Easy Template to Write Your Own Cover Letter

Use this template to help you create your own cover letter.

Keywords:

Resumes, Cover Letters, Writing, Employment tools,

Article Body:

The following cover letter sample gives an idea of what most job hunters should do when composing these. It consists of only a very few paragraphs, and is therefore short and easy to read. The reason for this sample being short is simply because hiring managers are extremely busy and will not read long letters. They may glance at them, or skim them for statements that jump out at them, but they probably will not have time to read them. Use this sample when composing your own cover letters, and you’ll save time and get more interviews.

Date
HR Manager’s name
Company Name
Address
City
State
Zip
RE: Job Reference number (if one is available)

Dear Mr. Blank,

I’m writing to introduce myself in hopes of joining your organization, and have enclosed a copy of my resume for your review.

My background, skills and talents are in all aspects of veterinary medicine, with a particular emphasis in embryo collection and transplant. I also have strong skills in general veterinary practice, management and business operations.

I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and exchange ideas. I will call you over the next several days to make an appointment. If you prefer, you may reach me at the phone number or email address listed above.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting with you soon.

Sincerely,


John R. Doe, DVM

Enclosure

This sample was obviously for a veterinarian, but anyone in any profession can use it and customize it to suit their own needs. This is a traditional letter done in paragraph style. Another option that is gaining in popularity is the bulleted letter. A cover letter sample in the bulleted format follows.




Date

Manager
ABC Company
Street Address
City, state, zip code

RE: (reference position applied for)

Dear (ad name)


With over 20 years of experience as a military officer, I can make an immediate contribution to your organization. Highlights of my background include:

• Experienced as a pilot, flight instructor, security officer, and operations officer in charge of millions of dollars in government property and responsible for hundreds of personnel.

• Skilled in staff management, project management, security & safety, executive management briefing, and leadership of highly skilled technicians and professionals.

• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently, and lead by example. Utilize sound decision making judgement as evidenced by increased levels of responsibility and professional commendations.

I would like to discuss in greater detail the valuable contributions I would make at your organization. I can be reached at (555) 555-5555. Your time and consideration are most appreciated.


Sincerely,


John Doe

Enclosure


This sample was for a retired military aviation officer, but the basic format would stay the same for a teacher, CEO, salesman, firefighter, accountant or almost any other profession. There are two or three bulleted paragraphs that repeat qualifications, accomplishments or other highlights from the resume. The bulleted format makes them easy to see, and the bold facing on key points draws the attention of the reader to what the writer of the cover letter sample wants the reader to see, and read. Use the sample above, or the first cover letter sample, depending on your own needs, and customize them to your profession.

Free Advertising Tips - How to Write Ads that Sell

The first thing that you should remember about a free ad is that you should keep it simple. Remember, people are not going to take hour after hour to read what everybody has to say. For this reason, your free advertisement should list the benefits and details of what you are offering.

Keywords:

free advertising, how to write ads that sell

Article Body:

If you are interested in free advertising you are not alone. The fact of the matter is that more and more people are diving into free advertising because they can save a lot of money. After all, what is the point in taking out an ad in a newspaper if you can do this for free in another place? When it comes down to it, you need to consider free advertising so that you can save money yet still accomplish all of your goals.

Unfortunately, just because you are advertising without having to spend a lot of money does not mean that you are going to sell everything with ease. In fact, there is one thing that you need for sure if you are going to make free advertising work to your advantage? Do you know what this may be? You need to be able to write ads that sell. It does not matter if you know where to find free advertising if you have no clue on how to communicate this with your audience.

The first thing that you should remember about a free ad is that you should keep it simple. Remember, people are not going to take hour after hour to read what everybody has to say. For this reason, your free advertisement should list the benefits and details of what you are offering, without rambling on and on. The quicker you can get to the point the better off you are going to be.

Also, make sure that you write ads that are genuine. Remember, there is a lot of spam that makes its way onto free advertising boards. In order to stay away from this type of ad, you will want to be genuine and accurate with every word that you write. This will give you a much better rate of success.

All in all, you need to write ads that sell if you are interested in free advertising. Without the proper words you are not going to get very far. Luckily, with a bit of practice you will be creating free advertisements that convert!

Editors Help Business People Do the 'Write' Thing

You've got spelling and grammar checkers on your laptop computer, so you're all set to crank out the perfect sales letter while you're on the road.

Keywords:

Editors Help Business People Do the 'Write' Thing

Article Body:

You've got spelling and grammar checkers on your laptop computer, so you're all set to crank out the perfect sales letter while you're on the road.

But Chandra Clarke and Terence Johnson of the online editing service Scribendi.com would urge you to not hit the "print" button just yet. Those spelling and grammar checkers can make mistakes, and even one typo could not only ruin the impact of your letter but reflect poorly on you and your company.

Written marketing materials are often the first impression prospective customers have of a company. And prospects can be very unforgiving of those little typos.

In the article "Ethos and Error: How Business People React to Errors," University of South Alabama English professor Larry Beason found that mistakes in written materials create confusion regarding meaning and harm the image of the writer and the writer's company. The typos often reflect on more than the writer's communication skills, Beason said. The people he interviewed called sloppy writers "hasty," "uninformed," "careless" and "uncaring."

"If you don't care about your work," wrote one of the respondents, "why should I care about you and your business?"

But carefully proofreading your work may not be enough - studies show that people often miss their own typos. According to the studies, you see what you expect to see in your own writing, rather than what's actually there. Another person, or an editing service like Scribendi, can provide a fresh set of eyes.

Scribendi offers a variety of services, including proofreading, editing and translation. Clients upload their files to Scribendi's Web site and download their documents after the editors are done correcting and polishing.

