I blame Tim Ferris.
Today I will exploit six single mothers in three different counties. And tomorrow I’ll do the same. I use Virtual Assistants. And in some people’s eyes, this has become a modern day slavery trade driven by the demon Internet.
Tim, who as an Irish Hurling Champion can’t be all bad, wrote the best-seller Four Hour Work Week, which is the definitive guide for outsourcing your life. Here’s how it works.
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I help clients assess Business Plans. Part of this is checking that the numbers add up but also to see if the project in question is worth investing in. How do we know that from a fifty page document? We don’t always know, of course. But, we can make certain deductions just by looking at the first ten pages. Or even the first five. To be honest, the Executive Summary is the first hurdle you need to master if you want to get investment. Let’s look at how to do it right. [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:business plan·Costs·Executive Summary·Marketing Plan·Problem Definition·ROI
One of the hardest things about running your own business, especially if you’re trying to get it off the ground, is dealing with the constant flow of criticisms, negativity, and sniping. Part of this goes with the territory. When you try to start something, others will try to pull you back. That’s how they validate themselves. And that’s fine until their criticism begins to undermine your credibility and/or the quality of your products. One way to do this is to develop a communications plan so that all outbound messages express the same values. Another is to learn how to deal with critics in business meetings, workshops, and other public places. [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:Communications Plan·Forms·Matrix·schedule·template
In the UK, Barclays Bank report that semi-retired workers are responsible for 50% more start-ups than 10 years ago. In the UK, 67% of small business owners are over 45, while a mere 8.7% are under 34. Such data suggests that running a business actually plays to the strengths of older people. One area where my friends have done well is in Business Consultancy for small businesses (SMEs). [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:Action Plan·business plan·Chris Brogan·Consulting·Daily Rates·Home-Based·SME
Writing a Business Plan can be intimidating at first. There is so much to cover and it’s difficult to know where to start. One suggestion is to prepare yourself to go forward. What do I mean?
What I mean is to study how others write Business Plan first. Look at how they
View CommentsTags:Business Model·business plan·Example·Format·Microsoft Excel·Style
Let’s say you’re about to write your first Business Plan. Or maybe write another one for a new business. Or maybe re-write a Business Plan that didn’t work in the past. And you have a choice… You can trawl the web and download some free Business Plan or get out the credit card and buy one. Tricky, isn’t it? There is so much out there, it’s hard to resist. Ok, why am I rambling on about this? [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:business plan·Business Writing·Free·Funds. Success·Growth·Investment·Software·template
Warren Buffet’s Annual Reports were the first annual reports I ever read. To this day, I go back and re-read them to remind myself what business writing is really about – making a connection with words. That’s it. The more you can connect, the more people will read you. They may not agree with you – more on that later – but they will read what you have to say.
‘Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.’ Warren Buffett
Warren Buffet is from Omaha. Not sophisticated LA or cosmopolitan New York. Saying their simple folk is a bit patronizing. Rather they saw things as they see them. His Annual Reports are a joy to read. Most mainstream annual reports are like sedatives. You read a page or two and then the zzzzs.
What’s this got to do with business writing? Well, if customers don’t understand what you’re selling, they won’t buy. If employees don’t understand your principles, they won’t follow. If you don’t understand your own vision, you can’t lead.
Writing is a process of clarification. We edit to make things clearer. Let’s start at the top.
Conclusion
What I’ve learned from Buffet is that annual reports, proposals and other business documents can be written is a simple, easy-to-read format. They don’t have (and shouldn’t) intimidate the reader. Or bore them.
The next time your boss says the Annual Report needs to be more ‘serious’ and more professional, hand them a copy of Buffet’s letter and see what they think.
About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the Business Plan Consultant Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com
PS: The Business Plan Template is here
PPS: Another great read from Buffet is this Plain English Guide He wrote the Foreword for the SEC.
View CommentsTags:business plan·Example·form·Format·How To·Sample·template·Writers Resources
I almost got napped by the Scientologist in LA many years back. They were creepy bigtime. So, when I say Apple is a Cult, don’t take it in the same way. Maybe the Cult of Apple is like the bacteria is Yogurt, y’know the good bacteria? [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:Apple·Customer service·iMac·Japan·Sales·Techniques
This article is about writing headlines, summaries and abstracts. Before we start, what is an Abstract?
