Forgive me for making a broad generalisation. If it doesn’t apply to you, read no further. Sales people write awful letters and proposals. Recent evidence demonstrates how poorly some leading politicians write. Sales people must lead and leaders must sell so writing skills are an important asset. This one aspect of my competence let me down for may years. If you like reading my articles, then I am living proof that poor writers can turn themselves into readable writers.

Sales people are hired for their excellent communications skills and leaders are chosen for the same reason. Interviewers make us jump through all sorts of hoops just to learn how well we communicate verbally. It is a good job that most interviews don’t include a writing test. If they did, many otherwise excellent people would have been passed over. It seems logical that good verbal communicators should be good written communicators. Sadly, the reality is often the opposite.

If you know that your writing skills are weak, or if you think your writing could be better, the following five tips will help. They represent some of what I have learnt since I began writing the SalesSense newsletter, over a decade ago. August 1996 was the date of the first edition. I can’t read the old stuff anymore. It makes me cringe and feel as if I have to rewrite it.

1. Turn on every proofing and grammar checking tool that your word processing software has to offer. I did this because I couldn’t spell my way out of a field, and my grasp of English grammar had deteriorated ever since I left school. It is very frustrating to be constantly reminded of your bad writing habits. Explanations given by the software on how to put things right often made little sense to me. Sometimes the software would erroneously indicate a fault and I would have to put up with the annoying green squiggly line under the offending phrase. I grimly persevered. Gradually, over time, my writing provoked fewer squiggly underlines. These days they still appear, but mostly I know what to do about them.
2. Recruit help from people close to you who are good at constructive criticism and proof reading. I have been lucky in this respect. My wife is a good proof-reader and my father in law is a very meticulous and effective critic. Consider the acknowledgments in most books. It is hard to become a good writer without the support of many other people. If you don’t have friends in your immediate circle who can help, widen your search. People like to say yes because you will owe them a favour in return.
3. Give yourself an excuse to practise. Write long ‘interesting’ letters or emails to friends who you haven’t seen for many years. Friends Reunited will turn up some long forgotten buddies. Life stories can be very interesting if they are about someone you know. Include plenty of references to the person you are writing to. When letters use the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ a lot, the reader is compelled to read on because the words are about him or her. Write letters to magazines about things that interest you. You may even win a letter of the month prize. Alternatively, write articles and offer them for publication. The first time you see your work in print, you will experience quite a boost in your confidence. It will spur you on to keep improving.
4. Keep it short! This may seem odd advice if you struggle to think of what to write. Words on a page are much easier to digest if they take the shortest route to clarity. ‘Wordiness’ and ‘Passive Voice’ were the most common complaints from my word processing software in the early days. Get to the point quickly and readers will thank you by reading on.
5. Expect to re write what you write. I have seldom been happy with the first draft of anything I have written. Asking around, I find that most professional writers expect to review and revise their work several times before they allow it to be sent or published. People who don’t know you will judge you by what you write. Check, check, and check again.

Leading and selling are largely about communication. Barristers are experts in law and communication. Doctors are experts in medicine and communication. Accountants are experts in finance, control, and measurement. Professional sales people must have experts knowledge about their products and services as well as communication. Leaders need more than an inspiring and believable vision of the future; they need the ability to sell it to others.

Good writing skills may be all the differentiation a leader needs to be effective or a sales person needs to stand out from competitors.

Article by Clive Miller
Questions and comments to clive@salessense.co.uk