This guide belongs to 100 Ways To Be Being Remarkable Series, a special project that brings you business and self-development advice from The Success Manual.

“Dear IRS, Please remove me from your mailing list.”
- Snoopy, Peanuts

Dear Santa. Why is your operation located at the North Pole? I’m guessing cheap elf labor, lower environmental standards, and tax breaks. Is this really the example you want to set for us impressionable kids?
- Calvin, Calvin & Hobbes

THE SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF GREAT BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
- Structure – Keep it simple
- Clarity
- Consistency
- Medium
- Relevancy
- Primacy/Recency: Powerful opening
- Psychological Rule of 7±2 (the audience is only able to hold on to between five and nine pieces of information at any one time)
- hopkins-business-communication-training.com

THE AIDA PRINCIPLE
Acronym for the four stages of the sales process: AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Helps in developing business promotional literature.

GENERAL WRITING TECHNIQUES FOR BUSINES WRITING
Good pieces of business writing help to get results, where poor writing fail.

People judge others on the quality of their writing, so it's helpful to write well. Here are some simple tips for writing letters and communications of all sorts.

1. Whatever you are writing, get to the main point, quickly and simply. Avoid lengthy preambles. Don't spend ages setting the scene or explaining the background, etc.

2. If you are selling, promoting, proposing something you must identify the main issue (if selling, the strongest unique perceived benefit) and make that the sole focus. Introducing other points distracts and confuses the reader.

3. Use language that your reader uses. If you want clues as to what this might be imagine the newspaper they read, and limit your vocabulary to that found in the newspaper.

4. Inserting single apostrophes where incorrect is a common grammatical mistake. The best rule for safe use of apostrophes is to restrict their use simply to possessive (e.g., girl's book, group's aims) and missing letters in words (e.g., I'm, you're, we've).

Some examples of common mistakes:
- the team played it's part (should be: the team played its part - its, although possessive, is like his, my, hers, theirs, etc., and does not use the possessive apostrophe)
- its been a long day (should be: it's been a long day - it's is an abbreviation of it has)
- your correct (should be: you're correct - you're is an abbreviation of you are)
- one months notice (should be: one month's notice - the notice is governed by the month, hence the possessive apostrophe)
- the groups' task (should be: the group's task - group is a collective noun and treated as singular not plural)
- the womens' decisions (should be the women's decisions - same as above - women is treated as singular, irrespective of the plural decisions)

The purpose of a single apostrophe is to indicate missing letters, as in I'm happy, or you're correct, and word constructions like don't, won't, wouldn't, can't, we've, etc. Apostrophes are also used to indicate when something belongs to the word (possessive), as in the girl's book.

Apostrophes in common abbreviations such as CD's and MP's are considered by many to be incorrect, and so on balance are best avoided.

Generally restrict apostrophes to missing letters and possessive words, if in doubt, try to see what rules the reader or the audience uses for such things - in brochures, on websites, etc., and then, unless they are patently daft, match their grammatical preferences accordingly.

5. Use short sentences. More than fifteen words in a sentence reduces the clarity of the meaning. After drafting your communication, seek out commas and 'and's, and replace with full-stops.

6. Write as you would speak - but ensure it's grammatically correct. Don't try to be formal. Don't use old-fashioned figures of speech. Avoid 'the undersigned', 'aforementioned', 'ourselves', 'your goodselves', and similar nonsense. You should show that you're living in the same century as the reader.

7. Write in a style that the reader is likely to find agreeable.

8. Avoid jargon, acronyms, technical terms unless essential.

9. Don't use capital letters - even for headings. Words formed of capital letters are difficult to read because there are no word-shapes, just blocks of text. (We read quickly by seeing word shapes, not the individual letters.)

10. Fonts: Sans serif fonts (like Arial, Helvetica and this one, Tahoma) are modern, and will give a modern image. Serif fonts (like Garamond, Goudy and this one, Times), are older, and will tend to give a less modern image.

Sans serif fonts take longer to read, so there's a price to pay for being modern. This is because we've all grown up learning to read serif fonts. Serif fonts also have a horizontal flow, which helps readability and reading comfort. (Serif fonts developed before the days of print, when the engraver needed to create a neat exit from each letter.)

Avoid fancy fonts. They may look clever or innovative, but they are more difficult to read, and some are nearly impossible.

