Powerful Business Messages That
Get Noticed and Read
Communication does require both
Effective sending and receiving.
—ANONYMOUS
Overview Tips
BECAUSE THIS TOPIC ranked #2 in importance on a survey we conducted at the end of last year, I think it's important to devote some time to Corporate Success Business correspondence.
The topic is broad and complex, so we'll devote full coverage of it to future books and seminars. That way, we can break it down more into separate sessions. For the time being, let's take a broader-brush approach to the subject. Later on in more blogs, we'll then delve into some of the mechanics.
My suggestion is to visit your local library and take out some of the books correspondence books. Then study them at leisure. Then cross check with some of your business peers and decide from your conversations and the books from the library, which professional business correspondence books to invest in for your professional business success library. All these professional reference books will arm you with additional ideas of verbiage you can incorporate into your letters. It will be in your best interest to quickly scan several of the library books and make photocopies of the best sections from each that work for your particular corporate business needs.
You will need different types of business messages for your professional background, marketing, sales, your products solution for their product and the professional background of your corporate organization. That's your professional homework assignment.
Now let's get back to the topic at hand. In a survey of 500 professionals, 57% said that they had eliminated professional business packets submitted to them on the basis of their being poorly written and/or containing typos or grammatical errors.
Let this be a lesson to you. Your professional business introduction packet, cover letter and product/service information is often your first introduction to your potential new corporate business client. Initially, you will be judged on your written skills and your ability to effectively communicate information regarding your company’s professional and product/service background. There's just no way around it.
That being said, in today's market, if your cover letter and new business introduction packet are not perfect, you will not make the cut to the next level. The new business buyer will simply toss your paperwork in the trash can and that will be that.
After putting all kinds of time and effort into "perfecting" their new business packet, there is a tendency for some individuals to cut corners on their cover letter. Big mistake!
When all is said and done, you will feel like 90% of your time went into writing your resume and the other 10% into revising and proofing it, but the reality is really the opposite. It typically takes 10% of your time to write and 90% of your time to proof, refine, rework, and customize your resume. The same is true for your business letters.
Sales executives will typically fall into one of two categories: those who spend too much time overworking their resumes and those who rush out their resumes with a lot of typos on them.
Some of those who are overworking their new business packets are sub- consciously stalling in an effort to avoid getting out into the field. They are uncertain how to go about their new business development process and they're afraid of being rejected and let down. Most people who are looking for a new business have gone through all of these feelings at one time or another.
Make sure you put good, quality time into all your paper- work, both your new business pitches and your letters. When possible, it is best if you can customize all of your written documents for each situation you encounter. The extra effort will pay off.
Regardless of whether you follow my customization suggestion, this is NOT an area where you want to slack off. It's here where you can differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack and really shine! If you go about this process correctly, it will be the second sales tool working in your benefit. Make an extra effort to show prospective customers why you're the one they need to interview and hire for the supplying the solution to their current departments corporate problem!
Remember, studies show that, on average, a new business correspondence is initially looked at for approximately only 30 seconds. If you are successful and have piqued the potential buyer's interest, they will read your new business packet and introduction more thoroughly. If they remain interested, they will then read your corporate product information in its entirety. If the cover letter looks like it will take longer than one minute to read, however, they will be less apt to read through to the end. Your cover letter should give them a general sense of you the the problem your product./service solve and your company background. It should also help them judge the effectiveness of your communication skills.
The key here is to engage, elaborate and elevate the corporate new business conversation to the next level, buying.
If you would like to spend 30 minutes as part of a "gift" B2B business strategy session, call me at 847-304-4500 to discuss your options on how to meet your sales goals this year..
Have a great week and productive wee!
I wish you a wonderfully successful and productive week ahead.
Eleanor Anne Sweet
Queen of Sales Lead Generations.
President/CEO
Turbocharged Sales,
Division of The Remington Group, LLC
sweet@TurbochargedSales.com
