Tom Fuszard

B2B copywriter/content marketing writer dedicated to helping you and your business succeed. Click on the "Writing Samples" tab for a selection of my samples. Need help with your content marketing? Feel free to call or email me.

Accessibility, prompt response heighten customer satisfaction

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Tis the season to shop, as retailers are noticing. An improving economy and a proliferation of smartphones are encouraging people to open their wallets. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, more than 151 million people in the US stated they shopped in-store and/or online over the Thanksgiving weekend. If you were in a store or shopping mall at the time, you can probably attest to that. Another estimate put this year’s Cyber Monday (Nov. 30) sales at $3 billion, up 12% from 2014.

Like you, I have been shopping recently. And like many, I recently placed an order online, though through a retailer’s website. The incident offers some lessons that online retailers might learn from.

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Effective communication hinges on knowing your audience

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Communicating effectively involves several important factors. According to Mike Thompson, these include taking ownership of the situation, staying focused, and knowing your recipient’s personality style.

Mike TThompson, a business coach with ActionCOACH in New Berlin, Wis., discussed these nuances during a recent meeting of the New Berlin Chamber of Commerce. He offers a different perspective on the art of effective communication: “True communication is the response you get.” Meaning, did he or she do or say what you hoped for?

One problem in business communications, Thompson says, is that workers don’t always take ownership of an issue. It can languish, with no action by the recipient.

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Writing well for social media is a must

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writing for social media, writing and punctuation for social mediaPeople seem to forget–or just disregard–the importance of writing well for social media, even their personal accounts. Keep in mind that what you put out on social media becomes identified with you: It’s all part of your brand. And what you put on the Web stays on the Web.

PRNews Online offers six reasons why the rules of grammar still apply. Although the column is aimed at PR professionals, the reasons apply to everyone. Social media addicts should review that list, paying particular attention to Rules 2 and 3 (Professionalism and Respect). Do you want to be taken seriously? If so (and you should) adhere to the rules of grammar and punctuation while writing for social media.

Grammar and punctuation errors on social media (and forums, for that matter) are as varied as the writers themselves. But I’ve seen several types of mistakes time and again. Let’s review these. If any apply, make an effort to improve. (Of course, if your copy suffers other ailments, work on those as well.)

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Prospecting tip: Don’t hang up on closing businesses

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rules for prospecing, tips for prospecting, better selling tips, successfull prospecting tipsYou’re making prospecting calls one day and come across a firm that is closing. Oh, well, you think to yourself, there are many more firms to call. And you dial up the next one.

Did it ever occur to you to continue the conversation, if even briefly? Did you ever consider the possibility that you could do some prospecting despite the firm’s misfortune?

You can, though for obvious reasons these are not high-value calls. The point is that you should take advantage of every opportunity to speak with business people. Even those in transition mode will land somewhere. You just never know what may become of those few moments on the phone.

This happened to me recently, and here is how I handled it.

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Sustainable business practices create win-win situation

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sustainable, sustainable business practicesGreen business practices are good for all

Your business is “green,” right? You incorporate the most popular green business ideas and practices; you do your part. Good for you!

Have you ever stepped back and given your program a thorough review? Many businesses take piecemeal approaches to going green: turning off lights when not needed, recycling as much as possible, adjusting thermostats. But that is changing as the country–and the world–gradually adapt the concept of sustainability.

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