Font-size: Use 10-12 point size for body copy (text). 14-20 point is fine for main headings, bold or normal. Sub-headings 10-12 bold.

Any printed material looks very untidy if you use more than two different fonts and two different point sizes. Generally the fewer the better.

Black text on a white background is the easiest color combination to read. Definitely avoid colored backgrounds, and black.

Graphics: Avoid background graphics or pictures behind the text.

Italics are less easy to read. So is heavy bold type.

If you must break any of these font rules, do so only for the heading.

11. Headings - Limit main attention-grabbing headings to no more than fifteen words.

In letters, position your main heading between two-thirds and three-quarters up the page. This is where the eye is naturally drawn first.

Use left-justified text as it's easiest to read.

Avoid fully justified text as it creates uneven word spaces and is more difficult to read.
- Alan Chapman, Businessballs.com

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
- Thomas Jefferson

THE P&G 1-PAGE, 5 -PART MEMO FOR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The Idea. What are you proposing?
2. Background. What conditions have arisen that led you to this recommendation?
3. How it Works. The details. In addition to How, also What, Who, When, Where.
4. Key Benefits. This is the "Why?"
5. Next Steps. Who has to do what and by when for this to happen?
- Proctor & Gamble

THE ONE PAGE MEMO
It generally consists of five or six short paragraphs. This is the style used at large (successful) corporations as well as increasingly by government bureaucrats.

Its first sentence tells the reader what to expect – why should you be interested in what I have to say? Put your best foot forward and state upfront the conclusion or recommendation.

The second paragraph offers background – it is historical, factual, filled with data, and tells the reader why the problem or opportunity has arisen.

The third paragraph is the detailed recommendation – the ‘what’ and the ‘how’, but don’t confuse the reader here with the ‘why’.

The fourth paragraph gives the rationale – the ‘why’ – e.g. ‘Here are three reasons why you should accept my recommendation’ – and typically cites precedents, benefits (financial and otherwise) and risks.

The fifth paragraph tells the reader that you have looked at looked at alternative courses of action, and why this is the best.

The last paragraph addresses the next steps and lays out a plan of action that will flow from the decision.

THE 4-S FORMULA FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS LETTERS

N.H. and S.K. Mager, in their “The Complete Letter Writer” suggest the following tips:

1. For Shortness
- don’t repeat phrases from the letter you are
answering.
- Avoid needless words and information.
- Beware of roundabout proportional phrases, such as with regard to and in reference to.
- Watch out for nouns and adjectives that derive from verbs. Use these words more frequently in their verb form.
- Don’t qualify your statements with irrelevant if’s

2. For Simplicity
- Know your subject so well that you can discuss it naturally and confidently.
- Use short words, short sentences, and short
paragraphs.
- Be compact. Don’t separate closely related parts of sentences.
- Tie your thoughts together so your reader can follow you from one to another without getting lost.

3. For Strength
- Use specific, concrete words.
- Use active verbs.
- Give answers straightaway; then explain if
necessary.
- Don’t hedge. Avoid expressions like it appears.

4. For Sincerity
- Be a human being, not an office machine. Use words that connote the personal, such as the names of persons and the personal pronouns you, he, she, we etc.
- Admit mistakes openly and sincerely. Don’t hide them behind meaningless words.
- Don’t overwhelm your reader with intensives and emphatics.
- Don’t be either obsequious or arrogant. Strive to express yourself in a friendly way and with a simple dignity

FOUR RULES FOR WRITING LETTERS
1. If you can't fit it all onto one side of a standard business sheet of paper, start again.
2. Whether writing a letter of complaint, introduction, or proposition - you must keep it brief.
3. If your letter can't be read and understood in less than 20 seconds it has limited chances of success. It used to be 30 - this time limit gets shorter every year.
4. Concentrate on purpose of your letter - for example - letters of introduction should not try to sell a product. They should sell the appointment.
- Alan Chapman

HOW TO WRITE A FIVE-SENTENCE EMAIL
Whether UR young or old, the point is that the optimal length of an email message is five sentences. All you should do is explain who you are, what you want, why you should get it, and when you need it by.
- Guy Kawasaki

