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Your EnterQuest Bulletin - Issue 274
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| Thought for the week: "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein |
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In this week's issue:
Keep those business letters right
Writing something, especially something you know is important and which must be written in the right way, can be a chore. Many businesses get around this by having a standard letter.
A standard letter saves time and money, minor changes can be made along the way, and the letter can still be personally addressed. But while standard letters can help you run an efficient and effective business, a poor one may aggravate the recipient. What's worse, its regular use may dilute the positive impression it should be giving.
So how do you make sure your standard letters fit the bill?
First, the letter must have a clear intention. Ask yourself what its objective is. For example, your letter might be designed to prompt an order or chase a late payment. Whatever it is designed to do, it will project an image, so the language and message must do that too.
So, if you are absolutely clear about what the letter is trying to achieve, then you must make sure that what is written is also clear. Writing must be precise - if you have a January sale, does your letter say it only happens once a year?
And if you've sent a series of letters to a late-paying customer, have you headed each and every one with 'Final demand'? If so, then you're inferring the wrong message - when the customer reads letter number two, they will know that letter number one manifestly did not mean what it said.
The need to do more than just be clear - you may want to persuade, for example - makes careful writing even more important.
Here are three tips to think about when writing standard letters:
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Every letter matters and if something is going to be used hundreds of times, it matters more. So what it says and how it says it is very important - standard letters should be composed with great care.
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The text should always be checked carefully, ideally by someone other than the person who wrote it. A fresh pair of eyes can bring fresh insight.
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There should be a mandatory system of review. Once in use, every standard letter should be checked regularly. Does it still do the job for which it was intended, or does it need amended or re-drafted from scratch?
This tip is adapted from an article from EnterQuest's sister publication, BETTER business magazine. Subscribers to the magazine can read even more articles to help them run a better business, including:
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Be careful what you say in those e-mails. We take e-mail for granted these days - yet there is huge scope for misunderstanding. If you want to keep customers, make your e-mails as good as your normal service, says Bob Selden. (Issue 155)
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To receive a free copy of BETTER business magazine simply send us your name and address to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com, putting 'EQ magazine offer' in the subject box.
Each week we provide you with summaries of some popular or emerging business ideas in the UK and elsewhere around the world.
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Rent-a-room schemes. As the credit crunch bites, more people look to take in lodgers to help pay off their mortgages. The Government's Rent a Room initiative lets you receive up to £4,250 a year, tax-free, by letting a room or part of your home.
Regularly improving your vocabulary is not just about learning a new word and its meaning. It will improve your general knowledge and make you feel and act smarter in all sorts of personal and business situations.
Do you know the meaning of the word 'vitiate'?
a) weaken, impair
b) criticise, disapprove
c) make something less harmful
d) win, be victorious
Answer at the end of the Bulletin.
The following topical business issues have been recently reported in the media. Did your radar pick them up?
1) According to the British Property Federation (BPF), some retailers are in financial trouble because they have to pay rent up to three months in advance. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) wants landlords to consider which type of payments in order to help their commercial tenants?
a) weekly payments
b) monthly payments
c) fortnightly payments
d) bi-monthly payments
2) As food inflation continues to rise, restaurants and food services businesses are finding it difficult not to pass on their costs to customers. Research by Horizons consultancy has found that which of the following has had the biggest price rise over the past year?
a) eggs
b) butter
c) milk
d) oils and fats
3) The Government will look into closing a legal loophole relating to employees' tips in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act 1998. What did the loophole allow employers to do?
a) pay tips through a payroll to make up the NMW
b) pool tips and share them out at the end of the day
c) ban customers from leaving tips
d) stop tips being paid to workers under 18
Answers at the end of the Bulletin.
Design ideas, templates and images from HP
HP offers templates for creating marketing materials and stationery - the emphasis is on restaurants, estate agents and legal firms, but the site will provide design ideas for all types of businesses.
Credit and debit card help for retailers
The Retailers and Cards website provides information and advice for retailers on accepting card payments. There's information on setting up card payment facilities, the types of services available to retailers and the issues to consider when accepting card payments. If you already accept card payments, there's information on new ways of using cards to improve business.
Free cost-per-transaction calculator
Cost per transaction is the measure businesses use to gauge the total cost to the business of managing a transaction, including IT, documentation and labour costs. This free cost-per-transaction calculator comes complete with a demonstration and can be used by all UK businesses.
Cuil - a new search engine to rival Google
The founders of new search engine Cuil claim it does a good job of indexing online. Pronounced 'cool', the search engine uses more than 120 billion web pages. However, analysts are predicting that it won't be able to keep pace with Google or come out on top. Its creators are former Google engineers.
Win an e-commerce web programme worth £400
EnterQuest has teamed up with Actinic, developers of e-commerce software for small businesses, to give a lucky reader the chance to win a copy of one of the top e-commerce web programmes.
Actinic Catalog is ideal for small businesses looking to sell their products over the Internet. It provides a range of e-commerce features and design flexibility needed to build and manage an individual and highly functional e-commerce operation.
The programme enables you to handle customer account management, taxation and shipping options, stock monitoring, content management, mailing list production and digital delivery for products. It also integrates with a wide range of online payment services.
Actinic is offering one lucky reader the change to win a copy of Actinic Catalog, worth £400. To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:
Q. According to researchers Horizons, the cost of eggs has risen by what percentage over the past year?
E-mail your answer, together with your name, address and daytime telephone number, using "Actinic Competition" as the e-mail subject line, to enterquest@cobwebinfo.com.
All entries must be received by 31 August. EnterQuest and Actinic will use the information you provide for their own marketing purposes only and your details will never be shared with any third parties (except to arrange delivery of the prize). Competition rules are available on request.
This book helps even the smallest business to deliver the best possible customer service. Written by John R DiJulius, who is somewhat of an authority on the matter, it shares best practice tips and know-how. Check out:
Just one word answer
The answer is a).
Vitiate means to weaken or impair something.
The business owner's desire to open up another shop was not vitiated by recent poor sales. |
How's your business radar? The answers
1) The answer is b) - Many landlords represented by the BPF are thinking about allowing their commercial tenants to pay rent monthly. The BRC has campaigned for retailers to get a fairer deal during the credit crunch.
2) The answer is a) - According to Horizons, food businesses are having to fork out an extra 37% on egg prices, compared with what they were paying a year ago. Butter prices have risen 32%, while oil and fat prices have increased 24%.
3) The answer is a) - Employers could pay tips through a payroll to make up any shortfalls in minimum wage pay. That loophole is expected to close shortly and an announcement is expected later this week, according to The Scotsman. |
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Good luck
The EnterQuest Team
This information is meant as a starting point only. Whilst all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up-to-date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate. |
