Write for success in producing rain

Before agreeing to speak or write an article, you need to make sure you spend your time well. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I writing for the right audience? Writing for the wrong audience (that is, an audience made up of people you don’t serve) will not bring enough payoff to justify the investment of time, so ask this fundamental question before you start. Your business development plan will define the right audience.

2. How long will this take? Short, practical articles (well done) will pay off in a reasonable amount of time. Longer articles can be valuable in building your credibility, but require a greater investment of time. Be realistic in your estimate: before you start.

3. What results would make the time worth investing in? As with any business development activity, you need to measure the results you get. Also, you should know before you start, what results would make this article worth writing.

4. How does this activity, writing or speaking, compare to a more immediate high-performance activity? Regardless of how great your article is, and the topic and type of results you get, writing is a slow-performing opportunity. It is incredibly unlikely that you will write an article, post it, and your phone will ring with a potential customer calling you just because they saw that article. So, you should consider, before you startIf you’d better invest your time in something that’s a higher-yielding activity.

Writing can be an easy way to increase your professional reach, or it can be an ineffective and time-consuming approach. Answering these questions will help you make critical decisions that will get you on the right track, before you start writing.