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Business writing (see also Office Services for other ways to save your business money)

Company literature - who cares?    Customers do. I have helped multinational companies, charities and local firms. I can help you. My help won't cost you a fortune but it may save you one. For a FREE REVIEW of a selection of your company information contact me now or read on to see why the right words will make you more profit.

The right words     We use words to tell customers who we are, what we sell, how we operate, and how to use our products. The right words on your company literature (including your website, labels, advertising, reports, manuals, technical data, training materials, press releases, job adverts and more) are essential. Are you using the right words?

The only contact     The words on your company materials are often the only contact you have with your customers. That makes your words vital to your business. How customers respond to them can make the difference between whether they buy from you - or your competitor.

Plain English    People speak using plain English. So why, especially in business, do we see too many words, over-long sentences and too much jargon? Not to mention those unprofessional spelling and grammatical mistakes. Some company literature can be like a foreign language; many are ridiculed in the national press. We've all seen them and winced. Customers want clarity; I (as do your customers) like to be brief and to the point. It carries more weight and sincerity. It is easier to understand. It is less likely to be ignored. It avoids confusion. It can even avoid litigation.

Customer service?     Many companies give customer communication an undeservedly-low priority. It's often left to someone who has time to do it, but not necessarily the expertise. It's not easy dealing with customers. They constantly complain, can't find you, can't park, can't get you on the phone, can't understand how to use the product and can't get decent after-sales service - and it's the ones who don't complain that are the biggest worry. They just go elsewhere.

A question    When asked to review the product labels of a large veterinary company, I asked them what proportion of customer service calls were about how to use the product. They didn't know. I told them to find out. The astonishing (to them, not to me) answer was nearly 8 out of 10 calls. That told me their labels needed a lot of work. I could have spent months revising the hundreds of labels they used, but it wasn't necessary, or economical. I trained them to do it themselves.

Does this 'ring any bells'?    Many companies don't consider company literature to be very important. But put yourself in the shoes of a consumer for a moment (after all, we are ALL consumers) - how long is it since you laughed (or swore) at another company's label, manual or other documentation?

The answer    While working for a multi-national company I saved my employer an estimated £1 MILLION by rationalising their 30,000 product labels worldwide. I wrote a book about it (see below) and went on to help other companies improve their customer communication on labels, product literature and websites, and improve their profits as a result. What savings could YOU make?

Product labels & information - a specialist service    Although I am offering a wider brief - covering all your company literature - I do offer a specialist service to manufacturers and retailers to help them avoid litigation, cut costs and improve customer service - simply by reviewing their product labels. My book on the subject is being used by hundreds of companies worldwide. Including yours? Take a look at the synopsis of Label Writing & Planning - A guide to good customer communication which is available in digital, paperback and hardback editions. You can even take a look inside the book at some of the advice. Go to my home page for details.

What now?    All you have to do is contact me without obligation. Who knows how much you will eventually save?