THE BUSINESS REPORT FORMAT
1. Title page - subject of the report, author, date
2. Terms of reference - who ordered the report, when and why, any conditions
3. Contents page - all section numbers and titles, using exactly the same wording as in the report
4. Abstract - brief summary of report - task, summary of conclusions and recommendations
5. Introduction - background information
6. Main body of report - findings, description, facts, opinions, etc. This must be well structured
7. Conclusion - summary of results
8. Recommendations - usually in the form of a list
9. Appendices (not always necessary) - additional details, tables, graphs, detailed analysis. These must be numbered and cross referenced in the text.
10. Glossary (not always necessary) - explanation of any specialist terms

- Bibliography - references to any books, journals, etc. which were used either for background reading, or directly quoted in the report. They should be arranged alphabetically by the author’s name
The reference should include: author, date of publication, title, edition, place of publication, publisher.

The only report we ask from all our units is one page per month.
- Alfred P. Sloan Jr.

HOW TO WRITE A ONE-PAGE REPORT
The best reports in the real world are one page or less. (The same thing is true of resumes, but that’s another, more controversial topic for unemployed people who want to list all the .Net classes that they took.)
- Guy Kawasaki

WRITE GREAT PRESS RELEASES

1. Announce something new
A new product, winning an award/contract, posting record profits, new address, adding new services or personnel. The more momentous the “new” part, the greater your chance of major media coverage.

2. What is your USP; your ‘way’
Describe an upcoming event the media can catch on to.
Free talk/seminar, trade show etc. An Unusual or especially colorful event, like a world-beating event, proves irresistible to the media.

4. Celebrate a special day, week or month.
e.g. The first Annual no-label day.

5. Piggyback on what’s in the news now.

6. Entangle your offering in the timelines of a larger trend.
For example, tell the media why increased sales of your book forecast a need for affordable education.

7. Be funny, dramatic or surprising.
The media loves “human interest” factors because they appeal to readers, listeners and viewers. For example, “Gee Whiz” stories –the media needs them to fill extra space or time.

8. Can you provide useful tips for a certain audience?
This approach works especially well for service providers. With a strong benefit-oriented headline, your press release can list three to five tips on a subject of importance to your market. Some media outlets will use the Release almost as you wrote it, some will File it until the are doing something on that topic and others, convinced of your expertise, will call you for a print/open-air interview.

THE PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE
If not printing the release on your company stationary, begin with a “from” line indicating the source of information.

The next line provides the name and phone number of the person you have designated to furnish further details to the media.

Then comes the headline: Up to 3 lines. Present the newsworthy angle of the release.
Start your first paragraph with a newspaper-style dateline, and fill it with the main facts about your angle.
The second paragraph: Bring the facts to life or put them in perspective with a quote from a named person.
The Remaining space: Further explanations.
Ending: Practical how-to-get-in-touch or where-to-go-details.
Size: Only 1 page if possible. Max – 2 pages.
No errors.

For Radio and Television, approach show producers, not hosts. Always focus on publications and programs that reach the market for your goods and services.

- Stick to a single topic in each of your press release to ensure that your message packs punch.
- Make certain you have presented your information so clearly that even a stranger to your business is left with a reasonable understanding of the topic. Ask one or two outsiders to read your release for basic comprehension.
- It is always preferable to include several details. As in all marketing communications, focus on the benefits of your news.
- Don’t exceed two pages. The Press Release should tell a brief story. To support your release, attach backup information such as your company brochure, product literature, photographs and independent reviews.
- Mind the little things. Pricing information must be specific and clearly explained if complex.
- Include a current date on your press release plus the term “for immediate release”. Include contact information .
- At the top include the name and title of the person for whom the Press Release is meant plus his or her day and evening telephone numbers. Fax numbers and e-mail addresses are also useful information.
- Keep a neat layout so that recipient such as editors find it easy. And, no errors, poor sentence structures and bad grammar.

TIPS:

1. Photographs improve editorial take-up by 100's% - A good photograph in support of a press release will dramatically improve your chances of publication. Either provide your own, or if the story is an event ask the press to send their own photographer.

2. If you've got something newsworthy don't wait or the opportunity will be lost. Even simple things like staff promotions, qualifications attained, hobby achievements, staff joining, babies, all make acceptable PR stories, and always be on the lookout for the quirky and unusual.

