1. Business Plan
 Ensure Your Business Plan Conveys a Compelling Message
When you make any statement or claim in your business plan, don't think about how it
comes out of your mouth; think about how prospective investors will hear it.
[Read
More]
Avoid These Phrases in Your Business Plan
Phrases like he biggest, the best, the cheapest, and so forth are so over used most
people simply ignore them. . [Read
More]
Writing a Traditional Business
Plan by Kaye Vivian
Some of the information in these opening paragraphs is repeated in the other business plan
outline, however, both outlines are different. This outline is geared toward a more
traditional manufacturing and distribution type company and presumes you will prepare a 25
page document (about the maximum you need). [Read More]
Five Steps to An Effective Business Plan You have an idea for a
business. You know what you want to sell, who you can sell it to, and how much you stand
to earn from it. [Five
Steps Effective Business Plan]
Preparing to Write a
Business Plan by Kaye Vivian
You're going to work hard to write your business plan. It will take longer than you
think it should take and, in the end, you will be forced to do the things that you would
really rather avoid right now...like research and financial projections and identifying
the strengths of your management team in a convincing way. [Read More]
2. Business Writing
Need Inspiration to Write Articles? Check Your Stats!
"One of the best ways to promote a Website inexpensively is to write articles
about your Website's topic and submit them to free content sites." [Read More]
Beetle Bailey and Presentation Skills
As General Halftrack walked into his office, his secretary asked: "How was Lt. Fuzz's
presentation?" [Read
More]
Expanding Your Sphere of Influence
Jane Watson, "People of influence are the men and women within an organization
whose opinions count ªnot necessarily because they rank high on an
"org" chart ªbut because they have acknowledged experience or are
associated with people of authority." [Read More]
Turn Your Panic Into Profit
You're great at oral presentations, adept at one-on-one sales calls. You've even mastered
the dreaded cold call. But when it comes to writing ªputting your thoughts down
on paper you panic.[Read More]
How to Write Excellent FAQs that Answer User
Questions
You've hunted and clicked your way through the Web site, but you can't find the
information you need... [Read More]
Tips for Non-Sexist Writing
Calling attention to gender when not specifically appropriate for the situation will take
the focus off your message and dilute its effectiveness. [Read More]
 GEAR
up for Newsletter Success
Newsletters remain among the most powerful tools businesses and organizations can leverage
for promotion, sales, education and relationship-building. [Read More]
Cathy Stucker's Words That
Work
"Do you sometimes agonize over choosing just the right word for your letter,
brochure, ad or other written materials? Words have meaning, and choosing the right words
is important." [Read More]
Jane Watson asks "Is That
What You Meant To Say?"
Despite the warning that today we should write as we speak, there are a few basic truths
we can't ignore. [Read
More]
How to Network Effectively to
Secure Freelance Work
When freelancers ask me what type of marketing is the easiest, costs the least, and yields
the best results, I don't hesitate to recommend networking.[Read More]
Top 10 Power Copywriting Tricks
Small business marketing is not really about sitting around in board rooms discussing
branding strategies...it's really about selling.[Read More]
Top 10 Keys to Attracting More Clients!
It's always easier to attract the things we want in life than to chase them down and catch
them. [Read
More]
The Value of Getting Writing Help
Jack Thompson explains "Whether you are working for a small business, large
corporation, or are a student, there are numerous sources that you can turn to for help
with writing." [Read More]
10 Key Expressions to Avoid In Sales Information
"Keeping up with what words are in and out isn't hard. Yet, with all the
other more important things on our to-do list, it doesn't get remembered easily." [Read More]
Your Business Writing Should Match Your
Personality
The personality you have projected over the phone or in person to this same
audience becomes lost when you create letters, memos or reports. [Read More]
The "Write" Way to Enhance Your
Business
Dawn Josephson
While you certainly know good writing when you see it, can you write with the same pizzazz
the professionals use to hold your attention for pages on end? [Read More]
7 Skills for Business Writing
Success
They make an impact on the reader, whether positive or negative, and form the basis for
the reader's opinion of you. [Read More]
Audit Your Communications
"I have a high level job," he explained, "and I always had someone
who wrote my correspondence for me..." [Read More]
10 Tips for More Effective
Business Communications
Everyone can use a little help making their business communications more effective now and
then. Here are 10 tips you can try today. [Read More]
Academic vs Business Writing
"My wife is an English teacher. When I told her about the changes in writing
that you taught us yesterday, she got very upset. She said if I ever start a sentence with
the word and or if I ever write a one sentence paragraph she will slap my wrist." [Read
More]
The Challenge of the Home-Based Business
With the holidays around the corner, you may find yourself struggling to keep
