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Article Title:
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Ten Tips for Getting Your Business Letters Read
Article Description:
====================
With so many of us relying heavily on E-mail for professional
correspondence, business letters have become special once again.
Yet your prospects won't read just any letter, especially one
from an unfamiliar name. To escape the wastebasket, your letter
must offer compelling reasons to continue reading. So try these
ten tips to increase the likelihood that recipients will give
your letters their complete attention-all the way through.
Additional Article Information:
===============================
711 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line
Distribution Date and Time: 2006-08-04 12:00:00
Written By: Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Copyright: 2006
Contact Email: mailto:drbill@ChampionshipCommunication.com
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Ten Tips for Getting Your Business Letters Read
Copyright � 2006 Bill Lampton Ph.D.
Championship Communication
http://www.championshipcommunication.com/
With so many of us relying heavily on E-mail for professional
correspondence, business letters have become special once again.
Yet your prospects won't read just any letter, especially one
from an unfamiliar name. To escape the wastebasket, your letter
must offer compelling reasons to continue reading. So try these
ten tips to increase the likelihood that recipients will give
your letters their complete attention-all the way through.
FIRST: Use simple, contemporary language. Readers dislike a
stilted approach. Eliminate outmoded words like "heretofore,"
"henceforth," "concomitant with," "pursuant to" and similar
words dressed in tuxedos. Use the language of the water cooler,
not the boardroom. Create the mood of a one-on-one friendly
conversation. As famed author James Michener pointed out, the
writer's aim is not to wow people with big words. Instead, the
accomplished writer uses ordinary words to achieve extraordinary
results.
SECOND: Not only will you want to use short words, use short
paragraphs, too. The reader wants to see plenty of white space,
not a jumble of cluttered lines. Note how this "ten tips" list
offers text separations every few lines. Imagine how
unattractive this page would be if there were no "rest stops"
for readers.
Contrary to what your eighth grade English teacher said, you can
have paragraphs that contain just one sentence. Do that
occasionally when you want to spotlight a phrase, slogan,
benefit, testimonial, or surprising fact.
THIRD: Address your letters by hand. Sure, this may take
longer, but the few extra minutes are worth the personal touch
your handwriting brings. In 1982, John Naisbitt's book
Megatrends popularized the phrase "high touch," which he
recommended for a "high tech" society. Almost a quarter
century later, the need for personal contacts in our digital
society has become far more essential-and warmly welcomed.
FOURTH: Time your mailing. Target your dates so people don't
get your letters on Mondays, holidays, the week of April 15 and
other sensitive periods. Be aware, too, of a crisis a company is
going through, and wait until the intense phase passes-unless, of
course, you offer an attractive solution to the problem that has
gone public.
FIFTH: Include the words "you" or "your" as one of your
first three opening words. My veteran sales professional friend
Bill Bell of Otto, North Carolina gave me this tip years ago.
SIXTH: Add a handwritten P.S. Surveys indicate that a legible
P.S. almost jumps off the page, compelling attention. Sometimes
the reader will read the P.S. first, since words in ink contrast
so vividly with words in type.
SEVENTH: Tell a story. As children, our ears perked up every
time we heard the opener, "Once upon a time." And most of us
never outgrow our love of stories. So if your letter seeks to
make a sale, then tell how one or more purchasers increased
profits, achieved a more balanced life style, became a dynamic
leader, improved family relations, or gained national prominence
after buying your product or service. Yes, statistics carry
weight with business officials, but stories pull them into your
message emotionally as well as logically.
EIGHTH: Mention referrals at the outset. Example: "Our mutual
friend Martin Williamson suggested that I contact you."
Bingo-immediately you have borrowed the credibility of a
respected colleague your prospect admires. The result? You, a
stranger, become a credible person to the reader. Truly, the old
clich� is right: we are known by the company we keep.
NINTH: Sign the letter legibly. Nothing looks more pompous than
an unreadable signature. The reader could surmise that if even
your name is unclear, your business offering might be
undecipherable as well. Leave it to celebrities to sign with a
scrawl.
TENTH: Use quotation marks in almost every paragraph. Why?
Because quote marks indicate that people are interacting and
sharing their thoughts. Remember the last time you selected a
novel in a bookstore? Chances are good that you browsed until
you found one with plenty of dialogue.
So when you are telling a story to make your point, quote people
talking in conversational language. Rather than blandly
describing how a satisfied client feels, quote the client (with
permission, of course): Melanie Randolph stated, "Your company
saved us thousands of dollars and increased our efficiency
tenfold during the first year that we used your accounting
system."
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Bill Lampton, Ph.D., helps organizations "Finish in First Place,"
by strengthening their communication, motivation, customer
service, and sales. His speeches, seminars, coaching and
consulting client list includes the Ritz-Carlton Cancun,
Celebrity Cruises, CenturyTel, The Gillette Company, Krystal
Company, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Visit his
Web site to sign up for his complimentary monthly newsletter,
and to order his popular book, The Complete Communicator:
Change Your Communication, Change Your Life!
His Web site: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com
Call him at 770-534-3425 or 800-393-0114.
E-mail: drbill@ChampionshipCommunication.com
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