In business, bad writing can close doors before one even has the opportunity to ring the doorbell.

Last week I had lunch with a lawyer friend who was recently hired by a major Boston-based non-profit organization.  She shared her good news, along with her challenges of finding a good nanny for her two young children (3 and 19 months).  Not knowing about my blog or my passion for spreading the word about good writing, my friend said: “Do you think I am a bad person for immediately dismissing nanny applications with misspellings or poor grammar?  I feel that since these people are sending me their information via email, they have access to a spell check and possibly to a grammar check, or they have the ability to have someone else preview their application prior to sending it, so it means that they do not care enough and that their attention to detail leaves much to be desired.  I just couldn’t trust someone like that with the responsibility of caring for my children.”

If a mother of toddler children can feel that strongly about what bad writing says about a potential nanny, one can only imagine how many doors it can close of prospective employers, clients, donors and partners.

Commas help your reader figure out which words go together in a sentence and which parts of your sentences are most important. Missing commas may confuse the reader, signal ignorance of writing rules, or indicate carelessness.

A comma acts as a separator, an introducer, and a natural place to pause. Without them words run together, often nonsensically.  There are numerous grammatical rules about when to use commas (a great place to find all of the comma-related rules is: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp).  I have focused on the most commonly missed comma rules.

As always, the following examples have been taken from reputable web-sites, marketing materials, and emails received from bright professionals:

Rule: Use a comma to separate two adjectives when the word and can be inserted between them.

Example A: Butoke is a locally based non-government organization supporting development work in Western Kasai province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

A comma should be placed in between based and non-government.

Example B: Contact us today for simple practical advice and training programs.

A comma should be placed in between simple and practical.

Rule: Use a comma after introductory clauses.  Introductory clauses are dependent clauses that provide background information or “set the stage” for the main part of the sentence, the independent clause.

Example A: If you go to our Travel Club you will see what we are selling to our network of supporters.

The introductory clause, If you go to our Travel Club, sets the stage for the main part of the sentence, you will see what we are selling to our network of supporters.

Example B: After we met with our Board of Directors we re-wrote our mission statement.

The introductory clause, After we met with our Board of Directors, provides the ‘when’ for the independent clause, we re-wrote our mission statement.

To help you recognize places in your sentences where you are missing commas, read your writing out loud.  Chances are good you’ll naturally pause following a phrase where a comma is required. You can also check the beginning of each sentence to look for words or phrases that add information about time, place, or manner, or for words that serve as transitions; these are all common introductory elements.

Please let me know if I miss something, if I err, and/or if you have a piece of good, bad or unforgivable writing to share. Together we can help to spread the word about the power – and importance – of  good writing.

Doug Larson

Every piece of written content that you publish, and every email that you send, is a reflection of you and your organization’s professionalism and attention to detail and quality.  Whether it is done subconsciously or with complete knowledge, when most people read what you have written, they will be editing, analyzing,  appreciating – or not –  each and every morsel.

As one who loves words – and the powers that they can possess – I have decided to share some of the good, the bad and the unforgivable that I have seen.  Please note that although I will only share what I have actually received or discovered, the originators shall remain anonymous (unless, of course, they choose to admit to the error of their ways.

The following have been taken from actual emails that I received from well-educated professionals/professional organizations.  Each include very common grammatical errors:

Excerpt A: “…Thats great! Thank you for the offer to help.  I’m sure your knee deep in boxes. . .”

Excerpt B: “A couple of attendance reminders:  1) The event is sold out, so be sure to bring you’re confirmation, . . .4) Their will be a Q and A following. . .”

If you found all 4 grammatical errors, and are confident with your understanding of the corresponding grammatical rules, please feel free to ignore the following ‘lessons’ (and please forgive me for I cannot stop myself from donning my teacher’s hat):

Excerpt A’s Mistakes: 1) ‘Thats great” should read: “That’s great”.  Reason: “That’s” is a contraction of “that is” or “that has.” “Thats” is not a word, as the plural of “that” is “those”.  An easy rule of thumb about contractions: repeat your sentence out loud using “that is”, “it is”, “she is”, etc.  If it sounds okay, an apostrophe (‘) before the “s” is required.

2) “I’m sure your knee. . .” should read: “I’m sure you’re knee. . .” Reason: “Your” is a possessive pronoun, as in “your organization” or “your email.”  “You’re” is a contraction for “you are,” as in “you’re making yourself look bad by using your when you really mean you are.”

