WHAT SKILLS DO ENTREPRENEURS

NEED?

Communication Skills

Communication is key in business Businesspeople are always

communicating in order to make the next business decision

Team work Writing letters Memos Talking on the phone E-mail BBM

To succeed as an entrepreneur, you will need to develop your writing, speaking and listening skills

Writing Skills

As an entrepreneur, you will frequently communicate in writing

With: Customers Employees Managers Other business owners Suppliers

Good Business Writing

Communicates ideas clearly Gets results by being positive, persuasive Convincing readers that they should

accept what the writer is communicating

Business Letter

The most common form of business writing

You may write letters to:1. Solicit business2. Respond to customer questions3. Negotiate purchases4. Deal with suppliers

Must be professional/formal

It’s a little different than writing to a friend

A certain level of formality is necessary Certain standards must be respected It shouldn’t be difficult to understand Should be clear Concise Coherent Get the message across Positively

Follow the Basic Rules

1. Anything business related should be kept formal

All personal letters can be written in a personal manner

You should know the difference

2. Be sure to spell all names correctly and have the correct address No matter how well you write your letter,

a spelling mistake looks unprofessional It could cause the letter to be lost in the

mail or returned

3. Always date your business letter You may have to refer to this date at a

later time E.g. Source document

4. Use names and titles appropriately Use the person’s first name if you know

them well If you do not know them personally and

the letter is very formal, use: (Dr., Mr., Miss., Mrs., etc…)

5. Be direct and positive Always maintain a positive tone. Portray your business in an optimistic

light, even if it is bad news

6. Be persuasive and specific Make sure what you want from your

reader is clear Use non threatening language that will

persuade the reader to take the most desirable action

7. Avoid using fancy language Don’t write using language that you

would not use when speaking Use straightforward language

8. Be polite Always deal with issues in a businesslike,

professional manner Never express outrage Never become abusive Never be insulting Be especially polite when writing a bad

news letter

9. Use an appropriate closing Make sure your close corresponds to the

content of the letter If you are complaining about something,

don’t close with ‘Warmest Regards’ Use: Sincerely, Cordially, Sincerely Yours

or Cordially Yours to close your letter

10. Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors

One single mistake can ruin the outlook of a perfectly sounding letter

Sample Business Letter3519 Front StreetMount Celebres, CA 65286 October 5, 2004

Ms. Betty JohnsonAccounts PayableThe Cooking Store765 Berliner PlazaIndustrial Point, CA 68534

Dear Ms. Johnson:

It has come to my attention that your company, The Cooking Store has been late with paying their invoices for the past three months.

In order to encourage our customers to pay for their invoices before the due date, we have implemented a discount model where we'll give you 2% off your invoice if you pay us within 10 days of receiving the invoice.

I hope that everything is going well for you and your company. You are one of our biggest customers, and we appreciate your business. If you have any questions, you can feel free to contact me at (555) 555-5555.

Sincerely,

Signature

Bob PowersAccounts Receivable

Business MEMOS

Also known as a MEMORANDUM A short written form of business

communication Has a set format: Whom it is for Whom it is from The date Subject of the memo

Sample Business MemoCHOCOLATE HEAVEN EMPORIUM

MEMORANDUMTO: All StaffFROM: Management T.C.DATE: November 9th, 20--SUBJECT: STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY

It's that time of year again. As you all know, Christmas is our busiest season of the year. Every year it is a struggle for management and supervisors to find the time and energy to organize a staff Christmas party. This year, we have decided to postpone the Christmas party until after our busy season.Party DetailsDate: Second or third Saturday in January (T.B.A) Theme: Beach Food: Caribbean Special events: Karaoke and belly dancingWe apologize that the celebration will have to wait until the new year, but we guarantee that it will be worth the wait. Anyone interested in volunteering to help out with the event is encouraged to call Lucy, our events coordinator. Lucy's cell phone number is 222-3098. Please contact Lucy outside of business hours regarding this matter.Thank you.T.C.

Interoffice MEMO

A letter from one person in a company to another in the same company

Or to a group of employees Or to everyone Can be hand-delivered E-mailed Interoffice mail Faxed to one another

MEMOS

Should be:1. Clear2. Concise3. Persuasive4. Positive

MEMOS used for:

Communicating policies and procedures Assigning tasks Motivating staff Congratulate employees Announce changes

Let’s try it!!

You own a shop that sells comic books. Write a business letter to your main

supplier, a comic book wholesaler Tell the supplier that you have not

received the shipment you ordered of the most recent edition of a popular comic

Be sure to follow the rules Make up names for your business and

your suppliers business

Let’s try a MEMO

As the owner of a large manufacturing company

Write a memo to your employees Communicating a change in your

vacation policy State what the policy has been and what

it will now be Again, follow the rules