Profitable writing and business training strategies for small businesses

Business strategies often focus on one specific direction rather than involving multiple goals. While this strict approach could allow for a process that is easier to monitor and facilitate, there can also be clear downsides. This article will discuss an example that illustrates how combined strategies involving business training and business technical writing can be more profitable for small businesses than addressing each of them in isolation.

Profitability is a useful tool to serve as an “administrative referee” in most situations involving choices and decisions such as those described here. While this may periodically require a small business owner to enlist the help of a profitability expert, prudent use of this specialized decision-making tool is always worth serious consideration. For those who are not familiar with the benefits of cost effective solutions, here is a brief summary:

• In simpler terms, the process forces a comparison of costs (which includes both time and money) and what you are getting for your money in tangible and intangible terms.
• Once that comparison is made for each of several possible options, it is a short step to having a more objective evaluation of multiple alternatives.
• When evaluating the “effectiveness” or the results of an action taken, it is also important to analyze the consequences of not doing something.
• Peter Drucker described the concept indirectly when he said, “Efficiency is doing the right things.”

How does this relate to business training and technical writing? A practical approach is to look at training first and see where it can be most profitable for small businesses. While there are many different and conflicting reports on the effectiveness of business training in practice, there is significant consensus that a short list of fewer than ten training activities typically provides the most cost-effective results. Business writing is on the short list.

Most small businesses regularly strive to increase their sales revenue, and writing business proposals is a viable strategy to achieve this goal. However, many companies lack the advanced and specialized business writing skills necessary to produce effective proposals. How do you suppose this critical capacity can be added? If training is the answer, why is there any hesitation in pursuing this dual strategy?

The biggest impediment to using business training and profitability is probably that these concepts are simply misunderstood too often. But with risks and problems to address, small businesses must make the effort to gain a practical understanding. What are the consequences of not doing this?