Excerpt B’s Mistakes: 1) ”. . .so be sure to bring you’re confirmation,” should read: “so be sure to bring your confirmation,” Reason: Please see #2 above:  ”you’re now making yourself look really bad by using you are when you mean your!”

2) “Their will be. . .” should read: “There will be. . .” Reason: “There” is used many ways, including as a reference to a place (“let’s go there”), as a pronoun (“there is my office”), or with the verb to BE (am, is, was, were, are) to indicate the existence of something or to mention it for the first time (“there will be refreshments”).  “Their” is used to indicate possession. It is a possessive adjective and indicates that a particular noun ‘belongs’ to them (“their volunteers” or “their suggestions”).

Please let me know if I miss something, if I err, and/or if you have a piece of good, bad or unforgivable writing to share. Together we can help to spread the word about the power – and importance – of  good writing.

Step 1: Determine Your Marketing and Branding Goals - If you do not have goals, how will you know when/if you are successful.  Include your entire executive and management team in the process.

Step 2: Develop an Integrated Marketing and Branding Plan - without a plan or map to follow, how will you get where you want to go?  Write it down and make it a living, breathing document – one that is revised and improved upon as needed.  Involve your entire team, company or organization.  Each and every person needs to understand his/her role in the plan, along with why it is so important to the success of your company.

Step 3: Operationalize and Evaluate Your Marketing Efforts - Turn your plan into action items, including the who and when and assessment or evaluation tools.  Set up weekly/monthly/quarterly evaluations.  Work with employees and processes in order that everyone and every process eventually receives an A+.

Step 4: Enjoy the Benefits of Your Successful Integrated Marketing and Branding Efforts!

Tap into your resources. Ask your followers to get involved. As fans of your organization they might have something useful to contribute and many will be glad for the opportunity to demonstrate their passion. It might be technical expertise about a particular topic or a personal experience related to your organization’s cause or something purely entertaining, like photos or video from an industry event.

Build widgets. Create a useful online tool that is germane to your organization’s mission. If you promote energy efficiency, for example, build a calculator that lets visitors analyze their energy consumption and costs and gives them ideas about how to be more efficient. If your organization is focused on cancer research or care, offer a ‘Donate’ widget that others can customize for use on their own websites. Just make sure it’s easy to share.

Pay attention to the pros. Folks like Joe Pulizzi, Elaine Fogel, and Jay Baer (to name but a few) offer great, free advice on their blogs. The more you follow knowledgeable professionals, from both within and outside your industry, the more ideas you’ll start to generate.

Capture the moments. There are a number of low-cost HD video cameras available, such as the Flip Video MinoHD and Creative Labs’ Vado HD that make recording, editing and sharing video simpler than ever before, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of this medium. Short videos allow you to make a more personal connection with your audience and are a nice enhancement to your mix of marketing content.

Share your slides. Although they haven’t evolved much in…well, since they were first used, slideshows are still used by many organizations. They’re useful for live events, sales pitches and face-to-face meetings with potential investors. Since you’re probably going to do the work of creating slides, then why not share them via an outlet like slideshare.net?

Don’t forget the SEO. Whenever you’re creating new content for the Web, be sure to optimize it for search engine rankings. This includes adding tags and incorporating keywords wherever applicable.

Developing useful, compelling content will not only make your own website more inviting, it will create backlinks for you as bloggers and other influencers direct their own traffic in your direction. As you generate more and more blog postings, slides and videos, your site will become a hub of activity that helps you introduce your organization to a steady stream of new visitors.

Guest Post: Jim DeLorenzo is passionate about marketing, online and off, and has been helping both small and large organizations better market themselves for the past 10 years. He lives in Central Massachusetts with his wife, son and twin daughters.

• an organization’s only true competitive advantage is creating and providing legendary service,
• it is easier and far less expensive to keep a client than it is to secure a new one,
• loyal, raving fan clients will never leave you for the competition, will increase their business with you, and will make trusted referrals to their friends, family and colleagues, and
• creating loyal, raving fan clients is essential to the success of any organization.

Create Loyal, Raving Fan Clients Through the Triple D Process

Decide:

In order to have Raving Fans, you have to plan for it.

You first need to decide what experience you want your customers to have with your company – at each and every touch-point.