your home-based business and your home life separate and running smoothly. And you're not
alone. [Read More]
The Changing World of Business
Writing by Jane Watson
Typewriters. Personal secretaries knowledgeable in grammar. Shorthand. Dictionaries on
desks. Photocopiers. Fax machines. E-mails. Internet. [Read
More]
8 Ideas to Add Pizzazz to Your Website by Tina L. Miller
Amidst millions of other websites, how can you make yours stand out in the crowd? [Read
More]
Communicate With Colour By
Jane Watson
It doesn't matter whether you are working for a Fortune 500 company or are a lone
entrepreneur, you must be able to express your ideas effectively. [Read More]
Things you may like to know about Copyrights
By Jan Kovarik
In the following few paragraphs, I ¯ll give you some simple facts about
copyrights that may help you in your quest to get published. [Read More]
Developing A Media Kit Built To Sell By
Karon Thackston
That sentence usually strikes a note of anxiety in most small business owners. I think the
reason is because many don't understand what a media kit is or what it should offer. [Read More]
Effective Editing: It Spells the Difference! By
Lizzie R. Santos
If you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing is a lot more than
just scrutinizing your manuscript for misspelled words or missing punctuation marks. [Effective Editing]
Keep It Simple By Jane Watson
This article is one in a series of five
articles on how to expand your sphere of influence through better communications. [Read More]
Finding Experts, Sources and Contacts by:
Pamela White
I was asked to write an article on a short deadline. No problem, I thought. Then I got the
article specifications which included quoting several experts in the article. [Read More]
8 Archaic Phrases to Eliminate by
Tina L. Miller
Take a look at your business writing. Are you dating yourself? The language you use could
be dating you, and you may not even know it! [Read
More]
Getting Published in Trade Journals by
Jennifer Tribe
Instead of a check from the magazine's editor, your "payment" comes in the form
of an extended byline or resource box - the little blurb at the end of an article that
provides more information about the author. [Getting Published]
So You Want to be a Freelancer? Here's
How! By Vishal P. Rao
Not that long ago, freelancing was something people did mainly in larger metropolitan
areas where work for writers, artists, and other creative types was plentiful and easily
accessible. [How to be a
Freelancer Writer]
How To Create A Brochure by Karon
Thackston
One of the most effective and long-standing methods of advertising is the use of a
brochure.. IF done properly. [Read More]
How Web Readers Read by
Kaye Vivian
It shouldn't come as a surprise then, that visitors to your web pages read the same way. [Read More]
The Recipe for Good Reports By
Jane Watson
Some people write the same way as I learned to cook spaghetti. When I was at university, I
was taught a surefire way of cooking "perfect" spaghetti. [Recipe-for-Good-Reports]
The Right Way To Send Your Resume by Don
Goodman
In today's job market, where you are competing with hundreds of other resumes, knowing the
right way to distribute your resume can make all the difference.[Read More]
The Run-on Sentence: From Here To Eternity by
Jean Fritz
The run-on sentence is annoying. The run-on is boring. Most important, utilizing run-ons
in your work is a sure-fire way of losing your reader. [Read More]
Selling Yourself Through Your
Writing By Jane Watson
Business writing is fast becoming a survival skill in our high-technology,
service-oriented marketplace. [Read More]
Short Copy: Understanding Its Purpose Can
Increase Sales
I believe it was Mark Twain that once said, "If I would have had time, I would have
written a shorter letter." His point being it takes much more thought and
time to write a short, concise piece than a long one. It's true, too! [Read More]
Tips for Managing a Q&A
Session by Kaye Vivian
Whether following a proposal presentation, in a client meeting, or after a seminar
presentation, everyone can use these pointers for managing a Q&A session better. [Read More]
Tips for Writing an Effective Audio Script by
Jennifer Tribe
When you think of writing, what springs to mind? If you ¯re like most people,
you think of things like books, essays, stories, and e-mails. These are all types of
writing that are typically meant to be read. [Read More]
Write Minutes, Not Hours By
Jane Watson
Do you attend effective meetings? In other words, is information shared, decisions
reached, and specific actions taken within a set time frame? [Read More]
Writing: An Important Tool In
Business By Jane Watson
In other words, if you want to be noticed within or outside your organization, you have to
be able to express yourself-clearly and concisely. [Read More]
Writing Effective Sales Copy By Vishal
P. Rao
Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do
not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words. [Read More]
Writing for a Website By
Jane Watson
The word writing is a great umbrella. It covers different styles ªacademic,
literary, legal, scientific, journalistic and business. Each has its own idiosyncrasies
that must be religiously followed by the user. [Read More]
Business Report Writing Tips
Let's assume that you have to write a document for work or study. Your instructions
consist of the title that you are to use and nothing else. Could you -- with only the
title as a guide -- write a suitable document? Unambiguously, the answer is no.
