing media and public attention to this strategic project.

Part of the media plan includes preparing white papers and case studies as collateral for editors, journalists, and technology writers.

These three scenarios all offer potential case study material; in each situation, there is a specific problem that needs immediate attention.

Case Study – Sample Templates

Tip: include a benefit in the title of your Case Study. Rather than simply say, ‘Aerospace Case Study’, add a little punch: Case Study on How Product X Improved Performance by 300% in 30 Days.

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I remember the first time a client offered me a case study writing assignment. I was petrified. It was early in my freelance writing career and I didn’t even know what one looked like. I had a lot of questions. ‘What the heck is a case study?’, ‘How long is it?’, ‘What is the format?’ ‘How much do I charge? I didn’t have a clue.

Of course, these days, I know more. A lot more. In fact, I write dozens of case studies for clients each year. Case studies now rank high on my list of the most fascinating and lucrative projects I handle. If you’re unfamiliar with case studies, don’t worry. They’re really quite simple. A case study is just a fancy name for a success story – the tale of a happy customer and his or her experience using a product or service. Lately, I’ve noticed that more and more companies need case studies written, yet have difficulties finding writers who can do the job. That spells OPPORTUNITY for you and me.

Case Study – Sample Templates

And it gets better. Consider the following:

1. Case studies are not difficult to write – They are similar in style and format to a newsletter article. So if you can write one of those, you can write a case study.
2. Case studies are relatively short - Usually about 400-800 words in length. Once you’ve gained a little experience, you’ll be able to knock one off in less than a day.
3. The formats are standardized – Unlike ads and direct mail, you won’t get stressed out by having to come up with a dazzling new concept or killer headline. The basic structure of a case study is remarkably simple. All that’s required of you is to get the facts and write a good piece.
4. Case study writers are in demand – More companies are scrambling to get case studies written today than ever before. I can’t give you an exact figure but, in my opinion, the demand for case study writers has increased significantly over the past couple of years.
5. There is little competition – I’m not sure why, but few copywriters go after this market. Some may not know it exists. Others may mistakenly think that case studies are dull or technical. Not true! Case study writing is storytelling. It’s fun.
6. Case studies pay well – Surprisingly well. Now you won’t get the superstar rates paid to big-league direct mail copywriters. But most clients do pay handsomely for case study writing. Earning $100 per hour is not an unreasonable expectation for an experienced writer. I know many who earn a lot more.

How to write a Case Study

Right now the case study market is booming. Why not jump in and get your share of these fascinating and lucrative writing gigs?

Steve Slaunwhite helps business writers attract more clients. Get his marketing workbook at: http://www.forcopywritersonly.com

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Related posts:

1. Case Study Part 3: How to Structure your Case Study
2. Case Study Part 2: Why You Must Focus On a Single Issue
3. Best Template for Writing Case Studies

Related posts:

1. How to Write a Great Case Study
2. How to Structure your Case Study
3. Case Study Part 2: Why You Must Focus On a Single Issue