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In this issue:
• Marketing Article: 9 Tips For Writing Better Business Letters
• Marketing Article: Crafting A Winning Marketing Strategy

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It’s quite amazing how often business people fail to follow basic guidelines when it comes to writing their business correspondence. That might explain why so many people come to my writing help Web sites looking for help with their business letter writing. Just as businesses need to be focused and efficient to thrive and succeed, so too does the primary tool of most businesses — the business letter.

Following are a number of tips and guidelines that I have compiled while reading and writing many hundreds of business letters over the past 25+ years.

1. Limit Them To One Page
By definition, business letters should be short and to the point, preferably one page in length. Studies have found that busy business people do not like to read beyond the first page, and will actually delay reading longer letters. So, if you don’t want your letter to gather dust in an in-basket, keep it as short as possible.

2. Be Reader-Friendly
Always try to focus on the needs of the reader and make an effort to see things from their perspective. Put yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like for you to be receiving your letter. Anyone can do this, since we are all “customers” of some other business in some part of our lives.

3. Keep The Tone Formal And Factual
Generally speaking, the tone and content of business letters should be formal and factual. Feelings and emotions do not have a place in business letters. So, avoid phrases like “we feel” and use “we believe” or “we think” instead. A cordial, friendly approach is fine. Just keep it businesslike, but avoid overly formal terms like “heretofor”, “as per”, “herewith”, etc.

4. Carefully Plan Your Letter
Before writing the letter, take a few minutes to list all of the specific points you need to cover. Sometimes it may even mean a phone call to the recipient or his/her company to confirm a specific point. Remember, the purpose of the letter is to tie up all of the details on the subject at hand, so that more letters won’t have to be written back and forth.

5. Make It Clear, Concise And Logical
Use a clear and direct writing style that uses simple words and straightforward phrases. Make sure that your flow follows a logical progression, first identifying the main subject, elaborating on it, and then drawing the logical conclusion.

6. Accuracy And Timeliness Are Key
By their very nature, business letters need to be accurate and timely. They almost always have financial implications and related impacts on other businesses and/or people. Double-check all of the facts stated in the letter, and make sure that any future dates specified give others enough time to realistically complete what is expected of them.

7. Relegate Technical Details To Attachments
Often it is necessary to include detailed technical information as part of a business letter package. In such cases, use the main letter as a cover letter that lists and briefly explains and references the attached (or enclosed) documents.

8. Use Non-Discriminatory Language
Make sure that you avoid language that is specific to gender, race, or religion in all business letters, either to other businesses, or to customers. For example, use “workforce” instead of “manpower”, or “chairperson” rather than “chairman”. Most style guides contain detailed lists of the offensive terms and some suggested substitutes.

9. Eliminate Redundant Words And Phrases
There are certain words and phrases that one often sees in business correspondence that tend to make the language more complicated and cumbersome than necessary. For example, instead of the phrase “in spite of the fact that” use “although”, or instead of “in the normal course of events” use “normally”. There are many such redundant phrases, so review your letter and eliminate them.

If you are running any type of business in which business letters are important communication tools, you would do well to take careful heed of the above tips and advice. Remember, the business correspondence that you issue is a direct reflection of the overall products and/or services offered by your business. Poorly-written, amateurish, and/or shoddy business letters will surely result in lost sales.

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Shaun Fawcett is Webmaster of two of the most visited writing-help Web sites on the Net. He is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He also writes about how to create and publish books and ebooks. His main “writing tools” site is: http://WritingHelpTools.com

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For business owners and managers who do not have a marketing background, few situations prompt the same intensity of emotions as when they are faced with producing a marketing strategy. Whether they are working alone or with a consultant there is often a contradictory mix of optimism, uncertainty, excitement and doubt.

This is hardly surprising, given the complex and demanding nature of the task. It requires a good analytical knowledge of the markets that the company operates in. It also demands that businesses take a different and creative view of how they operate. It is the culmination of a complex distillation of a wide range of factors, trends and facts, into a crisp statement of intent and an action plan.

