No Bull Business Blog

13 ways to improve your writing

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing - 83 Tips to Keep You from Looking Dumb

Here are 13 ways to make your memos, e-mails and other business writing clearer and more powerful.  

1. Shorter verbs will add power to your writing. Instead of: terminate and secure Write: end and get  

2. Personalize your writing by putting people in it.

Instead of: Profits are up 12 percent.
Write: CFO Julie Smith reports profits are up 12 percent.  

3. Write in specific terms.

Instead of: He worked for a company in the South.
Write: He worked as a consultant for the XYZ Co. in Atlanta.  

4. Try to keep sentences short - between seven and 20 words.  

5. Spell out numbers from zero to nine. Use figures for 10 and higher.

Example: Work on the facility will begin in four days and last about 12 weeks.  

6. Express large numbers clearly.

Instead of: $7,000,000
Write: $7 million  

7. To give your writing a more personal tone, use contractions: it's, isn't, couldn't, here's, etc.  

8. Pronouns help draw in the reader: you, me, him, her, our, etc.  

9. Unless the reader will react negatively to your news, try to stick with the active voice.

Instead of: Two proposals were approved by the committee.
Write: The committee approved two proposals.  

10. Use questions to make your writing livelier.
Instead of: Let me know if the plan has merit.
Write: Do you think the plan has merit?  

11. Try not to proofread on your screen. You'll catch more mistakes if you print out a document.   

12. Do not rely on spell checker. It will not detect misused words.  

13. Avoid using formal, stuffy phrases.

Instead of: As of this date
Write: Today

Instead of: The committee was in agreement
Write: The committee agreed  

DIGGING DEEPER
One of the biggest problems in business is communicating clearly. How often have you had to scratch your head after trying to decipher someone's memo? For help, read the Executive Report: Business Writing: 83 Tips to Keep You from Looking Dumb

How many writing mistakes can you find?

Can you find all of the mistakes in the paragraph below? Note: We're not trying to trick you. Every error below is a common mistake by businesspeople every day.

Nothing is more embarassing than making a writing mistake. Of course, we all think its funny when we spot a mispelled word in magazine ads or on billboards. If one of your employee’s are making the the mistakes, it can be disasterous. And if you have a typo in a memo to the boss, how do you think they will view your professionalism? These kind of mistakes can be prevented, irregardless of the persons job title. The people that make the mistakes can seriously effect how other’s view you’re company. That can cost any organization money and hurt it’s profits. 

Okay, how did you do? If you found all 16, then you're brilliant.

To see the answers to this quiz, go to the PBP Executive Reports site.

The dangers of Facebook, Twitter, blogging in the workplace

Excerpted from the Executive Report - Facebook, Twitter and Your Employees: The Dangers of Social Networking

Employees are flocking to social network sites. Every organization needs to have a written policy on use of social networking sites by employees - for the good of both employees and the company.

A recent Harris Interactive survey found that just under half (48%) of U.S. adults have either a MySpace or Facebook account.

Usage statistics are much lower for Twitter, with only 5% of Americans saying they currently use it. But that number doesn't tell the whole story.

Twitter grew 1,382% year-over-year as of February 2009, registering a total of just more than 7 million unique visitors in the U.S. for the month.

As you might expect, there are substantial differences in who is and who isn't using these selected social networking sites:

• Three-fourths of those ages 18-34 (74%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, but this quickly drops off the older people get. Just under
• one-quarter (24%) of those ages 55+ have an account.
• Tweeting's also more common among the young, but not by much; only 8% of 18-34-year-olds use Twitter, while 7% of those ages 35-44 use it, 4% of those ages 45-54 and only 1% of those ages 55+ use it.
• While men and women use Twitter at the same levels (5% each), women are more likely to have a Facebook/MySpace account (52% vs. 45%).
• There's also an educational difference in usage of MySpace and Facebook. Two in five people with a high school degree or less (40%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, compared with 55% of those with some college and 52% of those with at least a college degree.

DIGGING DEEPER
To protect your company and employees, it's smart to have a policy to explains what's acceptable and what's not. To find out more, get the Executive Report - Facebook, Twitter and Your Employees: The Dangers of Social Networking

Keep it simple: 25 ways to say it better

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing- A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing 

 

One of the easiest business writing rules to remember is: Choose shorter words over longer words. The simpler you keep it, the greater the chance the reader will read (rather than skim) your memo or letter and take action. Take a look at these examples:

 

Instead of: The Board looked at several viable alternatives that will facilitate optimizing our health benefits package.

