The Truth About The New Rules Of Business Writing Part 11

Some more guidelines:.

Do...

* Use a team approach and good teaming strategies if different departments are involved.

* Thoroughly research the organization you're pitching and your likely compet.i.tors.

* Brainstorm what your firm can offer that others can't or might not think to include.

* Call the company and ask questions (intelligent ones), which may even establish a bit of a relationship.

* Go for evidence of what you can produce or perform.

* Edit a team-produced proposal so sections and styles meld.

* Create the final doc.u.ment with good graphic principles: white s.p.a.ce to rest the eyes, visuals.

* Proofread obsessively, many times, using many eyes.

Don't...

* Use jargon (though you may need to mirror back the company's own language to show you're on the same track).

* Use tentative language like we hope, will consider, it seems, may, perhaps, or possibly.

* Obscure the basic message with too much technical detail. Put that in an appendix.

* Drop in boilerplate sections such as company history without tailoring them to the purpose.

* Promise more than you can fulfill: This is much worse than losing a contract.

Truth 32. The letter format lets you shortcut proposals.

Formal proposals can be enormously time-consuming for organizations and entrepreneurs. If you're bidding on a government contract or for a big-money project, you usually have no choice but to complete the complex request for proposal (RFP) step by step.

But on many occasions, you can use a simple letter format to save time and anxiety. This approach works well for in-house situations, such as when you're suggesting an interdepartmental collaboration or a new system or program to your supervisors. The letter format is also a good way to go in a number of business situations that don't call for intense levels of detail.

Here's how a letter-style proposal, printed on letterhead, might begin. The subject is creating a marketing newsletter.

Quarterly Newsletter Program: A Proposal for Denali Interiors ECN is pleased to present this proposal to custom-create a print newsletter to support all Denali Interiors marketing ventures and meet the following objectives: * Build continuity in client relationships * Reinforce the Denali brand * Extend company reach to new prospects * Provide useful handouts for trade shows, conferences, and media contact.

Notice that audience and goals are built into this first section. The subsequent sections would cover the following: * Recommended format and visual style * Content ideas * Services and fees * Creative team (brief bios of the princ.i.p.als who'll work on the project) A close is added to reinforce the project value: Additionally, as part of your newsletter program, ECN princ.i.p.als will be happy to consult with you on expanding your audience base and ability to reach new clients. We can also advise you on ways to creatively reuse materials we develop, so you are able to make the most of your communication investment.

Even better than producing letter-style proposals, look for situations where you can use letters to confirm agreements-and skip the proposal process altogether. More and more savvy salespeople aim to do the hard sell in person, rather than depending on written communication. This lets them focus their energies on understanding the prospective client's viewpoint and negotiating any barriers revealed in conversation. Then they formalize the deal with a confirmation letter. For example: Dear Jack: It was great talking to you about how Acme Provisions can provide food services for your upcoming conference program. We are confident of meeting your specifications on scheduling and quality within your budget.

Specifically, Acme agrees to provide: (date and nature of service for each event) The total fee is..., payable on....

All of us at Acme are delighted to have this opportunity to meet your needs.

Your signature below will signify agreement.

You can use the same approach in a variety of situations where you're pitching for business, and practice it at different stages of the selling process. If you meet with a prospective customer, for example, and use your best interviewing techniques to understand what the company needs, you might be able to short-circuit the whole compet.i.tive RFP process by writing a good letter explaining how you can meet those needs. Or you can write a confirming letter after negotiating terms in person.

The approach works because selling anything is much better done face to face. People buy from people they trust, so relationship building is crucial. Also, some give and take is only possible in person. You can't do that via printed materials and e-mails.

Even when a bidding situation appears to be totally impersonal, try to find ways to meet the key people and become a real person to them or, at least, build a telephone connection.

Truth 33. Root grant applications in "mission"-yours and the funder's.

Creating a grant application is similar in many ways to a business proposal. The specifications provide major clues on how to articulate your goals, and the tone and language to use. So study them in depth.

A good grant request feels rooted in an organization's mission. It must also tie closely into the mission of the funding organization, because advancing that mission is the decision makers' own goal. So here, too, know your audience. Research the funder's history and previous grant recipients. Figure out what the funding organization values: Intra-agency collaboration? Groundbreaking ideas? Programs that promote inst.i.tutional change or help for specific populations?

Foundations and donors understand that maintaining day-to-day operations is a constant challenge for many nonprofits. Nevertheless, they usually prefer to fund programs-projects and initiatives that will be created, in whole or part, with the money they give. Funders these days also like to see nonprofits collaborate with other agencies, public ent.i.ties, and corporations to extend the scope of their own capabilities and operate more efficiently.

A good grant application tells a good story. The natural story line suggests how to organize the request, though of course you should follow the format you're given. One way or another, try to...

* Establish a need.

* Propose a solution.

* Explain how the idea will be implemented-process, partnerships, collaborations, staffing.

* Demonstrate the organization's solidity, strengths, and track record.

* Present the budget clearly.

* Outline what the program will accomplish and exactly how program success will be measured.

