Business communication is littered with long-winded documents of all kinds that we have to brace ourselves to read. The ones that frustrate me the most are the sponsorship proposals of up to 20-30 pages where the fee is not mentioned until the last page – on the basis that the selling process takes place progressively. In frustration, I used to go straight from the first page to the last page to decide if the full document was worth reading – because the fee being asked on the last page would determine whether the proposal was in the ballpark.
Similar woolly writing occurs in reports, emails, letters, white papers and marketing-based ebooks.
You can make efficient use of messaging for many purposes by using the formula below. It is also a good formula for writing an executive summary, which to many business decision makers is the most important part of a major document. If you have staff, you can get them to write their messaging in this way as well.
Use the versatile 5-step formula below for messaging in your campaign proposals to achieve better results.
Photo by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash.
Kim J. Harrison has authored, edited, coordinated, produced and published the material in the articles and ebooks on this website. He brings his experience in professional communication and business management to provide helpful insights to readers around the world. His wide-ranging career includes roles as a corporate affairs manager, consultant, author, lecturer and business manager. Kim has received several international media relations awards and a website award. He has been quoted in The New York Times and various other news media, and has held elected positions with his State and National PR Institutes.
