Are Your E-mails Bad for Business?

When you communicate via e-mail to your prospects, clients, or suppliers, are you sending an effective message?

You would be surprised how many e-mail mistakes are made every day, and they may be turning away business!

Here are 10 tips to better e-mails – and many of them may be common sense, but listen and make sure you are marketing yourself effectively!

1. Identify yourself clearly
2. Make your subject line meaningful
3. Create focused and meaningful messages
4. Are your attachments necessary?
5. Don’t send e-mails when your angry
6. Proofread your e-mail
7. Never assume your e-mail is private! (also, praise in public, criticize in private)
8. Distinguish between formal e-mails and informal ones
9. Respond to your messages promptly
10. Show respect, restraint, and think twice about “reply-all”

Now let’s discuss each in a little more detail.

1. Identify yourself clearly

When an e-mail arrives at its destination – what does the recipient see? What does crazywildman221@hotmail.com say about your professionalism?

How do you identify yourself in your e-mail? Do you use your first name, last name? Do you provide your title, address, contact information, etc.? These elements add something to the professionalism of your writing – as does the use of words Sincerely, Regards, etc.

2. Make your subject line meaningful

To open an e-mail or not? Often this is decided by the simple use of an effective subject line. It can be an attention grabber, or a call to not open the e-mail. Words can say so much – so make sure yours pack a punch!

Some examples of bad subject lines:

Subject: (blank)
Subject: Incredible Offer!
Subject: Important!

Some examples of good subject lines:

Subject: Website Development – Need approval before we can move forward
Subject: Pottery Barn – Exclusive Summer Sale offer
Subject: Meeting at 10am – need your input

3. Create focused and meaningful messages

Get to the point! Answer the What, Where, Why, When and Hows and then leave your call to action.

Stay on point. Don’t wander with free-thinking ramblings. Don’t waste people’s time.

Be kind, but not to fluffy.

Similarly, e-mail has taken on a true form of lazy writing. Shorthand, symbols, and nicknames are not good for business. How do you address your recipient? Occassionally, I receive e-mails that are specified: Hey trevor!, or Dude. Use capitals, periods, and good writing standards. They look professional; slang doesn’t.

4. Are your attachments necessary?

With the proliferation of new ways to get e-mails (blackberrys, iPhones, etc.) attachments are bandwidth wasters.

Do you really need to send the whole document each time? Or could you just copy the relevant information into your e-mail and send that instead?

Consider your need and dependence on attachments, and only send them when absolutely necessary.

5. Don’t send e-mails when your angry

We all get mad. We all have bad moments. Remember this simple rule: Don’t send an e-mail when you’re angry. Ever.

Your angry e-mail will never sound as pointed, stinging, or smart as you think it will.

Our writing is usually interpreted very differently than we expected. Messages that are “To the point” are often considered rude. Overly glowing messages are often considered sarcastic or insincere. And mad e-mails, well, they usually result in getting backs up and more fighting.

Cool down. Think. Break down your argument into exactly what you want to say. Then proofread. Then send.

6. Proofread your e-mail

In this world of speed and efficiencies, it is staggering how much speed has replaced smart in the world of e-mails.

We strive to get this one out and move onto the next e-mail. not enough time in the day! 100 e-mails to go through!

The problem is that each e-mail that sent with errors creates a negative impression on you!

Illiterate, in a hurry, lack of quality, inattentive, inaccurate.

Don’t be perceived as anything less than professional! Proofread your e-mails and revise them as necessary. make every e-mail an effective one!

7. Never assume your e-mail is private! (also, praise in public, criticize in private)

With all of the press of this one over the years, its amazing how many people take e-mail, and the internet in general, for granted. People, everything can be saved and used against you. So be cautious about what you tell the world to remember.

Also, as alluded to before, we have the tendency to write to a faceless computer without thinking out what we intended to say. This is especially true when we criticize online.

Negative e-mails can be saved, twisted, misinterpreted, and simply misread. It is much harder to rationalize a critique when you can’t discuss it – and e-mails back and forth only serve to waste time.

My suggestion is to praise online, but criticize only after you have tried to talk it out first.

8. Distinguish between formal e-mails and informal ones

Friends are informal. Business is formal. Simple. Never confuse the two.

Remember the old adage about it being much harder to undo a negative first impression… well, in business, where credibility and professionalism is everything, make every impression count to build your credibility!

9. Respond to your messages promptly

There is nothing worse than someone not responding your e-mail when you need them to.

If you are going to use e-mail, then show the decency to treat each one as if it were an appointment with a client – be on-time, courteous, and professional.

If you are going to be away, let people know when they can expect you, or how to make alternative plans.

To a client in need, silence is a killer, and it only serves to feed questions: Are they ignoring me? Are the avoiding me? Don’t they care?

10. Show respect, restraint, and think twice about “reply-all”

Does everyone really need to know your response? Does everyone care?

E-mails are sometimes likened to cattle calls in that everyone feels they have to follow the herd.

Well, we are not cows, so don’t waste everyones time, bandwidth, and e-mail space, to respond to everyone about your one-line comment.

Also, use BCC: when sending to large groups. You don’t need to share everyone’s e-mail address with everyone all the time! in fact, you should never do so.

Ever wonder how many of your SPAM originate, my theory is that it is sometimes harvested when the mass e-mails that are sent out land in the hands of unscrupulous people.

Hopefully this is helps you add more credibility to your e-mails, and helps your perceived professionalism!

I would like to thank Dennis G. Jerz (http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/e-text/e-mail.htm) for his insights into better e-mail writing.

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~ by stookemedia on 2009/08/26.