Spring is here and it is time to get your business house in order. Take time to do a little spring cleaning of your business processes and marketing material. Contact Connect Writing Services today to see how we can help!
Economic times remain challenging for small and large businesses alike. As the holiday season approaches, we can be thankful despite this headwind. We can be thankful for the strengths that have seen us through the past year: a strong staff, loyal customers and our own creativity.
As the New Year approaches, we need to continue to strengthen our businesses. One of the most effective ways is through business development. Now is the time to identify the tools your business development team needs. Are your operating procedures documented? Have you published best practices for business development? Do your proposals effectively represent your company’s services or products? Do you have a documented business plan for 2011?
Make these things a priority now and ready your business development team for the New Year and all of the success it has to offer!
Inc. Magazine published a great article on October 28. The article identified two reasons to document business operations.
1. Employees go on vacation and their job must be taken over by someone else.
2. Employees retire, leaving inexperienced employees to handle critical business operations.
I can think of a few more important reasons to document business operations.
3. Business documents can be used to train new employees.
4. Business documents can be used as living documents, to update procedures and document important changes.
5. Business documents can assist managers in evaluating business operations for performance, efficiency and accuracy.
Can you think of any additional reasons to keep your business documents up to date?
As fall approaches, our schedules become packed with back to school activities, upcoming holidays and busy sporting events. As if this wasn’t enough, fall is also a time to prepare for the long winter. We turn to the final page of the year, a time when many businesses begin to plan for the year ahead.
There is a great deal of uncertainty in the business community today. Documenting today’s operations, business strategies and marketing efforts can balance this continued uncertainty. Business plans offer companies an opportunity to evaluate financial needs and demonstrate responsible plans for business loans and extended credit. Procedures and work instructions clarify how operations are performed, stabilizing product and service quality while providing a training and process improvement tool for employees. Marketing materials and press releases prepare the company for the new season ahead, establishing a presence in the marketplace with their customers.
Documentation is an integral part of business growth. This year, consider turning the page and documenting work instructions, business plans, operating procedures, and workflows to improve your business and steady business operations no matter what the new year brings.
The summer is almost over and if you are like most people, you are adding a few finishing touches to your schedule. Perhaps you are trying to fit in that one last weekend get-away or maybe you are painting one last coat of fresh paint to your new porch. Whatever the project or plan, tying up loose ends always takes time.
Just like any project, those last finishing touches on a Proposal are important. Pictures and diagrams help a reader understand the scope of previous projects or the details your company finds important. Adding formatting features and white space can make the proposal easier to read. Spell check and grammar check ensure your proposal is professional in appearance and content.
Technical writing is more than just knowing how to place words on a page. It is important to use those words to tell your story and present those words in a meaningful and memorable way. The next time you sit down to write, keep these tips in mind and don’t forget to tie up those loose ends!
You’ve sold your services or products based on your amazing reputation and relevant experience. Now your potential clients and customers want to know how you are going to get the job done! Your business proposal must clearly state how you will use your resources (funding, assets, staff, etc.) to deliver. Use creative writing to emphasize your business philosophy and technical writing to spell out how your company uses its resources to meet the customer’s expectation. Always emphasize your strengths, but do not exaggerate. Make sure you deliver exactly what you promise in this important section of your business proposal. Thanks for reading and check in next week to learn about the financial section of the business proposal.
The most important section of your business proposal addresses your relevant experience to the proposed work. A business proposal should highlight the technical details of this experience, using bullet points to offset the parameters and scope of work achieved with other customers. Draw the prospect in further by coupling the technical details with a definitive message that emphasizes the difference your company made for its clients during this experience. If your company’s relevant experience is limited, search through your portfolio and leverage cross-over experience to communicate your company’s strengths. Always bring your audience back to the value your company provides to its clients and customers.
The introduction of a business proposal combines technical writing and creative writing to portray your company’s history to prospective clients. The technical writing components include your company’s expertise, along with a few basics. These basics include your location, time in business and organizational overview. These technical details must be creatively woven into your company’s story. This is your opportunity to use creative writing to start differentiating your company from its competition. Begin telling a story that will flow throughout the business proposal.
Summertime is the perfect time to slip on those fancy new sandals or slide into those comfy flip-flops. But before you do anything, don’t forget to spiffy up those feet and toes!
A business proposal is like a summertime debut of slip-on sandals. You are so excited for the season of opportunity to begin after waiting months to walk your product in front of the right prospect. But, you have to take a step back and make sure your business is ready to put its best foot forward.
To make a great first impression, the business proposal must be written to emphasize your product’s strength. From a technical writing perspective, business proposals are to include important pieces of information (company history, relevant experience, past success, method of operations, and available resources). The business proposal emphasizes an understanding of the customer’s needs and then addresses how the company meets those needs better than anyone else.
Over the next few weeks, Connect Writing Services will address how to construct a great business proposal to get you ready for your debut. Technical writing isn’t limited to complex user manuals. It can address all of your business writing needs!
I’ve started my own vegetable garden this year and I am thrilled to report my plants are growing by leaps and bounds! But, I’ve noticed a few problems. As my plants grow, they’ve become unwieldy and top heavy. Weeds and sprouts have joined in the fray too. So, it’s off to the garden to prune, rake, pull and stake, all in an effort to control the growth!
Growing can be painful, even in business. Managers are proud to announce the latest expansion or the number of new hires brought on board. But this growth must be organized and controlled in order to maintain quality, efficiency and capacity.
The best way to benefit from growth is to prepare for growth. Work instructions, job descriptions and desk procedures must be available to train and guide new employees. Even senior employees benefit from reviewing work instructions, job descriptions and desk procedures. Conveying your expectations through technical writing can reduce the stress of training, hiring and reorganizing.
So, as your company grows, don’t forget to employ important documents along with your new employees. Work instructions, desk procedures, employee manuals, and descriptions all play a role in helping your business grow into the business of your dreams.