To be a successful business writer, there are a number of important elements that you must be familiar with. Business writing is a very precise style of writing; it’s all about clarity and precision. It is important not to be verbose or ambiguous in your business writing if you want to write an effective piece. Almost any piece of writing that pertains to a business can be called business writing. This includes brochures, business plans, emails, etc.
When people read business writings, they are not only looking for what happened and why, but how you are handling the situation at hand. A person reading a business piece that has an consistent and concise style with an active tone is going to feel more positive toward your company. Good writing gives certainty to clients that matters will be properly taken care of.
Business writing is usually backwards or upside down compared to other writings. You start with the ending and then give a brief synopsis on how you got to that point. You may include other avenues that were considered and why they were not chosen.
Some Important Business Writing Tips
Organization is an important part of business writing. Not only does it help you get your thoughts down on paper in an orderly fashion, it also helps the reader to follow along in a logical pattern. It is also imperative that you review the grammar and punctuation carefully in your writing documents. Not only will spelling and punctuation errors in the document make you seem unprofessional, it can also confuse the reader and cause them to misinterpret your meaning.
Have a positive slant. Even if you are conveying a message that has an outcome other than what is optimal, a positive tone will bring a much better response. Tell your readers what good came about from the circumstance. Tell them what you can do with these results.
For example, a non-profit agency held a fundraiser. They were planning to bring in $25,000 for building repairs and play ground equipment. Discouragingly, they only got $15,000. Positive tone writing would be “Our fundraiser was successful. We can now begin building repairs.” Or “The new playground equipment will be delivered tomorrow due to our successful fundraiser.” Even though it was not as much of a success as you would have wanted, by keeping a positive attitude and showing people what can be done will promote a positive attitude in the future.
Contrast that with a defeatist toned message like “Since our fundraiser was not as successful as we had hoped, we will have to choose between playground equipment and building repairs.” This approach could be detrimental to future fundraisers because it seems as though you are un-thankful for what you did get. Being positive shows your gratefulness for the hard work or donations that you have received.
And last but not least, it’s important to use the active voice in your writing. A passive voice can make it seem like the author is unsure of what he is saying. Using an active voice will make the reader trust you because you seem sure. The active voice exerts authority, shows that you’re in control and that you know the subject you’re writing about.
By: Ron King
Posts Tagged ‘Business Plans’
Business Writing
February 19th, 2010More than Words – Creating a Useful Business Plan
February 7th, 2010
You’ve heard it a million times: you must have a business plan to succeed. It’s a no-brainer in the world of small business. A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your company’s resume.
But more than that, your business plan should have a way for you to track progress and to identify tactical steps to that your plan is more than just words on paper, it is actually a document that is a part of your living, breathing business.
Sure, it might seem like a boring exercise to define the business you are in. But actually, many owners have gone broke because they never answered that question. Or, they never quite knew why they should or how to develop a business plan.
Let’s start with the basics. A business plan is a tool with three basic purposes: communication, management, and planning. As a communication tool, it is used to attract investment capital, secure loans, convince workers to join and assist in attracting strategic business partners. A complete business plan shows whether or not a business has the potential to make a profit. It requires an honest look at almost every phase of business and allows you to show that you have worked out all the problems and decided on potential alternatives before actually launching your business.
As a management tool, the business plan helps you track, monitor, and evaluate your progress. The business plan is a living document that you will modify as you gain knowledge and experience. By using your business plan to establish timelines and milestones, you can track your progress and compare your projections to actual achievements.
As a planning tool, the business plan guides you through the various phases of your business. A thoughtful plan will help identify obstacles so that you can avoid them and establish alternatives. Many business owners share their business plans with their employees to cultivate a broader understanding of where the business is going.
All three of those purposes are important, but be sure to particularly remember the management and planning aspect. That ensures that you are actively involved with executing your business plan and tracking the goals you’ve set out to achieve.
In Focus: The Useful Business Plan
In order to be a truly usable tool, a business plan should be a work-in-progress. Even successful, growing businesses should maintain a current business plan. It doesn’t need to be fancy, complicated or difficult, it just needs to be clear and manageable.
Remember, your goals are to show your expertise in your business, to “sell” your business to prospective customers (such as investors and employees), and to design a management tool that works for you.
Every successful business plan should include something about each of the following areas:
1. Executive Summary
2. Market Analysis
3. Company Description
4. Organization and Management
5. Marketing and Sales Management
6. Products and Services
7. Financials
8. Appendix
A solid business plan is more than just a few paragraphs on what you want your business to be, it is a step by step plan for how to get there. Start by brainstorming and recording everything you know for each of these areas of your business. Then, identify where you need more information in order to complete the sections.
Finally, include a checklist or table at the end of each section that highlights the main components of the section and allows you to track how you’re performing in each area. Commit to reviewing the plan monthly – either on your own or with other management employees – to track your progress.
For more information on developing your business plan, visit: http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html
By: Andrew Brown