The editors come from a variety of backgrounds, so they're familiar with their clients' fields. In addition to correcting grammar, spelling, flow and consistency, they explain word usage issues and standard writing practices, so clients learn how to improve their own writing.

When it comes to making a great first impression, Clarke and Johnson believe no project is too small. The image you create with a short press release, they say, is as important as a deal-closing presentation.

Engage Your Customer – Write About Benefits

Think quick. In 10 seconds, can you list the 5 key benefits you offer your customers? I bet you said “Yes”. But are you sure you listed benefits? If you’ll bear with me for another 10 seconds, I’d like to test out a theory on you.

Keywords:

customer service, customer care

Article Body:

Think quick. In 10 seconds, can you list the 5 key benefits you offer your customers?

I bet you said “Yes”. But are you sure you listed benefits? If you’ll bear with me for another 10 seconds, I’d like to test out a theory on you.

Recap your answers – maybe even write them down. Now list the 5 main things your business does. In other words, what are your 5 core services? What are the 5 core features of your product?

If your first list looks anything like your second, chances are you’re mistaking features for benefits. As a result, it’s likely that your marketing materials aren’t engaging your customer. Customers don’t want to know what you can do. They want to know what you can do FOR THEM.

Don’t talk features – talk benefits.

Don’t be alarmed. You’re not alone. Most business owners and marketing managers are so close to their product or service that they have a lot of trouble distinguishing benefits from the features of their offering. Ask a web host “what are the benefits of your service?”, and you’ll likely hear something along the lines of, “we offer load-balanced server clusters.” But that’s not a benefit… that’s what they do. The benefit is superior uptime and performance.

In fact, so many people think features instead of benefits that it can work in your favour – to dramatic effect. If you can accurately identify your benefits, and convey those benefits to your market, you’ll be light-years ahead of most of your competition. You’ll be converting leads into sales while they’re still bogged down trying to promote features.

So if you’ve ever sat down to write a sales letter and wondered how you’re going to grab your reader’s attention, or you’ve ever gone ‘round in circles writing draft after draft of web copy without ever hitting the mark, now you know where you were going wrong.

The only question remaining is, how do you do it right? Advertising copywriters and website copywriters do it all the time – and most of the time, they do it with benefits. Benefits are the copywriter’s holy grail. But if you’re not a seasoned copywriter, how do you identify the benefits you offer your customers?

There are any number of ways to identify the benefits you offer. This article discusses just three:
1) Customer Research
2) Speak to Your Sales Team
3) Make it Easy for Your Customer to Get Buy-In

The method you choose depends on your time constraints, budget, and level of customer interaction.

1) Customer Research
The most obvious way to identify benefits is to ask your existing customers. They’re spending a lot of money on your offering, so you can be sure they know what benefit they’re getting from it. (In many cases, it can be handy to ask them what benefits they’d like to be getting from you too!) Unfortunately, like everyone else, your customers are busy people. In most cases, you won’t get useful feedback by simply sending an email enquiry. You have to make it easy for them to respond, and you have to make it worth their while. Think about questionnaires and surveys for quantitative data, and interviews and focus groups for qualitative data. These are the simplest techniques, but you still have to make sure you interpret the results appropriately. And always remember that they’re self-report methods. People will sometimes tell you what they think you want to hear. (That’s also why you have to word your questions very carefully – try not to ask leading questions.) Of course, there are plenty of other research techniques around. Do a bit of homework and find the methods which best suit your business requirements. But don’t get carried away by the possibilities. All the research data in the world is pointless if you’re not talking the language of your customer.

2) Speak to Your Sales Team
Sadly, not every business can afford to invest in market research. If your budget doesn’t stretch far enough, try talking to your sales people. They’re out in the field every day, talking to customers. And because their livelihood depends on their success in engaging customers, chances are they’ll be able to tell you what your customers want to know. (A word of warning, though… Be careful not to make lofty promises. Unlike your sales team, written collateral doesn’t generate a rapport with your customers. Customers won’t make as many allowances, so you can only stretch the truth so far in writing before your credibility suffers. What’s more, if you do push the boundaries, you’re more likely to be held to your word!)

3) Make it Easy for Your Customer to Get Buy-In
If you don’t have the budget for in-depth customer research, and you don’t have a sales team, a good tip is to imagine how your customer gets buy-in from their boss. Quite often, the decision maker is someone higher up the food chain than your direct audience. Your audience will probably be the key stakeholder – they’ll be the user of your product, or the recipient of your service. But when they find an offering they like, there’s a good chance they’ll have to sell it to someone further up the line. If you can make this sale easier, you’ll have a foot in the door. Don’t just appeal to the sensibilities of the direct audience. You also need to ask yourself what they need to know to convince the decision maker. If the decision maker is a CFO, think Return on Investment (ROI) and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). If the decision maker is a CIO or MIS, think performance, technological sustainability, availability, manageability, and ease of integration. If the decision maker is a CEO, think liability, risk management, and ROI. And only use jargon to prove you know your stuff. Remember… jargon will probably have the ultimate decision maker scratching their head, not reaching for their cheque book.

There are many many more ways to identify benefits. This is just a very superficial snapshot of some techniques you might like to try. At the very least they’ll get you thinking benefits.

In the end, the message is simple. Forget all the fancy talk about complicated revolutionary marketing principles. Forget new-age hard-sell advertising quick-fixes. Forget looking to so-called “experts” for solutions. Just think benefits. And if you can accurately do that, the rest is just mechanics. Once you know what you want to write about, you just need to put pen to paper. And that’s a whole ‘nother story!

Happy writing!