The Killer BEs: Sharpening Your Business Development Writing

By Doug Stern, a freelance writer and marketing consultant (www.doug-stern.com) based in Louisville, KY. Contact Doug at 502-599-6624 or stern.doug@gmail.com. This article originally appeared in the LSSO Review, the Journal of the Legal Sales and Service Organization.

Boring.

That's how a lot of law firm marketing and business development people describe their firm's written sales materials. At least the ones who participated in LSSO’s recent webinar…THE KILLER BEs.

So, how does a law firm better connect in writing with its business clients? What can a business development person do to make their firm's written word livelier and more expressive?

I use three sets of guidelines.

1. BE THEMATIC
2. BE ENGAGING
3. BE WHOLE-BRAINED

These are THE KILLER BEs.

Left brain/right brain: What drives THE BEs?

I want to get read. If I do a good job with that, the chances are good that whatever I write will more likely get a result that I want or advance an idea that matters to me.
 
In order to do that, I start looking for ways to offer…
- Something of value
- Something personal

The first is cognitive. It's a value proposition that answers "so, what?" It's the piece of what I write that triggers something in the left hemisphere of my reader's brain.

It's the part that demonstrates that I understand something of value about my reader's business or industry. Or, it shows that I've solved such-and-such a problem before or know someone who has.

The second is emotional. It's the piece that connects with the right side of my reader's brain. The part of our brains that is open to being amused or slowed down. The part of us that wants to create something or admire something creative.

It's the part of what I write that depends on humor and the other things that appeal to me as a person. Things like conciseness and clarity. Or, lack of guile or arrogance.

In a nutshell, tone it down. Tighten it up. Remember that you're not always writing a brief. Converse and empathize. Don't try to impress.

#1: Be thematic

This is the framework for everything. It's a discipline that transcends conciseness or clarity. Being thematic demands that every document, paragraph, sentence and word serve a purpose. Find it.

When you do, what you write will be better organized. It will also be more forceful and better received. And, that's ultimately what you want.

How do I write thematically?

Several questions help me get rolling. I ask myself…

• Why am I writing this letter (or whatever)?
  
• Who's reading it?
  
• What's my objective?
  
• What purpose does it serve?
  
• Why does this sentence or paragraph need to exist?

Let me give you a simple example.

Dear Alyssa:
I'm writing about the article and what we can do to make it
better.

I've highlighted a couple of words. "About" and "what" tell the reader that I'm getting right to the point, signaling the reason I'm writing…and why they should take the time to read it.

Here's another tip. Readers are busy people. So, be conservative with their time and attention span.  How? Go back to basics. Use topic sentences. They're thematic!

#2: Be engaging

The thematic appeals to the left, cognitive side of the brain. It speaks to that part of us that weighs, measures and evaluates. But one size (or side) does not fit all.

It's a cluttered, competitive world out there. Given the choices readers have, they're more likely to read and retain something memorable, witty and intelligent…something engaging.

Engaging through the right side of the brain

Remember you're writing to readers who'll respond to emotional triggers as well as to the more cognitive. They like and remember copy that shows they're dealing with another person.

What touches the emotions? Consider…

• Using humor
  
• Being literary
  
• Showing empathy

These devices - and others like them - will connect with your readers, making what you write more memorable. They'll help you earn the right to be read.

Here's an example of using humor (from my Web site's client page):

"As Mark Twain (not a client) said, 'There are no great writers, only great re-writers.'"

Once again, I've highlighted the key phrase. When I'm being literary, I'm aware of writing with cadence and variety. I use imagery and metaphors. I use expressive language.

I write as if I were a poet...or, a stand-up comedian. For example, I'll use call-backs, referring at the bottom of a letter to something from the top. In other words, I'm looking for ways to be remembered, including being less linear and more asymmetrical.

I empathize. I have less of me and more of you in my writing.

#3: Be whole-brained

We're all different. I allow that my readers use both sides of their brains to varying degrees to process what I'm offering.

I strive, therefore, to be…

• Less linear
  
• More visual
  
• Less monolithic

Lessons from politics

Politicians spend a lot of time planning where they want their name on the ballot. The only thing better than being first on the ballot is being last. It's called primacy and recency.

CEOs read a B2B document the way voters read a ballot. Business people seldom start in the upper left-hand corner of a document and read every character of every word and every sentence and every paragraph until they end up in the lower right-hand corner.

Very few business readers are as linear as most attorneys. Most readers graze.

Lessons from junk-mail

Breathe. I'm not suggesting that your next statement of qualifications or cover letter look like an offer from Publisher's You-Know-What.

What I am suggesting is that there are devices that show up in direct mail worth considering…and, perhaps, adapting. Do it in the spirit that junk mail looks the way it does because it works!

Readers are prone, for example, to checking out the end of a letter first (to look at name of the person who signed it, studies show). That's why the PS after the author's signature is THE most important part of most direct-mail pieces.

In addition to the PS, direct-mail pros use devices like the Johnson Box. If you've paid attention to the direct-mail you get, you've noticed the boxed text (usually at the very top of the letter) that hits you right between the eyes with the purpose of the letter and the call to action.

Direct-mail illustrates the importance of variety. It recognizes that long words, long paragraphs and long, unbroken text is harder to read.

So, vary. Vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Write in sound bites. Remember that harder to read doesn't get done.

So, how does your firm stack up?

How well does your business development writing conform to an organizing theme? Does it engage your readers, cutting through the clutter and earning the right to get read? Do your proposals and cover letters recognize that people use both sides of their brain when they pick up something to read?

Somerset Maugham once said, "There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."

The same might be said for business writing. There are plenty of great business writers out there. No one has all of the answers.

So, stay open. You won't be bored.