Good grant-writing techniques-Applications are evaluated solely on the basis of what you write-so use your best skills to produce a concise, clear, readable, jargon-free, and error-free doc.u.ment. Editing and proofreading are essential. Spelling mistakes and bad grammar undercut credibility.

Aim for the right level of detail to support your case. If you are using boilerplate pieces-such as a standard description of the agency-take the time to tailor them to the application. If you have a typical committee-written obtuse mission statement, don't use it; or if you must, tuck it somewhere inconspicuously, and where it counts, explain your organization's reason-for-being in simple, direct words. This may not be easy, but it matters.

An executive summary is usually a plus. Take the time to work out a strong, concise overview of the story you're telling. It should set up the reader to view the application in the context you'd like. Ideally, try to excite the reviewer.

In each section, make sure your important points are right up front. Invariably, grant evaluators work through a pile of competing applications, and it is wearying work. If your meaning is dense, buried in excess wordiness, or hard to follow, your application joins the reject pile.

Most applications are very repet.i.tive, and this can make a judge especially grumpy. How much material should you repeat in the various sections? As little as possible. If you're applying for a government grant, or any with word-count limitations, you usually can't afford the s.p.a.ce. Even when there are no limits, it's risky to bore your readers. They'll just stop reading. Include just enough repet.i.tion to make each section self-contained, in case different readers evaluate them. But unless you're applying for a very high-end, big-money grant, a.s.sume a series of readers will each review the entire application and score it that way.

Focus on goals, not process-Many applications and proposals talk about what a program will "do," rather than what it will accomplish. In marketing terms, it's a matter of "features" versus "benefits. For example: We will present three workshops weekly for 12 weeks to 15 teenagers.

Works better as: We will teach 15 soph.o.m.ores to be peer mediators, able to intervene in school conflict situations and in turn to train dozens of other students in the techniques. A better school atmosphere will evolve every year.

Another example: The funding will be used to buy nine horses so we can expand our riding program.

Doesn't work as well as: The nine additional horses will enable us to give dozens of physically impaired children the life-changing experience of freedom and power their limitations generally deny them.

Individuals and organizations give money to make the world better or to make life better for people. Your application should show how you will do that.

And, provide as much hard evidence as you can of your organization's success, and, how you plan to measure the effectiveness of the proposed program. Today's keyword is accountability: It can be hard to show how you've changed people's lives, or what bad things you've prevented, but those who make decisions on substantial grants want applicants to talk the language of business. Find ways to quantify "return on investment."

Build relationships, too-Giving money involves trust and faith. So relationships make a difference. Look for opportunities to personalize your dealings with grant givers and make your organization more than just a name to them. You might call to ask whether your agency is eligible; pose questions about the best way to fill out the application; find out who previous recipients were, if that information is not easily available; check whether the application was received; or if you have something important to add after you've applied, like another grant award. Communicate the importance of the agency's mission and your total belief in it as a subtext.

Follow up, too. Be gracious and appreciative if you don't get the grant. Consider asking what you might do differently in the future.

And puh-lease, when you get a grant, supply a solid written report on what you accomplished with the money, even if the funder didn't require it. Surprisingly, many nonprofits don't do this, or do it poorly, which shows disrespect. If you apply to the same organization again, this omission will be discussed by the review committee and held against you. Count on it.

Part VI: The truth about Web sites.

Truth 34. Writing is the missing factor in your compet.i.tors' Web sites.

Most organizations create Web sites with an underlying flaw that can be fatal, virtually speaking. The site is painstakingly structured and designed, and when everything is in place, someone says, "Okay, now go get the copy."

Then the PR staff digs out the company's old promotional brochure so it can be crammed into the s.p.a.ces left by the designer. This presents two problems: First, even good copy written for print is unsuitable for online use. Web site copy generally should be half the length of print copy and devoid of empty phrases and promotional hype. Because reading on screen differs from reading on paper, to work well, Web site copy needs to be carefully crafted for the medium.

And second, by leaving the writing for last, chances are that no one has planned the site properly. The designer cares about how the pages look. The programmers are concerned with site structure and navigation. Other specialists may focus on search-engine optimization. Who asks what the site's goals are, who its audiences will be, what features might draw visitors, and how they will use it?

Even if the site development team includes marketing mavens, it's important to give the writing function a place at the table during the early planning stages.

When you're involved in building a departmental Web site-or in creating one for your own business-fill the vacuum: a.s.sume the role of thinker and planner, and view the job as packaging information. Look at the design and production functions as serving the business purposes you want to achieve. Do this tactfully, of course. This is a team enterprise, and it is the good meshing of skills-and planning-that creates great sites.

What defines good Web site writing?-As always, knowing what to aim for makes the difference. But for Web sites, "writing" means more than just contributing words. Whether you're able to work with the best graphic designers and programmers or are in do-it-yourself mode, Web sites require a big-picture perspective.

Good Web site writing is built on how people look at sites and use them. Remember that they are viewers, or users-not readers. They scan. People decide what information they want and then dive for it. Watch a high school student work on a paper on, say, the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. Probably he or she will Google "Birthdate TR," and pull this piece of information from the top site or so listed; then it's back to Google for "early education of TR," "TR's parents," and so forth, checking only the first few sites referenced for each case.