Philip Koopman, at Carnegie Mellon University, reminds us that, “Writing an efficient abstract is hard work, but will repay you with increased impact on the world by enticing people to read your publications. Make sure that all the components of a good abstract are included in the next one you write.” [Read more →]
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Where do Business Requirements start? Where do Business Rules end? One of the problems for junior Business Analysts is that they may focus so much on the Business Requirements, that they overlook how the underlying Business Rules define how the business truly functions. Unless you’re clear on the difference between the two, you may end up gathering requirements which will need to be revisited later as they contradict or even break a business rule. [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:Business Analysts·Business Requirements·Business Rules·entrepreneur·Small Business
Ever read an annual report from Warren Buffet. Try it. Easy, isn’t it? Few successful business-people write so clearly. There is no pretension, no haughty references to obscure allusions and no strange acronyms. It’s all there in black and white. Here’s what Buffet had to say about other business writers, though,
“For more than forty years, I’ve studied the documents that public companies file. Too often, I’ve been unable to decipher just what is being said or, worse yet, had to conclude that nothing was being said. If corporate lawyers and their clients follow the advice in this handbook, my life is going to become much easier.
In the late 90s, I found the Plain Language writing technique almost by accident. It’s also called Plain English, by the way. I was reading a lot about Warren Buffet a few years back and came across a nice, short document he wrote for the SEC. These are the folks who submit legal and business document to Wall Street when going on the stock exchanges. Buffet writes like he speaks. Direct, immediate and without pretension.
From the handbook:
There are several possible explanations as to why I and others sometimes stumble over an accounting note or indenture description. Maybe we simply don’t have the technical knowledge to grasp what the writer wishes to convey. Or perhaps the writer doesn’t understand what he or she is talking about. In some cases, moreover, I suspect that a less-than scrupulous issuer doesn’t want us to understand a subject it feels legally obligated to touch upon. “
He adds that “Perhaps the most common problem, however, is that a well-intentioned and informed writer simply fails to get the message across to an intelligent, interested reader. In that case, stilted jargon and complex constructions are usually the villains.”
It’s a great read and you can download it here www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf in PDF.
So, with this in mind, I wrote this short guide to help you write Business Proposals in clear English. It explains how to prepare an business documents that readers can digest in one reading. That’s the acid test. They shouldn’t have to read them twice and three times to get the meaning. It also covers how to use Plain Language writing techniques to win more business, accelerate your tender process, and encourage staff to contribute to the overall tender process.
Developing a Plain English document takes time – the first time!. For your first Plain English proposal, allow extra time to write, edit, and revise. Add more time than you would expect to your usual schedule if possible. The next time it’s easier.
Remember: you want your request for proposal to be understood in one reading. This means you need to:
Once you’ve seen the benefits of plain English compared with other writing styles, you can promote its values to your own staff and senior management. You need to get your staff onside so that they will begin writing in this style. Likewise, you also need to convince your managers of its values and possibly funding for a training program. Explain to both camps how they will benefit. Outline a high-level roadmap with timelines for the overall program.
The first time you write a plain English proposal, you may find it time-consuming and more difficult than you thought. If this is the case, you’re on the right track! Everything worthwhile is difficult the first time round – soon you will get the hang of it.
You can also approach a writing consultant, especially someone who has a proven track record of writing good, clear English.
Before you start writing, consider the following:
One very effective writing style is to write headings as questions,which each section answers. If you include sub-sections, use a numbered outline format (e.g. 1.2, 1.3) for the section headings. This helps the reader find the main sections quickly and see the relationship among subsections.
If some sections are hard to write, read them aloud and see where they are difficult to understand. Go through the document section by section.
Write the first draft of key sections first, and then work on the inside sections. Once you’ve written these, refine the text by editing each section tightly. However, make sure your text does not become too cold and dry. Write as if you were speaking to a colleague whom you respect; this often helps control the tone of the document.
Once you’ve finished the first draft, get it reviewed internally by colleagues who can add value to the review process. Don’t choose colleagues who are too close to the Proposal, as they will not see errors. Instead, get a neutral reviewer if possible. After getting the feedback, make the required edits.
If possible, ask volunteers from the target population to review the draft Proposal. Ask them if they can locate information easily. When interviewing ask open questions and you will get a better response.
Avoid closed questions, such as, is this a great RFP? Most will say Yes, just to please you – and make you go away!
