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Why you should develop a good writing style for business

I bet you are thinking that it’s not the quality of the writing that matters, but the quality of the message that’s important? Well, you’d be wrong! First impressions are super important, especially in business. And having a good writing style is part of making a good impression.

Just think about the business writing you’ve read in the past – that could be a sales letter, an application for a job or a letter from your bank. Was there an example that made you think twice about the company or person because of the poor quality of the writing? Unfortunately, bad writing is often more obvious because it jars your eyes, breaking up the flow, which makes it difficult to concentrate on what is actually being offered. Ultimately, it sticks in your mind creating a bad impression. And bad impressions are bad for business.

First impressions

It’s an oldie but it still holds true – first impressions really do count. Actually, research shows that we decide within the first few seconds whether we like something or not. And, once we’ve decided we don’t like it, it’s a long hard slog to change that view. So, you really want to get your first impressions right and one of the best ways to do this is with great business writing skills.

That looks bad!

There are a number of things that make your writing look sloppy and untidy, which in turn reflect badly on you and your skills in other areas. Think about it – would you be impressed with a letter that started like this:

‘We have somthing that we no you are going to love.’

If you are, you shouldn’t be as it contains an unforgivable spelling error and a wrong word choice. Two simple mistakes that should have been picked up by the writer on the second read through. This indicates that it was not re-read by the writer, nor passed to a proofreader for checking before being sent out.

Be honest – what does this make you think? It would certainly make me question how the rest of the business is conducted. If they can be so careless with a simple letter that is supposed to impress me into buying from them, how careful are they when sending out parcels to customers? Am I going to get what I ordered or will I have to return incorrect items? It makes me think twice about using them and that is not good for their business.

The scenario above would be much the same if you decided to send a letter to a potential employer. Regardless of your qualifications or experience, you’re likely to be disregarded if your writing is littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, which is a great shame and a lost opportunity you can hardly afford in tough economic times.

That’s really good!

However, developing good business writing skills can have the opposite effect on how people perceive you. You can wow them with your grasp of spelling and grammar, the fluency of your writing and your logical approach. You’ll also show the recipient that you are a careful worker, who checks what you produce before sending it out, i.e. you care enough about what they think of you to make sure that you get it right. If you do this, you’ll give yourself the best chance of getting that sale, promotion or job, so it’s well worth it.

So, as you can see, spending time getting your business writing up to scratch is time and money well spent! And if you fancy improving your business writing skills, Business Training has two courses that fit the bill – Business English with Spoken English and Advanced Business English.