5 Ways to Up Your Document Game

You’ve been asked to put together a strategic plan for the next phase of your engagement with the client. After spending several days thinking about the project and the next few properly summarizing your current position and growth opportunities, researching the market and competition, pulling numbers, typing your thoughts, and then retyping all you know into one Word document, you’re done. It’s not due for review by your supervising partner until Tuesday, but by all means, it’s done. You’ve hit spell check and confirmed all of your formulas in Excel. Whew, you made it.

Or have you? Ask yourself this: Are you willing to risk the deal on the state your Word document or PowerPoint presentation is in? Should you invest your time and/or money in document prep or professional assistance?

In business, a formatted and up-designed document or presentation can go a long way in showcasing your company’s abilities and giving a compelling reason why you should win the deal or project that you are promoting. A formatted document demonstrates your company’s professionalism and commitment to quality. It also elevates your expertise and what you are proposing in the eye of the beholder.

When two or more businesses within your industry offer similar services, it’s the more memorable presentation that will win. Documents that contain strong narratives, graphics, images, and facts that all work together motivate your client to select your proposal and do business with you.

These suggested refinements to your documents and presentations can give you the edge when it comes time for your client to make their final decision.

Here are five tips that are guaranteed to polish your docs:

1.        Lay it all out there.

Headings and styles attract your audience to read (or view) what you have to say and ensure that information is found more easily. Paragraph indentation or separation allows information to be processed in more digestible chunks instead of sending someone into sensory overload. The use of columns can make your work more interesting and give an air of legitimacy.

2.        Pick a type.

And by a type, we mean a font. The font you chose establishes you have style and creates interest. Every font has a unique personality and purpose. For example, serif fonts with their finishing strokes (sometimes called “feet”) infer that you are traditional, reliable, practical, and a tad formal. Sans serif fonts are viewed to be more modern, clean, and humanist. Geometric or slab serif fonts are bold, clean, and trendy. Your selection says as much about your business as does your handwriting. And just like your handwriting, it should be legible.

3.        Be spacey.

No matter how much information you want to push on your audience, space gives your document structure and an element of design unto itself. It’s important between and around text, lines, margins, sections, images, and charts.

4.        Give ‘em pictures.

There’s something to say for a picture book. Even as adults, we are drawn to coffee-table books and are more than willing to read to revisit “Where the Wild Things Are” or “Goodnight Moon” when no one is looking. Images and graphics that are meaningful and appropriate can emphasize a point. Infographics are useful to call out important facts in simplicity. Tables add clarity to groups of information. And charts supply the detail to your prose and help someone visualize what your data means.

5.        Put your stamp on it!

Your document or presentation should scream your identity. Your document’s branding should clearly express what your business stands for and what your business or project promises. A document or presentation, no matter how well thought out, if presented in 12-pt Times New Roman will indicate that you lack an innovative spirit. While a document that contains your logo, bold headlines, sleek text, definitive tables, and iconography reveals your desire to do business and shows that you are worth pursuing.

These suggested refinements to your documents and presentations can give you the edge when it comes time for your client to make their final decision. A document that is designed with the wow factor in mind sets your business apart from your competitors. That’s it. It’s that simple. Get ready for your clients to pay attention.

If you don’t feel like you have the skills or time it takes to move your documents from drab to impressive, there’s no need to stress. The Bulb team is ready to help.