What’s in An Insurance Letter? The Power to Inform … The Power to Offend

Of all the business documents you produce as an insurance professional, the business letter is one of the most crucial staples in your communications arsenal. Despite all of the talk about a “paperless society” back when computers first arrived on the scene, not even the Internet, email, social media, or smartphones have been able to knock this trusty tool out of the lineup. And with the U.S. Post Office handling several hundred million business letters every day, this mode of communication isn’t going out of style anytime soon.

There’s nothing like the power of a well written letter, with its ability to inform, motivate, persuade, uplift, instill confidence, and sell.

But beware …

A poorly written letter has equal power to confuse, anger, offend, raise suspicion, erode trust, get you in legal hot water, and even lose a customer for life.

Unfortunately, poor writing habits keep many business letters from effectively communicating the intended message. So what goes wrong? Business letters can be ineffective for a number of reasons, including: 

• Failure to get to the point
• Too much technical jargon
• Cold, impersonal tone
• Pompous language
• Failure to fully know the reader or the purpose of the communication
• Poor spelling and grammar
• Disorganization and vagueness
• Excessive hedging

These writing issues can place unnecessary barriers between you and your reader, and that’s a serious problem. Why? Because your business letters represent a lot more than you might realize.

What’s in a letter?

What exactly is wrapped up in those sentences and paragraphs? What’s really at stake here? 

• Your image. Image plays a crucial role in your ultimate success or failure, and you’ve worked hard to build and maintain your professional image. The last thing you want to do is sabotage it with poorly written, ineffective business letters. Your letters need to make you look professional, polished, competent, and trustworthy.
• Your credibility. Your track record is your lifeblood in this business, and a lot of factors go into building your reputation over time: how you deal with clients, how you handle problems, how easy you are to do business with, how consistent you are in everything you do, etc. How you communicate in your business letters speaks volumes about what kind of person or business you are, and ultimately impacts your reputation.
• Your bottom line. Your image and credibility obviously affect your bottom line, and offensive language or misunderstandings can lead to lawsuits, which can take an even bigger bite out of your profits. You should approach even your daily business correspondence with a marketing mindset, because every document your company produces is “marketing you” in one way or another, hopefully in a positive way.

A clear, concise, persuasive letter can be a powerful communicator, but a poorly written letter is an invitation to miscommunication and misunderstandings. Make sure you’re giving this vital tool the attention it deserves, and don’t forget what’s at stake … your image, your credibility, and your bottom line. If your business letters aren’t enhancing all three, they could be doing you more harm than good.

Never let your business letters be a mundane formality. Make each one a clear, concise, informative, and thoughtful conversation with your reader. It’s one of the quickest and most inexpensive, yet powerful ways to make a deeper connection with your readers and be seen as a trusted partner.

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