Loosing Customers and Losing Sales - It Sounds Funny Doesn't It?

As the manager of several article distribution groups and an article distribution service, I see hundreds of articles per month go through my biggest article groups. Hundreds of publishers, webmasters and writers subscribe to article distribution lists such as this one:

groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Reprint-Articles

Of course, the goal of the group is for writers to get their articles to publishers and webmasters who might want to reprint the work. When publishers and webmasters decide to publish a specific article, the writer hopes that the article will generate volumes of traffic and sales for their own website.

Why Does This Matter?

As I review each article for distribution to the groups, I see one misspelling time after time that really leaps from the page.

Hey, it is not my reputation on the line, so why should it matter?

A writer's reputation can be made or broken by his or her use of the written word. So many people look up to writers as people who have a gift to share ideas with the masses.

The reason we are able to share ideas with others is not because we are special. The truth is that we are able to share ideas because we are not afraid to try to do so, and we are not afraid to work at it.

Being afraid to try and messing up the process are two different things.

Misspellings, Bad Grammar And Bad Formatting Counts

It pains me when I see articles coming through to the groups where there are problems with spelling, grammar or formatting. For some reason, we publishers tend to expect the writer to put forth the time and effort in advance to make sure that the article is ready for copy-and-paste publication.

In the old days, I used to edit articles for publication in my own ezines. Soon, my workload became too much and I had to begin to cut down on my time expenditures. At first, I simply stopped formatting articles for publication. Eventually, I even stopped proofreading articles for publication. When I reached this point, I had made a decision that if an article was not copy-and-paste ready, then I would not publish it in my own ezines.

It should come as no surprise to writers that spelling, grammar and formatting could be as important to the publication decision process, as the message communicated in the article.

But, in watching the articles come through to the groups, I have to wonder what is in the mind of some writers.

Why It Is Important

Writers take the time and effort to write the articles to promote their own businesses. But, if there are misspellings, bad grammar or no formatting, the chances of the article getting published is greatly diminished.

I am not willing to venture how many more people might publish an article if everything was in good shape, but I can guarantee you that some people may opt against publishing an article due to these kinds of problems. Writers, who do not invest sufficient effort in the creation of their articles, make the process of elimination much easier for the publishers who seek to reprint the content.

My Pet Peeve --- Losing Or Loosing?

* Losing - To be unsuccessful in retaining possession of; mislay. To be unable to keep control or allegiance of: "is losing supporters by changing his mind."

* Loosing - To cast loose; detach: "hikers loosing their packs at camp."

Far too often, I see writers talk about "losing" customers. Yet, when they spell the word, they spell it "loosing".

If you would note, the act of "losing" customers has to do with not being able to hold on to them. "Losing", reflects doing it without intent.

On the other hand, the act of "loosing" customers means to set them free --- voluntarily.

I am not sure that anyone actually "looses" their customers, unless they are closing their businesses. Most businesses simply "lose" their customers, quite by accident and definitely against their will.

In Conclusion

I hope my title now makes sense to you --- "Loosing" Customers and "Losing" Sales.

Take the time to get your spelling, grammar and formatting right. If you write articles and choose not to take the time to get your article right, then I could probably assume that you are --- with intent --- "loosing" customers.

Hey, it is your choice.

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Bill Platt operates The Phantom Writers, where he offers article ghost writing services and article distribution services. www.thephantomwriters.com/index.php His recent ebook, "Article Marketing for Traffic, Sales and Profit" has received excellent reviews across the board. If you write your own articles, you should seriously consider getting your own copy of his Article Marketing ebook: thephantomwriters.com/ebooks/article-marketing-traffic.html