 

Write: The Board looked at a few options to improve our health benefits package. 

 

Here’s a list of some long, heavy words to avoid and substitutions:

 

   Instead of:                               Use:

  accommodate                         serve

  advise                                       tell

  affirmative                                yes

  approximately                         about

  cognizant                                 know

  concerning                              about

  endeavor                                  try

  expedite                                   rush

  facilitate                                   help

  generate                                  make

  indicate                                    say

  in lieu of                                   instead

  numerous                               many

  observe                                   see

  originated                               began

  personnel                               people 

  precipitated                            caused

  pursuant to                             under

  remunerate                            pay

  require                                    need

  retain                                       keep

  solicit                                      ask

  sufficient                                enough

  transpire                                happen

  utilize                                      use

 

 

DIGGING DEEPER

Communicating clearly and succinctly are keys to successful management. But most of us are not great writers. To get help, check out the Executive Report: Business Writing - A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing.

26 phrases you should never use in writing

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing

 

Certain phrases are part of the business world - but that doesn’t mean they’re the best choices. You can easily improve your writing and more effectively communicate by using more direct terms and phrases. Here are some examples of wordy phrases and what to use instead:

 

Instead of:                                                            Use:

At this point in time                                               Now

Come to the conclusion                                         Conclude

Despite the fact that                                              Although

Exhibits a tendency to                                           Tends

I am of the opinion                                                 I think

In the amount of                                                    for

Is indicative of                                                       indicates

It is incumbent on me                                            I must

Make a decision to                                                Decide

On the grounds that                                              Since

Perform an analysis of                                           Analyze

Pertaining to                                                         About

Prior to that time                                                   Before

Provide information about                                       Inform

Reached an agreement                                          Agreed

Subsequent to                                                      After

Take under advisement                                          Consider

The committee made an agreement                        We decided

The question as to whether                                    Whether

To summarize the above                                        In summary

Under no circumstances                                        Never

We deem it advisable                                            I suggest

With a view to                                                       To

With regard to                                                       About

With this in mind                                                   Therefore

You will find attached                                            Here is

DIGGING DEEPER
Writing clearly and concisely is key to being successful in business. This writing guide can help: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing.

Crazy but true: Zappos pays employees to quit

Should you pay employees to quit? That’s the provocative question from a new article that's rocketing around the Web about Zappos.com, the online shoe company with soaring sales.

Zappos is so serious about its commitment to amazing customers that it “bribes” new employees $1,000 to quit after a week, reports Harvard Business Review.

By offering them a leaving bonus plus their first week’s salary, Zappos weeds out reps and employees who aren’t committed to its fanatical belief in great service. Chances are, employees who refuse the $1,000 love Zappos.

The big idea: The online shoe company knows customers don’t engage with companies. They engage with people.

A fanatical belief in great service

It realizes customer service is even more important online than offline.

Here are some of the other things Zappos does differently:

• Puts its telephone number on every page of its Web site. The message: “We want to talk to you.”
• Rejects scripts. Unlike many other companies, Zappos’ reps don’t have scripts or time limits on their calls. These reps are given the power to do whatever it takes to make customers happy enough that they’ll buy again.
• Encourages employees to use social networking tools like Twitter, MySpace, etc.
• Offers free delivery both ways. Got something you didn’t like? No problem: Zappos picks up the tab on return shipping. That minimizes the risk of buying sight unseen from an online company.

You can read more at  “Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit – And You Should Too.”

Posted by Julie Power, editor, Internet Marketing Report www.pbp.com/imr.asp and www.eIMR.blogspot.com

The headline memo: And how it stops time wasters

What can you do get people to come to the point and stop wasting time? Your time, my time, the company's time.

Try limiting all internal communication to a one-page memo, with a headline that conveys the benefits.
That's how they do it at Semco, the company run by Ricardo Semler that has inspired innovators like 37signals.

In Semler's book, he writes: "If you really want someone to evaluate a project’s chances, give them but a single page to do it — and make them write a headline that gets to the point, as in a newspaper. There’s no mistaking the conclusion of a memo that begins: “New Toaster Will Sell 20,000 Units for $2 Million Profit.”

This philosophy's been adapted by 37signals. They say it has reduced unnecessary paperwork, and helped  avoid meetings that were often needed to clarify ambiguous memos. "Concision is worth the investment. The longer the message, the greater the chance of misinterpretation."

