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Selling
Yourself Through Your Writing
By Jane Watson
Business
writing is fast becoming a survival skill in our high-technology,
service-oriented marketplace.
Up
until three years ago, your best salesperson was probably
someone who was highly persuasive in individual sales calls.
However, today-with a difficult economy and intense competition-face-to-face
meetings are not always cost-effective. Today's successful
salespeople have to be able to sell themselves as effectively
in writing and as they do in person.
This
brings to mind two other thoughts. First, the average person
does not receive training in business writing in school. (Most
schools teach academic or creative writing.) Second, the amount
of paper crossing a person's desk has increased 600 % in the
past ten years.
Therefore,
everything your staff writes goes into a competition-a competition
for the reader's attention that involves all the other reading
material received that day.
Accept
this as a challenge and rise to the occasion. If your staff
can produce clear, concise documents that advance the sales
cycle, they will shine and your organization will come out
a winner.
Selling
in writing is not much different from selling face-to-face.
You have to show you understand your customer and his concerns.
And then explain how you can help him solve his problems and
reach his goals.
Omit
irrelevant information that may confuse the reader. Figure
out what he wants to know and what he needs to know and then
tell him-in simple language. Don't use a lot of space glorifying
your company. The customer is more interested in how you can
help him.
To
close your letter ask for a specific action leading towards
the next step in the selling cycle.
And
remember-a good letter is a less expensive way of calling
on your customers again and again, reminding them of you and
your products.
©2006,
Jane Watson is dedicated to advancing business communications.
She is a consultant, author, keynoter and trainer and can
be reached at jane@jwatsonassociates.com
or (905) 820-9909.
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