Good Web writing is tightly written-It's not edited down but crystallized and stripped of everything the user won't find compelling. Hyperbole about a product, service, or person...a promotional tone...empty statements are turnoffs, and users will skip them or go elsewhere quickly. The short-everything-is-better rule applies doubly to Web sites: short, basic words...short sentences...short paragraphs one or two sentences long, three at most. People don't like to read on screen and will resist scrolling, so you must give them less.

Think about information chunking and graphics-Package the information for the audience: Use self-contained chunks of content within a clear context so that people know where they are and what they're looking at. Individual pages should be self-explanatory-even if that means repeating material from other pages.

Because people usually come to your site via links on e-mails, other sites or search engines, they will see only what's called a "landing page"-the page that contains the material they want to see. That's why most visitors will never see your home page or read through the site sequentially. So aim for clear labeling-descriptive heads, subheads, bold lead-ins, color to draw attention. Lists and bullets work well.

Provide continuity elements throughout the site-Even though we're learning to think in self-contained information blocks, you should still provide for continuity. The graphic look should be consistent. Try to end each content page with a suggestion of something else the viewer should look at next-another product, how the company works with customers, or ordering information, for example. Some specialists feel that as many pages as possible should end with a call to action: Buy now, call us today, subscribe to our newsletter, or ask for our brochure.

Think links-Based on your subject and purpose, think how one page or one chunk connects to another, or to an outside source. Make that connection for your viewer by hyperlinking, providing instant connections to another part of the site or an online resource. But too many links will interfere with the visitor's ability to absorb content. Also, if you're linking to lots of information on other sites, your viewers may never return to your page.

Choose your writing style and tone carefully-Good Web writing can range from fairly formal to pretty casual, depending on the business. A law firm can't be flippant, for example, but an advertising firm may consider this tone a definite option.

One way to make your tone less formal is to use contractions (it's, won't, can't, and so on), but if you're aiming your site at a global audience, go easy on these because they may be misunderstood by readers whose first language isn't English.

All sites should feel friendly, accessible, and as conversational as possible.

Should a company site look and sound consistent from page to page-even if individual sections are administered by various departments? That's a company policy issue, but visual variation can work-as long as there's graphic consistency and the differences aren't extreme enough to confuse viewers.

On the other hand, word usage, spelling, punctuation, and terms and acronyms should be consistent throughout the site. Even if various pages of your site were created by different departments of your organization, the pages should be consistent with regard to the basics.

Truth 35. Web sites built on keywords and content build traffic.

How do people find their way to your site? The same way you find a resource on the Web yourself-by typing a word or phrase into a search engine box and seeing what comes up. Therefore, work up a list of keywords and phrases for your product or service. Build your headlines and t.i.tles on them, page by page, and incorporate them into each page's content. Three or four times are enough because too many mentions might be penalized by the search engines. This is part of search-engine optimization (SEO).

Suppose you sell dance shoes. Your keywords might be ballet slippers, pointe shoes, ballroom dancing shoes, and so forth. But people might type in Danskin footwear, or shoes for salsa, or dance-rehearsal supplies, etc. So you'll have to brainstorm with colleagues or staff, scout compet.i.tors to see with what search words they pepper their copy and headings, and spend some time experimenting with search engines to test out candidates and narrow down your list. In fact, if you Google "searchwords," a number of services will come up that will do this work for you; some offer a free trial run.

Some Web site producers build their whole approach on search words. The words are first defined through an elaborate process involving specialized software and services. Then every page is written to incorporate the relevant words and phrases, three or four times per page. It's challenging to make such copy creative, but the strategy can work amazingly on e-commerce sites.

And, be aware that every page must also have an HTML-coded t.i.tle geared for search engines. You'll want to work with your programmers or Web developer on crafting these.

Make content king; the search engines do. They rank sites in part by how much useful information they contain. In planning or expanding a site, think about what will be helpful or interesting to the people you want to attract. Original content is the best route to credibility, too. You might include sections such as these: FAQs (frequently asked questions), e-newsletters, company research papers or reports (perhaps condensed), press releases, unbiased information or news about your industry, articles on how to do or achieve something, reviews of new products in your field, or statistics that show trends.

Aim to be useful and be inventive. For example, in establishing a new medical partnership, a friend realized that there was no common calendar of events in her specialization, so she added one to her group's Web site. With a little a.s.sembly work every month, the partners made their site a "must" destination and clearinghouse, which helped build its reputation, visibility, and referrals. A site that sells beads can demonstrate ways to make jewelry; the dance shoe site could talk about how to fit ballet slippers.

Intranets and extranets-Well-designed company intranets help foster in-house collaboration and knowledge/information sharing among employees. They serve the same unifying function for company suppliers, distributors, shippers, and customers.

When you write material that will be posted on your company's intranet or extranet, the same rules apply as for regular Web writing: Write short, write clearly, compose brief paragraphs, use hyperlinks to move readers around the site, and make the column width narrow-probably 60-characters at most. Use headlines, subheads, and other devices to break up material.