I opened my door the other day and found an absolutely beautiful flyer announcing the grand opening of a salon and spa located close to my home.
I was so excited as it announced that the grand opening would be a huge event with drawings for free facials, massages, pedicures, and other wonderful services.
It was beautifully laid out; the color of the paper it was printed on was a calming blue, the font and the artwork was stunning.
I was looking forward to going and checking it out; I was sure I would win the certificate for a facial.
But there was a big problem, the date and time of the grand opening was not printed on the flyer! Needless to say, I did not stop by the salon or call to see when the grand opening was to be held.
I was busy and didn't want to take the time; I just didn't go.
I can't help but wonder how many other potential clients just didn't go We live in a world of modern technology which allows us to do everything quickly.
We no longer need to wait for a form to be mailed out; we can download it on-line, fill it out, and send it back with just a little click of the mouse.
We don't have to write long letters to loved ones; we have e-mail.
We can even send special occasion cards via e-cards.
Wow, we have come a long way baby! In this day and age we abbreviate, create acronyms, and take every shortcut we can to make the most of our time.
For the most part this is a great, and time efficient way of communicating.
We can text our BFF in a matter of seconds with acronyms that make texting a breeze! However, what if you are e-mailing a potential client, sending out a newsletter with hopes of generating new business, or if you are an administrative assistant writing a letter for your boss.
Are you still in the "faster is better" mode? Have you taken the time to edit your e-mail, article, or letter to make sure it is worded well, covers all of the information that you want to pass on, and that it is grammatically correct? How many times have you read a newsletter or received a flyer with misspelled words or missing information? It doesn't give you much confidence in the person or company asking for your business.
They might have felt that since they did a spelling and grammar check on the computer everything was fine.
Of course this is not true, spell check will not let you know that you typed "your" where you meant to type "you"; both of these words are spelled correctly.
You will only catch that sort of mistake by taking the time to carefully read what you wrote.
In addition, spell check will not let you know if you left out important information.
Here are a couple of editing tips that might help.
Once you have finished writing your article, flyer, or letter set it aside for a few minutes; then read it out loud.
Does it clearly reflect what you want to say, did you leave out any important information, how does your grammar and punctuation look? If you have any doubts, ask a friend or colleague to read it and give you their input.
This might take a little extra time; but it will pay off in the long run.
After all, gaining the confidence of others is how you build your business and your reputation.
So next time you are in a hurry to meet a deadline and think that you don't have time to edit, think again.
It's your credibility that is at stake.
Is that really ready to send?...
Example Check List: Important information: 1.
Date of event 2.
Location 3.
Phone number 4.
Key people or organization Commonly misused words: 1.
to/too 2.
your/you're 3.
there/their/they're 4.
than/then 5.
affect/effect 6.
capital/capitol 7.
principal/principle