The Society of Professional Consultants

Everyone writes. Whether you’re writing an email to a client, putting together a proposal, preparing a report, or crafting an article for publication, your writing reflects your company’s brand and either builds your credibility and authority or diminishes it.

Everyone writes. But not everyone writes effectively.

In this series of articles, we will share tips for effective business writing, including practical tools you can apply immediately to improve your written communications and guidance on how to find the help you need.

We’ll cover one tip each month — and, as a special bonus, we’ll share a list of our favorite writing resources to help improve your writing:

• Tip 1: Acknowledge the Need for Effective Business Writing — different types of business writing and the purpose of each type
• Tip 2: Understand Your Brand and Your Audience — how your brand influences your writing and why you must know your audience to write effectively
• Tip 3: Write Clear and Compelling Copy — advice on writing clear and compelling copy and how different platforms and purposes impact your writing
• Tip 4: Edit, Edit, and Edit Again — why editing and consistency are crucial to effective writing and how to establish a good relationship with your editor
• Tip 5: Don’t Go It Alone — what to look for when hiring a writer or editor and why the writer or editor you hire doesn’t need to be an expert in your field
• BONUS — a list of resources for writing and editing advice, reference tools, and where to find quality freelance writers and editors

Check back in early October for Tip 1: We will talk about the differences between traditional business writing and marketing communications and the goals of each type of writing.

Sophie Michals is a writer, editor, and writing coach who helps brainy, image-conscious subject matter experts deliver clear, concise writing with a consistent brand voice. Learn more at (SM) Edits LLC.

Erica Holthausen is the founder of Catchline Communications, a collaborative of writers and editors partnering with executives, consultants, and coaches to transform their ideas into published articles.

How do you set priorities when you start a solo consulting business? If you focus on these three tasks, you’ll improve the chances of making your business successful.

Building Authority

It’s difficult for a new consultant to compete in a crowded field. Thought leadership activities will help you establish authority and get clients to find you. Creating blog posts, magazine articles, YouTube videos, and newsletters will help position you as an expert. If you produce content that’s relevant to your potential clients, you’ll establish authority and be able to win contracts over more experienced consultants.

Outsourcing

When you start a solo consulting business, you become the director of sales, marketing, finance, contracts, IT, and PM. The more time you spend on these tasks, the less time you can spend providing consulting services. Outsourcing some of these business responsibilities will give you more time to do the consulting work you enjoy. You can end up hating consulting if you try to do all the required operations tasks yourself.

Asking for Help

The Society of Professional Consultants offers networking, mentoring, and education to new consultants from around the world. We’re a diverse group of new and experienced consultants that encourages our members to collaborate, share best practices, and learn from each other. The SPC provides a supportive environment where new consultants can ask questions about launching and growing their practice. You can view our free resources for people considering a career in consulting at https://spconsultants.org/consultant-resources.

Rick Pollak is president of the Society of Professional Consultants. He’s also the founder of Presentation Medic, a consulting company specializing in curing boring presentations. He specializes in coaching speakers for TEDx talks, executive presentations, and technical workshops.