I have a friend who like many of us has more to do than can actually get done in a day as he grows his business. And yet, he spends some that precious time correcting the emails of one of his employees.

They read too much like texts, he explained. He said he felt a need to make them sound more professional. But he also wondered whether it mattered.

It’s a good question. Does it matter how well we write? Shouldn’t the quality of our product or service (unless of course your product is writing) be enough?

It takes time to write and rewrite and then read and reread and reread and reread to make sure everything is correct. Yes, I repeated reread three times, because that’s what it takes for some of us (me) to make sure everything is correct. Does it matter? Is it worth the extra time?

Think about this: Will people use your writing to judge your capabilities, especially if it’s one of their primary interactions with you? Is that fair? Isn’t it true that intelligent and talented people may have a hard time expressing themselves with words?

Are you missing opportunities? Will people see sloppy sentences and bad grammar and think you can’t do the job or that you don’t know any better?