Compare these two sentences:

“In the author’s opinion, it is in most peoples’ best interests when excessive verbiage is avoided by people who are engaged in the act of writing.”

“Don’t fluff up your writing.”

They say the same thing, but the second one is much more direct and memorable.

Whether you’re writing website content, instructions, or an important email - every word costs your readers time and energy.  If it doesn’t pay off quickly, you will quickly lose their attention and potential business.

Pack a lot of content into a few words.

If you’re not convinced, here are some illuminating resources:
- Mark Twain said “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
- Google cuts words mercilessly.
- If you add 100 words to your website, people will read less than 20 of them.
- A book On Writing Well

You may want to consider setting up a toll-free 800 number so that you can:
· Project a more professional image
· Make it easier for your customers to reach you

Toll-free numbers used to be quite expensive - something only a big company would have. This is no longer true - you can set up a toll-free number starting at around $10-20 a month. But since most of your customers don’t know this, having one is a sure way to impress them. You’re also more likely to get customers from outside your immediate area to call in, since they don’t have to pay long-distance charges.

Here’s how it works. You set up a phone menu, and when your customers dial in, they pick what extension to call. You can forward these extensions to you and your colleagues’ local numbers and cell phones. If it’s after hours or you miss the call, their voicemail will be delivered to you via e-mail.

Here are some service providers that you can try:
· GotVMail - USA & Canada
· Toll Free Forwarding - International
· BT RingCentral - United Kingdom
· dm Club - United Kingdom

Do you have friends who talk to long-distance customers?