Ask how much they could read in one sitting. Again, revise as needed.
Format the document to make it easy to read and attractive in presentation. If you have time, prepare a template that can be re-used for all future RFP’s. This will reduce the time spend on preparing the document.
Use several different type sizes for headings. In many documents, the headings are in San Serif font (i.e. Verdana) and the body is in a Serif font (e.g. Times New Roman). Use a contrast in style to add emphasis.
Lastly, see if the Proposal works! Ask the external reviewers how they felt using the ‘new’ plain English Proposal. Get feedback from personnel involved in the review process and collate it for distribution.
Summarize what you learned and share this information with colleagues. Encourage them to try writing plain English Proposals.
Keep a record of all the Proposals written in plain English and see if their success rate is higher than the previous styles of writing. There are more great writing resources are at: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/
About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the popular Business Planning Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him on Twitter @ivanwalsh
PS: The Audience Analysis Template is here.
View CommentsTags:Business·Format·Proposal·Style Guide·Tips·writing
It’s hard working in the dark, isn’t it? I’ve been looking at Business Proposals for a client all week (I assess Business Plans and Proposals as part of my consultancy services) and have found it very difficult to make a recommendation. Here’s the problem. The proposals are fine. They’re well-written. They look good. They have (almost) no grammar or typing errors. Even the prices are fine. So, what’s the problem?
Business Requirements Excel Matrix
The problem is that they are offering solutions to problems we don’t actually have.
Maybe someone else does but these documents don’t address our ‘pain points’. My guess is that they read the RFP we sent out and got started pronto. But…
I’m not sure.
One way is to step back and see how you can link your client’s strategic needs – what holds their business together – and what you have on offer. By doing this, you’re putting yourself in their shoes and writing the document so that it answers the issues they have. This actually makes your life simpler. Instead of writing about features, specifications, and other functionality you can dovetail your product offerings to their exact needs.
But…
First you need to identify their strategic needs.
Indeed, the fastest way to lose business is to write business proposals/business plan from your perspective and not that of your clients.
The second is to overlook how the proposed solution actually meets the client’s requirements.
You’d think this would be obvious, right? But many proposals I review miss this point. The proposed solution and the actual business requirements are very far apart.
Identify Strategic Goals
Your business proposal should focus on the client’s needs and how your solution or service solve their problem. This means that before you write the proposal,
You need to read the Request For Proposal, Business Cases, Annual Reports and other collateral that gives you an insight into their business operations. Ask yourself: what it is the client really wants to accomplish.
In other words, does the Request For Proposal, your solution and their Strategic Plan all connect. If not, revise your Proposal and close the gaps between their needs and your offering. Indeed, the more knowledge you have of the client’s strategic goals, and how they impact their business, the more likely your proposal will align with their needs.
How to do this?
Examine their strategic goals from these four different angles:
Look at the material you have gathered about the client and
the strategic goals.
Revise the Business Proposal so that it addresses each of these strategic goals.
I use an Excel spreadsheet (matrix) to captures the requirements in one column and then cross-references it against our products key features. You can develop something similar that allows you to map your technical solution against their Request For Proposal or other business documents.
In next week’s article, I will look at how to identify the client’s strategic goals. Once you have identified these, you can fine-tune your Proposal to match these goals.
The cardinal mistake that many novice business writers make is to focus on their product – and assume that the reader will have the time, patience and interest to read their material. This is forgivable when someone is charged up and wants to get the message out. And it works to a degree. The message is sent out but does anyone likes what they read? And will they be so patient the next time?
Over to you.
How can we improve this? Where do you see the connection between Request For Proposals and identifying Strategic Goals? Also, what other points should business writers bear in mind when developing their Business Proposals?
About the Author: Ivan Walsh provides Business Tips for Smart People on Klariti.com. His also runs the Business Plan Blog at http://www.ivanwalsh.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/ivanwalsh
PS: The Business Plan Template is here.
View CommentsTags:business plan·Goals·plan·Proposal·Strategy·writing
Over the past few weeks we’ve looked at how to write business proposals (and business plans) to generate new business opportunities. One way to succeed in this area is to understand how the ‘Business Case’ is generated within an organization (as this is often written before the actual RFP is sent out) and the type of concerns the business analysts have when writing Business Cases. [Read more →]
View CommentsTags:benefits·Business case·checklist·Costs·form·Procurement·Proposal·risk·template
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