3. Ask for editorial coverage before paying for display advertising - If you plan to pay for display advertising or inserts in any type of publication always ask before giving the order if you can have some editorial coverage as condition of placing the advertising business. Many publications will agree at this stage, and you'll have some free editorial to support the advert. Some publications combine the two and sell 'advertorial' feature space, which purports to be news but is really a large paid-for advert.

4. Surveys provide excellent material for editorial, and are used by many companies for publicity purposes. Any business can organize an interesting survey. You'll learn something about your market and create a significant opportunity for free publicity. Read newspapers and magazines and you will soon see examples - even in the national broadsheets.

5. Curate a through Media Contact list – for example, get the local editorial contact names and numbers.


TIP SHEETS
“When you’ve to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.”
- The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

“When you see a snake, never mind where he came from.”
- W.G. Benham

Tip Sheets also position you as expert.
They are slick, like a well-designed flyer or brochure.

- A “Tip Sheet’ consists of a set of “How To” information in a neat, quick-read format. It might be as short as one page, or as long as an eight-page booklet.

- Tip Sheets are also headed as “Report”, “Special Report”, “Pamphlet”, “Fact Sheet”, “Alerts’ and “Hand Out”.

- Compiled properly, tip sheets represent brag-free guidance for your prospects. Used wisely, such pieces position you as an expert to those who would benefit from your services or products.

- You may give out a phone number/e-mail id so that people could get in touch and request a copy of the information – use this in an advertisement/radio or Television talk-show.

- You can create a tip sheet and then write a press release announcing the availability of a tip sheet and highlighting its juiciest items.

- You may ask interested people to send a stamped & self-addressed envelope and (sometimes) a nominal charge.

- Also send the Tip Sheet/booklet to key magazine and newspapers.

- Besides offering them as a lure through media publicity, you can use tip sheets as seminar handouts, add them to Information Kits about your company, turn them into published articles or incorporate selections into a brochure.

- Also keep your Tip Sheet in the form of a Web Page which you can e-mail (keep it limited to just 1 page).

- You may also develop a Quiz as a Tip Sheet – for example, “How smart are you?” – and, on the back, you may tie your promotional message to the prospect’s quiz score.

EXAMPLES OF TIP SHEETS
- 10 things to do in summer.
- The Field guide to Public Speaking.
- How to buy an Old Car.
- 7 Free ways to travel in India.
- 5 Myths about MBA education.
- 7 Steps to a Fit body.
- 10 Pitfalls of over-eating

NEWSLETTERS

newsletter, n.
1. a bulletin issued at regular intervals to subscribers, containing recent news, particularly political or economic, and often including interpretations and predictions.
2. any similar report issued by a firm, governmental agency, etc. to keep employees or the public informed of pertinent matters.

Business can also send their newsletters to prospective customers and the media. Companies in the ‘knowledge intensive’ businesslike consultancies often publish & send newsletters on their websites and send them to client & subscribes through email. The internet has been great for using newsletters as a marketing tool.

WHAT DOES A NEWSLETTER DO?
- Induces potential customers to spend more time in the virtual presence of your company than a typical brochure, advertisement or direct-mail piece. The extra time breeds familiarity – this is especially crucial when selling through e-mail. Send a useful newsletter with embedded product literature instead.

- Gives clients and prospects something more substantive to save than a business card – it has advice of lasting worth.

- Helps clients and prospects understand the range and depth of your capabilities.

- For products and services whose benefits aren’t easily fathomed, success stories, feature stories and advice columns allow other prospects to conclude that they may need to make a certain purchase too.

- Positions you as a resource for your customer base rather than someone constantly asking for more business – it might give you ‘class’.

FEATURES OF SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTERS
A definite length: (How many pages), a definite frequency (weekly/fortnightly/monthly) and a definite expense (Price: Rs.....)

Advice articles: Advice from a law firm; auto repair tips from a mechanic.

Client/customer profiles: Stories about real people bring dry information to life. For example, how a client used your software program to achieve success. Stories like these build communities –of shared experiences.

Perspective Articles: Rather than offering advice, this kind of essay is a ‘think piece’ on an issue of importance to your clients/prospects.

List of new clients: You can use this occasionally to impress.

Queries and Answers: Centered around your field. In the beginning, you may have to make up questions to answer. Avoid questions that are so basic as to be boring or so specific that don’t apply to most of your audience.

