Becoming Your Own Boss (BYOB, 4.2)

In the first series, Becoming Your Own Boss (BYOB, 1.x) "Introduction, Today's Employment Picture", you learned some of the facts related to the current employment picture and examined some of the choices that were available to you. In the next series, Becoming Your Own Boss (BYOB, 2.x) "Examining Your Situation", you answered some key questions to figure out if starting as an independent contractor was a good idea for you. In the prior series, Becoming Your Own Boss (BYOB, 3.x) "Preparing for Business", you examined the numerous topics (from taxes and insurance to your need for equipment and an office) that need to be considered before you take the step to establishing an independent contracting business.

This set of articles (BYOB, 4.x) covers the many requirements involved in operating a business. This third article in the series goes into detail about the marketing-type literature that you should have for your business. At a minimum your marketing literature should include an introductory letter and a resume crafted to support your business. The following sections cover the introductory letter and provide an example.

Business Marketing Literature - The Introductory Letter

Your marketing literature at the start of business must consist of at least two items: an introductory letter, and your resume(s). As you continue in business, you will find that more items become necessary, and that some of those will be general and some will be tailored to classes of clients, or to particular clients. But these two are necessary immediately on start-up.

Introductory Letter: Prepare an introductory letter that describes your services and is printable on your stationery stock. Make it factual, but make it as effective a sales tool as you can. In many instances, it will be your first representation to a prospective client. Spend some time on this letter. If you are not skilled at this, get help because it is one of your most important sales tools. As Mark Twain once said:

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.

Compose the introductory letter so that it can be used as a standard letter, but also make it easily customizable so that it can be tailored to a client or prospective client. If you needed help on the initial letter, make certain that you can customize it without decreasing its effectiveness, or make arrangements for continuing help. The following figure shows an example introductory letter with the key areas of the letter identified.

The introductory letter is your advertisement. Compose it according to the following general guidelines, but make it fit you. If at all possible, make the letter not more than one page long.

Date - Include the date at the upper right-hand corner of the body copy space. Do not crowd or encroach on the letterhead banner space with the date. Include one or two line spaces below the date.

Inside Address - In both your standard and customized letters, use the full mailing address at the top left. Do not use the two-letter postal code for the state name in the inside address. That is poor form. Instead, spell out the name. Also, although it is not necessary to include the ZIP code in the inside address, it is permissible. If you use the ZIP code, include two spaces between the state name and the code. (Incidentally, insert these two spaces in all addresses.) In your customized letter, include an "attention" line. The form should be as follows:

Attention: Mr. John Smith

or:

Attention: Ms. Mary Jones

If the letter is short enough to allow it in a nice page layout, include one line space between the address and the attention line. If the letter length does not permit this space, indent the attention line five letter spaces or so on the line immediately below the last line of the address.

Salutation - In your standard letter, use the salutation "Prospective Client:" Do not use the salutation, "Dear Sir:". The growing numbers of women in industry today make this inadvisable. In customizing the letter for a particular prospective client, use the person's last name with the appropriate Ms. or Mr. if you have not met. (If you have not met and the name of the prospective client is gender indeterminate, a quick telephone call to the company will answer the question.) If you have met (or talked fairly extensively on the telephone) and are on reasonably friendly terms, it is permissible to use the person's first name.

If the letter is short enough to allow it in a nice page layout, include two line spaces between the attention line and the salutation. If the letter length does not permit two spaces, one space is permissible.

Introductory Paragraph - In your standard letter, state who you are by your specialty. For instance: "I am a writer." or, "I am a consultant specializing in xyz." or, "I am a contractor specializing in xyz." or, "I am a software engineer." or, "I am a hardware engineer.", or whatever is a good one- or several-word description of what you do. Then state, in one or two sentences, what you can offer in services to the prospective client. In customizing the letter for a particular prospective client, modify the opening sentence or sentences as appropriate to your relationship with the person. At the end of this paragraph, include reference to any other documents enclosed with the letter. An example might be, "I have also included my outline resume and two business cards."

Main Body Copy - Open the next paragraph with something like: "As shown on the enclosed resume, my experience is ..." Some words that you might use here are: "extensive", "comprehensive", "broad", "far reaching". The idea is to introduce yourself as an experienced professional worthy of consideration. Then go on to describe your capabilities as a service provider, including your personal capabilities and those of your office. If it is pertinent to the services that you offer and your office equipment is impressive, it might be appropriate to describe it briefly. If you have associates with whom you could work on larger tasks, it is appropriate to mention that fact along with a one- or two-sentence introduction to their services as adjuncts to yours. The fact that you are thus capable of larger tasks will be attractive to some prospective clients.

Closing Paragraph - Offer to meet with the prospective client in words similar to the following: "I would be pleased to meet with you at your convenience to show you samples of my work and to discuss how I might fit in as a member of your team." In customizing the letter for a particular prospective client, modify this paragraph as appropriate.

Closing - Close with your name only, with space above for your signature. If you customarily use a nickname, and you wish for your clients to know it also, use it in the closing; that is, unless it might be considered inappropriate or offensive to some. As an extreme example of this, there was the black doctor, Oliver Wendell Jones, in the book and movie "M.A.S.H.", whose nickname was "Spearchucker". If there is even a hint of similarity with such a case, even though you might consider your nickname totally appropriate and inoffensive, do not use it in your letter.

If you are a writer, this letter will be viewed as a demonstration of your communication skill. It will be assumed that you are proficient with at least one good word processor. Also, it will be assumed that you are proficient with a page-make-up program such as Ventura, PageMaker, or FrameMaker, because the client will expect more from a writer as a demonstration of skill. Further, it will probably be assumed that you have a laser printer.

If you are not a writer, you must have reasonable proficiency with a capable word processor (Ami Pro, Microsoft Word, MultiMate, WordPerfect, WordStar, etc.) so that you can produce nice looking letters (that is, letters that look better than those typed on an old-fashioned typewriter). Also, you will need a printer that will produce high quality copy. It need not necessarily be laser printing, but it must be good quality printing.

NOTE: Remember that this letter is a sample of your work. It is effectively an indication of both your skill as a communicator and your cognitive processes. If it is not well organized and does not present a professional appearance, it will not promote a good first impression.

Store this introductory letter in your computer as a template so that you can make changes and print copies on your stationery stock as required.

The next article in this series (BYOB, 4.3) addresses several forms of your resume as important parts of your business marketing literature.

To read the rest of the series click here