Why? Because you haven't yet been told such things as WHO the document is for, WHY they
want it or WHAT they already know. [Read More]
3. Proposals and RFPs
Kaye Vivian knows "Who's the
Competition"
There are two aspects of competition to consider in any proposal. First, who is
proposing against you, and secondly, who is the direct competition of your prospective
customer. [Read More]
Important
Things in Retention Proposals by Kaye Vivian
Reproposals or retention proposals for existing clients are some of the most difficult
proposals to prepare because the service team often feels in a defensive position,
particularly if there have been challenging service issues. [Read
More about Retention Proposals]
Proposal Writing A Golfer's
Perspective By Jane Watson
But why is proposal writing receiving more attention? Simple ªit relates to the
changing way we are doing business. [Proposal Writing]
Proposal Management Software by
Kaye Vivian
Since the early 80s when computers began to be used
widely by accounting and law firms, there have been efforts to organize and automate the
proposal writing process. [Read More]
Your First Time Preparing a Request for Proposal
"The term may sound formal or even formidable, but it's possible to write a very
effective RFP by keeping a few key issues in mind." [Read More]
SBIR and Government
Contract Proposals by Kaye Vivian
Congress has mandated that every government agency must set aside 5% of its annual budget
to award in the form of grants to small businesses. [Read
More]
How to Write Effective Selling
Proposals
"if you sell a complex product or one that involves the delivery of
professional services, learning how to write effective selling proposals can be critical
to your success." [Read More]
Preparing a Contract With an Outsource Service
Provider
The next step - a most important and responsible one - is negotiating and
preparing a contract." [Read
More]
What Goes into a Retention
Proposal? by Kaye Vivian
A retention proposal is one of the hardest proposals. When notice of a competitive bid is
given, the service team immediately begins to feel like all eyes are on them and that they
did something wrong. [Read More]
Crafting a Request for Proposal
Only a comprehensive RFP will make it easy for potential vendors to draw up their
proposals and save your own time in the long run. [Read More]
Some Important Tips On Proposals And Price
Here's a critically important copywriting technique I use when writing sales
letters and proposals for our own direct marketing services and for our clients. It's all
about "price". I see it all the time. And perhaps you do too. Letters and
proposals that bury the price at the very end of the document. [Read More]
The Most Dangerous Letters in Sales are RFP
So what's the solution? First, you must understand that the probability of
winning business from responding to an RFP where you have no relationship with the client
is so close to zero as to not be worth discussing. Unfortunately, everyone has won one or
two and believes that they are the exception. [Read More]
Essential Elements of Writing a Course Proposal
At some point in their careers, many writers may teach writing courses, either
before a ˇălive ˇŔ classroom audience or, these days, online. But how does a
new teacher develop that first course proposal? What elements should go into it? [Read More]
9 Pointers for Evaluating a Business Proposal
Finding a business opportunity on the net is easy. But evaluating the right one
for you, takes a little knowledge. With so many scams, takers and failed ventures you need
a little more than the, "highest dollar for the least amount of work" approach.
So what should you look for when evaluating an opportunity? Here are 9 pointers. [Read More]
12 Tips for Generating Leads through Cold-Calling
Cold calling can be a great way to generate quality leads. You get to speak to the
gatekeepers and stakeholders, and you get a great insight into their requirements and
influences. But cold calling is an art-form. It can be daunting, it ¯s always a
lot of work, and you always need to make a good impression. So you need to do it right.
Following are some tips which will help you do just that. [Read More]
4. Press Release and Surveys
5. Tutorials
What is a Case Study?
Rather than using large samples and following a rigid protocol to examine a limited number
of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single
instance or event. [Read More]
6. Checklists
7. White Papers
8. Headlines
9. Sales and Marketing
Writing
10 Plain Language and Plain English
11. Freelancing
Writing Query Letters
How to turn run-of-the-mill query letters into high-powered sales tools!
[Read More]
How to Multiply Your Freelance
Writing Work
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press release into $2,000 to carry out an entire PR
campaign simply by convincing clients to invest in campaigns, instead of individual
assignments. [Read
More]
What Editors Want from Freelance Writers
The world of freelance writing encompasses a broad spectrum of different subjects and
approaches to writing; these range from people interest stories in local newspapers to
technical journals and software-related publications. [Read More] |