Letter from the CEO/Founder/President: Written as a letter, often signed, and often headed by a photo, this carries a message directly from the business owner to customers. Keep it friendly, not pompous, and substantive, not composed of fluff.

News and Announcements about your business

But only what is “useful” for clients and customers.

News for your market: Professional updates and new developments that affect your readers and that they probably have not yet heard about.

Interactive Features: Like, quizzes centered around your field; or, opinion polls (especially if you have a website)

Fillers and sidebars: Boxed information items, called “sidebars” by journalists, fit the “quick read” nature of newsletters especially well. Whether they illustrate a longer article with a list or graph or stand on their own, they get high readership.

Photos or Art: With photos, always include a caption carrying a promotional message. Captions get very high

Pull Quotes: If there are no photos or illustrations, relieve visual monotony with extracts from your articles set off in large type.

Special Offers: You can include discount coupons, a plug for a new product, a calendar of upcoming events like seminars or an announcement of a contest

But, don’t overpower the newsletter’s informational content. Isolate these in a box or on a differently colored inset.

Coming attractions for the newsletter: Just like a magazine, you can announce the new issue’s highlights to create a sense of continuity and anticipation.

Concise, straightforward writing: Take special care to keep paragraphs short. Pay special attention to fact-checking and proofreading.

3 RULES FOR NEWSLETTERS
1. Include positive and happy stories
2. Keep the content up-beat, optimistic and positive – without distorting any fact.
3. Always relate the news to your customers and their community
- Alan Chapman

A NORMAL NEWSLETTER’S TEMPLATE
- It includes a name banner, a place for the date or issue number, a masthead or box for the vital information about your company as a publisher, big catchy headlines, a place on Page 1 for “In this Issue” highlights if the newsletter contains more than two pages.

- Decide early on whether you’re going to include photos, cartoons or illustrations – keep the look consistent from issue to issue.

- When you’re ready to plan a specific issue, decide on particular topics from the point of view of their promotional value.

- Feature the service that needs more exposure rather than the one that practically sells itself. Turn your spotlight on personal needs.

- Instead of merely announcing a piece of news, consider how you can put it in some context that tempts readers to send you business.

- You can end articles with a low-key call to action.- “For more information on how you...., call...”

WRITING COLUMNS & ARTICLES
Writing Columns and Articles for a magazine or newsletter and offering useful information,

- Puts you into the position of an expert.
- Gives you name recognition and credibility.

Write something that is useful and important for the readers. Sometimes, the media outlets may give you free advertising space/time in exchange for your valuable column or popular weekly articles.

For marketing purposes, you get greater pay-off from writing a regular unpaid column than from selling one-shot articles.

Most readers pay attention to the context of the articles than to bylines- few will notice or remember when you write one isolated article.

HOW TO WRITE COLUMNS & ARTICLES
1. Carefully choose the publication you approach about a column: It should target your prospects.

2. Write in a personal voice
The more readers feel you are talking to them, the more eagerly they will seek your contributions in future issues. But do not talk about yourself. Come across as a trustworthy, approachable individual.

3. Avoid promotional statements about yourself in the column.
When you convey useful information you really want them to know and understand, you sell them on thinking of you when they need your services/products.

4. Offer fresh, pertinent information.
Reveal scoops; share your theories. For example, decipher terms and procedures that baffle most of your accounting firm’s clients.

5. Don’t be bland.
Take a stand! Readers want your informed judgments. Back them up with reasons and explanations and respect people who disagree with you. If this provokes letters to the editor, good! They prove people are taking you seriously.

How To Approach The Media
Once you have come up with a focus for a column, seek out an appropriate publication that reaches your intended audience and could use coverage of your topic.

Write the editor a business letter,
- Explain the rationale for your column
- Provide a list of 8-10 column topics as well as at least one completed sample column
- Mention that you would gladly provide the column for free in exchange for a display ad and/or a biographical paragraph at the end of the column that includes contact information.
- Offer a photo to accompany the column in case they want it, since that increases reader involvement and response
- If one publication turns you down, shop it around to the next
- For a one-shot article, write a proposal letter about the piece you have in mind, rather than submitting the completed article. This allows the editor to have you tailor the length and content to that publication’s needs.
- Make sure you propose a distinctive, specific and appropriate article rather than something vague and generic.
- A safe length for your column/article is 800-1000 words.

This was a summary of Writing For Business, by Marcia Yudkin.

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