The path to this objective can be broken down into six basic steps:

1 Decide the target market segments that you will focus on. Every mature market has segments of customers, who have needs that are different from other segments. For example, in the freight business, the express market is very different from the palletised distribution segment. The express segment will pay high prices for fast turnaround, computerised tracking and electronic proof of delivery. The palletised segment is looking for a lower price and lower service offering. When you choose segments, make sure that you have the capabilities to serve them well. Sometimes businesses choose attractive segments, but they do not the infrastructure, systems and people to operate in them successfully. If you choose to target the express freight market, you need the right vehicles, depots, IT systems and sales infrastructure. Also make sure that the segment is large enough for your business. Attractive new segments are sometimes discussed in the trade press, and they generate a lot of discussion, but they can be ideas ahead of their time. RFID has been discussed in retail for over five years now, and there have been millions of articles written on it, but there are still very few real sales being made. A segment like this is one for very large businesses only.

2 Profile the customers that you will target. Build a picture of the types of businesses that will buy your products.
- Where are they located?
- What size are they?
- What needs do they want to satisfy?
- Will our product alone satisfy them?
- Who in the organisation makes the buying decision?
- Are there any influencers on that decision?
- What media do they read/ browse and what ways can you reach them?

Within your segment there may be sub-segments that you identify. If you sell office products, you may choose to target the small business segment in your local area. Within that segment, accountants and solicitors would be particularly heavy users of paper and stationery because of the nature of their businesses.

You may need to repeat this step several times if you have products or services targeted at several different customer types.

3 Clarify your competitive advantage. In each segment that you choose to operate in, you need a clear statement of why customers should select your products ahead of you competitors. You need to be clear about why you can satisfy their particular needs in a way that is superior to anyone else.

This is the steps that most needs some challenge and scrutiny. In weak plans, this is often where the problem lies. Common problems include:

- advantages repeated year after year, even though differentials have eroded
- perceived advantages are not real or substantial enough in the minds of your customers
- new competitors have not been studied and advantages have been overtaken by an innovation

Part of marketing craft is to constantly search for new threats and new business models. It is also to constantly listen to customers, especially as they explain why they like to do business with you compared to others. Do not be afraid to question them and draw them out when they do…this is some of the most valuable information you will get in business.

4 Determine the benefits of each of your products and services. This is often the least troublesome area of the plan because businesses are comfortable discussing what they make and do. The key points are to only write about benefits. Bear in mind the following copywriters ode:

Tell me quick and tell me true
Or else, my friend to hell with you.

Not how this product came to be,
But what the damn thing does for me.

Also, you must really dare to be different here. Nowadays everyone has a supplier for what you sell. Business often underestimate how different they need to be to draw a customer away from their current supplier and to start a new relationship with them.

5 List the marketing and sales methods that will be used to deliver the sales and profit objectives of the business. The marketing mix needs to be fully described and a full schedule of activities listed. Behind this schedule should be a series of calculations that show how the customer metrics in the business will change, how the margin mix will evolve, how the sales forecast has been made, and how the marketing costs have been calculated.

This can be a complex task, but as long as it is based on historical data, it has a low risk of error.

This step has two purposes. The first is that it summarises how the first four steps are going to be turned into action. Secondly, it is a tool for management to see if the steps are being carried out. It should contain all the information on who is responsible for doing what, and when.

6 Summarise the impact on the P&L. Marketing is an investment, and it should always be measured in terms of the results that it produces. The business strategy will determine the business priorities, and this summary will show how the marketing plan will make its contribution, whether it is in sales growth, profit increase, or cost savings. Behind the P&L should be the key monthly marketing indicators that will drive the forecast results. Senior management can review these indicators regularly, and can take appropriate action if they deviate from the plan.

If you follow these steps, then you will have a plan that is actionable and measurable. You can take action and if some parts work and some don’t, you can investigate the problems and make the necessary changes. In this way the plan puts you in control of your business and as the plan evolves you are learning about what works and what doesn’t. This I believe is what Eisenhower meant when he said

“A plan is nothing; planning is everything”

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Mark McCormack, a B2B marketing consultant, has over 20 years experience in all aspects of marketing and internet marketing. Contact him at mark@markmedia.org.uk. or visit www.markmedia.org.uk