One-page memos take some practise. Employees at 37signals sometimes had to rewrite them five or ten times before managing to synthesize their thoughts. This wouldn’t have surprised Mark Twain, who once apologized for writing a long letter because he didn’t have time to write a short one.

You can read more about how 37signals has adapted Semler's philosophy or buy his book at Amazon.

Posted by Julie Power, editor, Internet Marketing Report, www.eIMR.blogspot.com

No Bull Quote

It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.
- Warren Buffett

Do ya think Eliot Spitzer asked for a discount?

It didn't take long for the jokes to start flying about now former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his sex scandal.

But No Bull admires how Shamus Brown, the sales guru, turned Spitzer's woes into his own sales pitch. Brown's EGOPOWER e-mail newsletter just arrived with the subject line: "Do Ya Think Eliot Spitzer Asked for a Discount?"

Before you think Brown was just after a cheap laugh, he actually used it to make a point about sales. An excerpt from his e-mail:

Do ya think he got a discount?

I sure hope so.

But some how I doubt it.

You see, some people just aren't that price sensitive.

In fact many premium customers use price as a proxy for quality.

Tis true.

Many of us have a built in belief that the higher the price is, the more quality there is in the service.

I think it's pretty obvious that Eliot thought this way.

It's a good reminder for your salespeople. Customers are always hammering them about price, but the truth is, most customers believe that you get what you pay for. And they really don't want second best.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every salesperson has heard it. "Your price is too high." So how do you turn price-conscious prospects into value-loving customers? This Executive Report can help: Overcoming Objections - Value vs. Price.

When the customer is a jerk!

You can't walk away from a customer - even if he's acting like a jerk.

So when you have to deal with a tough, demanding customer, try one of these tactics:

• Find common ground. Mention one area where you see eye-to-eye.
• Rush to the point. Ask, "What would you like me to do about this?"
• Play dumb. It was Columbo's tactic: "I’m confused. Can you explain why you feel that way?"
• Lay it on the line. First, explain what you can do, then say exactly what's not possible.

DIGGING DEEPER
Dealing with difficult customers isn't fun. The Executive Report: Handling Tough Customers: What Is and Isn't Working provides insight that can help employees turn difficult customers into loyal ones.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

The biggest problem with most presentations: They're too long, have too many slides, and the type on those slides is so tiny that the people on the front row struggle to read it.

So try following Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. Guy's a brilliant thinker and a venture capitalist, who has had to listen to far too many bad presentations.

The rule: A PowerPoint presentation should have no more than 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes and contain no type font smaller than 30 point.

Only 10 slides? If it takes more than 10 slides to make your point, then you probably don't have a point to make.

20 minutes? Keep the presentation tight. You'll keep the audience's attention. And if you have an hour for your presentation, that leaves 40 minutes for questions and answers - which is where the real work gets done.

30-point type? Most folks cram too many words on a slide. Besides being too small to read, it also tells the listener that you really don't know the subject. Plus, older readers can't read small type. If 30-point doesn't work for you, then use this rule of thumb: Find out the age of the oldest person in  your audience and divide the age by two. That's your optimal font size.

Read Guy's blog to find out more.

Is your Web site doing its job?

How does your Web site (or blog) rate compared to others? There's no absolute answer, but you can get a good idea by using Website Grader, a free tool. Just plug in your URL, keywords, competitors, etc. It gives a very detailed look at how your Web site is seen online. It gives you a grade, but also tells what your Google rank is, how many pages are linking to your site, etc. Worth the few minutes it takes to plug in your data.

Most Difficult Conversation: Tell employee he smells!

When it comes to difficult conversations with employees, which ones cause the most angst for managers?

Firings? Nope.

Explaining why someone didn't get a raise? Guess again.

The most dreaded conversation:

Telling an employee that he or she smells!

And the easiest conversation?

Confronting an employee about having inappropriate photos on his or her computer.

In fact, managers don't mind giving an employee bad news if he or she deserves it. But they squirm when things aren't so cut and dry, says the survey by HR News Update and Communications Update of more than 900 managers and HR professionals. The managers were asked to rate each of 19 difficult conversations on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the least difficult conversation and 5 being the most difficult.

