Good morning, everyone. Today, we're going to talk about a topic that seems simple but can have serious consequences: the cost of getting your writing wrong.
We'll use a real-world scenario to highlight how poor writing, even when it's not your fault, can damage your business's reputation and bottom line.
The Scenario: A Database Entry Gone Wrong
Imagine you're a business owner. You've created a concise and professional entry for a Europe-wide business guide. It's clean, well-written, and accurately reflects your company's services.
A few weeks later, you receive an invoice for the service. You also get a copy of the entry as it actually appeared in the guide. To your horror, it's riddled with errors. The company responsible for the guide has made a series of mistakes when inputting your original text.
The Mistakes
Let's look at the specific errors from the text. They aren't just simple typos; they reveal a complete lack of care and professionalism.
Spelling mistakes: Words like "infividual" instead of "individual," "breifing" for "briefing," and "expereince" for "experience" are clear indicators that no one bothered to run a basic spell check.
Inconsistencies: The text alternates between "business English" and "Business English." While both might be acceptable on their own, using them inconsistently within the same document is a sign of poor style and inattention to detail.
Capitalization errors: The word "Innovative" is capitalized mid-sentence for no reason. This kind of error is a red flag for a lack of quality control.
Grammatical errors: The second paragraph begins with a comma splice: "UK company that provides business support services for every type of business**, it** provides..." This should be a semicolon or two separate sentences.
Incorrect words: The phrase "require there servces" should have been "their services."
The Consequences
So, what's the big deal? A few small errors, right? Wrong. This "low-key set of mistakes" had a disastrous effect. The costs were paid on multiple levels:
Financial Cost to the Guide Company: The author of the entry refused to pay the invoice because the service was not delivered as promised. The guide company lost that income and had to pay to correct the entry.
Reputational Cost to the Author's Company: This is the most significant cost. The author's company, TQI Word Power Skills Training, specializes in editing and quality assurance. The incorrect entry, with its multiple errors, completely undermined their professional credibility.
Potential clients seeing the flawed entry would assume the company's own work is of poor quality. They would be unlikely to trust them to help with their own writing. The mistakes, though not made by the author, appeared to be theirs because it was their name and details attached to the flawed text.
This scenario serves as a powerful lesson. When you put your name on something, the quality of that writing—or lack thereof—becomes a direct reflection of your own standards. Always double-check and ensure the quality of any written material representing you or your business, no matter who creates it.
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