Discover:

Once you have decided what you want to have happen – at each and every touch-point – you need to discover any suggestions that your clients may have that will improve their experience with your company.

Deliver:

Plus 1 percent.  Once you have a clear picture of the delightful experience you want your clients to have, you need to engage your employees so that they will deliver that experience plus a little more.

If you would like to discuss how LIDO Consulting Group can help you to create loyal, raving fans of your organization, please contact Lisa at lisa@lidocg.com or at 781-974-8968.

2010 South Shore Regional Spelling Bee Program

Although only one student, Courtland Priest of Canton, will represent his family, school, town, the South Shore, and Comcast in the 2010 Scripps National Spelling Bee in May, every one of the students is a real winner and should be proud of their accomplishment!

The 2010 Comcast South Shore Regional Spelling Bee will be available on Comcast’s On Demand (go to Local and look for Spelling Bee) beginning on Saturday, March 20th.

When: Saturday, March 13, 2010; 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Where: Holiday Inn, Rockland, MA

Come by and support these amazing students!

Last year’s super spellers starred in the South Shore Regional Spelling Bee Thank You Video, brought to you by 3xs Productions:

If you are focused on providing your clients and shareholders with a superior customer experience, making certain your employees are ‘happy’ is essential.   Happy employees are more productive, care more about the success of the company, and treat their colleagues – and clients – better.

Now I’m not suggesting that it is a company’s obligation to ‘make’ its employees happy, but there are ways that leadership and management play a formidable part in determining whether their employees enjoy being on the job.  Important questions to consider – Do your employees feel:

• satisfied with their role in the organization?
• that they have a voice in the company, their department, or their area of the organization?
• appreciated – by their colleagues and/or superiors?
• that they understand their role in the organization, and how their role benefits the company as a whole?

If you are not certain how your employees feel, ask them.  Engage your HR department, use an outside consultant or an anonymous, online survey service.  But make certain you ask. . .and react, if necessary.

Customer Experience Marketing in the Medical Industry

As long as a patient receives the necessary medical care, does it really matter if her experience is a superior one?

 I think it does.

 Over the course of the past 15 years, I have observed the experiences with medical care providers of each of my parents, my step-Dad, and my sister, and I have had my own up-close and very personal experiences with a variety of medical providers.   It is through these observations, my own experiences, and discussions with a variety of individuals – each with their own stories about their experiences with the medical industry – that I draw this conclusion. 

 A brief medical history: My mother was diagnosed with a rare form of MS twelve years ago; my father died in a local hospital after spending one month in the CCU due to a ruptured aneurysm; my step-dad – who, among other procedures, had successful double bi-pass surgery; my sister has been in and out of hospitals and seen a variety of specialists in three different states, and for a variety of medical issues; and over the course of the past two months, I have had the great fortune – or misfortune – of being a patient in two different Emergency Rooms, four doctor’s offices, two different doctors within the same practice, one specialist, and the inpatient wards of two different hospitals. 

 My Observations and Conclusions:

• Some practices and some individual doctors are concerned with their patients’ experience.  As such, they are considerate of:
  • Their patient’s time.  They do not keep patients waiting more than 20 minutes beyond their scheduled appointments.
  • Their patient’s knowledge and understanding of their physical health, situation, options and progress.
  •  Their patient’s overall mental well-being.  Before a patient leaves their office/care, they make certain they are okay mentally and emotionally.  Either the doctor herself, or someone from their office, follows up with and checks in with the patient.
  • Their patient’s complete health.  They coordinate and collaborate with colleagues, experts and other providers in order to insure that their patient’s complete health is considered.
    •  If the provider refers the patient to another medical provider for tests or other expertise, they either schedule the appointments and place the ‘orders’, or they make certain the patient has all of the necessary documentation and understanding of what they need and why.
  • The patient’s family and loved ones.  The provider takes the time to include the family and loved ones when appropriate and where the necessary consent has been provided.
• As a rule, doctors could learn a thing or two about patient CARE from the nurses and their colleagues with fewer initials following their names.
• And, as a rule, male doctors need to get over themselves and could learn a thing or two about patient CARE from their female colleagues.

  Above all other ‘clients’, patients deserve the best possible experience.  After all,  ‘Without health, there is no point.  To anything.’  ~Everett Mámor

I look forward to your thoughts and comments.