The 5 Most Difficult Conversations (Total percentage those giving ratings of 4 or 5)

1. Telling an employee that he or she smells or has a hygiene problem (78.9%)
2. Telling an employee the company is downsizing and he or she will no longer have a job (73.8%)
3. Informing an employee that he or she is being demoted (68.4%)
4. Telling a hard working, valuable employee (but who doesn't have tremendous talent) that he or she isn't likely to rise any higher in the organization (67.6%)
5. Explaining to an employee this his or her spouse's behavior at a company event was unacceptable (53.4%)

The 9 Least Difficult Conversations (Total percentage those giving ratings of 1 or 2)

1. Confronting an employee who has porn on his or her computer (77.9%)
2. Confronting someone who is spending too much time on MySpace.com, etc. (74.9%)
3. Talking to an employee about begin tardy or missing work (72.9%)
4. Confronting an employee who is job hunting on company time (70.7%)
5. Confronting someone who has stolen from the organization (70.0%)
6. Confronting someone for sending inappropriate email (68.7%)
7. Confronting an employee who's blatantly lied (65.5%)
8. Firing an employee for cause (63.7%)
9. Confronting someone who is spending too much time on the phone (60.3%)

And the 5 Conversations with average ratings:

1. Explaining to an employee why he or she didn't get a promotion
2. Firing an employee for performance
3. Explaining to an employee that his or her clothing is inappropriate for the office
4. Telling a normally excellent employee his or her work is not up to par
5. Explaining to an employee why he or she didn't get a raise

ADDITIONAL HELP:
We've all had some of these “uncomfortable” conversations with employees. To help, you’re invited to check out the Executive Report: Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

Why optimists sell 37% more!

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Conquering Cold Calling: What Is and Isn't Working:

Attitude drives behavior. That's why pessimists don't last long in sales.

Optimistic salespeople sell an average of 37% more products and services during cold calls than their negative counterparts. How do salespeople maintain a positive attitude while dealing with gatekeepers who won't let them through or prospects who hit them continuously with the "satisfied with present supplier" excuse?

Here are five tips that may help:

1. View success in the long term and failure in the short term. Success is the long-range goal. There'll be failures along the way. Failure is always short term. The best salespeople experience momentary setbacks. It's how you process those experiences that determines whether you learn or limit yourself.


2. Reframe what you hear and see. Perception is how you choose to interpret events. If prospects tell you they're happy with their present suppliers, do you place them in the "do not call category"? Or do you accept the statement as a challenge and vow to show why they should do business with you? Whenever you get a negative message during a cold call, ask yourself, "Is there another way to perceive this situation?"


3. Remain focused. Lock in on your goal and lock out distractions. Focus is positive tunnel vision. You may not be able to control the feelings and statements of prospects, but you can control your reaction to them. You may not be able to control the outcome of your presentations, but you can control your input. You may not be able to overcome all of the objections prospects may come up with during a cold call, but you can prove them wrong about their negative impressions with your own positive attitude and behavior.


4. Practice positive mental programming. This is how you talk to yourself and how you program your thinking. Concentrate on those things that will help, not hurt you. Does it really help to obsess on negative news about your industry or the economy? Or is it better to stay positive and go out and increase your cold calling efforts? One study shows salespeople reduce their cold calling efforts by 38% during tough times. They make cold calls at 62% of their "good times" calling rate. If you increase your cold calls by 25%, you have doubled your exposure in your industry. That's positive mental programming.


5. Read inspirational stories of others who have persisted in the face of failure. It helps to know that others have walked the path before you. Fuel yourself emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Surround yourself with motivational quotes and slogans. Paste them on the refrigerator. Keep copies in your briefcase.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
More than 40% of salespeople experience cold call reluctance at one time or another. To get help, you're invited to check out these two Executive Reports: Conquering Cold Calling: What Is and Isn't Working and Cold Calling: Cracking the Voicemail Barrier.

Boss can’t spell? You’re lucky!

This might explain a few things. More than a third (35% actually) of entrepreneurs identify themselves as dyslexic, says a London professor. That's staggering when you consider that only 10% of the population is dyslexic.

But it makes sense. The study says dyslexics are:

• more likely than nondsylexics to delegate authority since they're used to getting others to help them read


• excel in oral communication


• extraordinarily creative in maneuvering around problems

Dyslexics have trained from childhood to identify people they can trust to help them. Their willingness to delegate authority gives them a great advantage over nondyslexic entrepreneurs who tend to be control freaks and do everything themselves, says the report in the New York Times.

Dyslexics tend to be hands-on who push very little paper. They lead by talking a lot, not writing memos and reading.

On the other end of the spectrum, only 1% of corporate managers are dyslexic.

Well-known dyslexic entrepreneurs: Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic Airways; Charles Schwab, founder of the discount brokerage firm; and Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinkos. Orfalea also proudly admits to having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

"I get bored easily and that's a great motivator. I think everyone should have dyslexia and ADD."