| Email Etiquette |
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Email Anyone? Yep, it's pervasive, annoying, convenient, important, desirable, irritating, ubiquitous, and of course, necessary. EMAIL. I remember the days before email. When we used to call, write, or even fax notes, memos, and requests for meetings. Once in a while, we even used an overnight delivery service to get the message across to our customers. If you are laughing at me right now, it's ok. I laugh, too.
Because I'm one of those people who has a love/hate relationship with my email. When it's good news, I love it. When someone chooses to hide cowardly behind it (like to tell me "no"), I hate it.So since it's here to stay, on one type of hardware or another, I'm including a few tips here to get customer's attention while using email, along with some caveats that may keep you from looking crass. In short, this is a quick "Email Etiquette lesson of Seven": 1. Always begin your email with a polite salutation. You don't need to be as formal as "Dear Cornelia", but it is necessary to have a greeting. Yes, even if this is internal correspondence. Your mother probably brought you up right, so prove it from the beginning of your email! 2. Have a call to action--especially when you are using e-mail for a request. Include a date or deadline if appropriate. It may sound like this: "Vernon, since our installation team's schedule is two weeks in advance, you'll want to get the contract in by the 18th." That way, you are not just demanding a call to action, you are providing the customer with the reason for the deadline. Use "you" language in your requests, too. 3. If you have a lot to say, instead of long-winded paragraphs, use bullets which are easier to read. You'll end up with more "white space" and customers prefer that to lots of text, which can look tedious. 4. Don't assume. For example, if you are sending an email requesting that the customer sign your agreement, and this is the 9th time you have sent it to him, go ahead and include it again. Perhaps he accidentally deleted it while on a plane, or his computer crashed. Avoid making him "search" for it through 6,587 emails piled up in his Outlook. Make it easy for him to read and sign the thing! 5. Include a polite, detailed signature line. You should have your phone number, email address, and any other pertinent information in this closing portion of your email. Please make sure you include your last name, this isn't Junior High. Avoid flowery signature lines that are brightly colored, in computer-cursive, or cutesy in any way. This is part of your professionalism. Make it count. 6. Remember that email is written correspondence. As our computer forensic client always reminds us, there isn't anything that can be erased permanently. If you have sent an email and regretted the content or tone, it's too late. Instead, if you are irritated, disappointed, or lean toward the sarcastic, write your email WITHOUT the "to" filled in, hold it into your "draft" file, wait two hours, then read and edit it. If you are passionate (maybe you just lost the sale and are ticked off), have a trusted friend/colleague look it over before sending it off. You'll preserve the relationship, maintain your professionalism, and still get your points across! 7. Lastly, if you are inclined to CYA by "CC' ing" everyone from the CEO to the Mail-room Manager, think again. Sending all of your correspondence to busy people is the best way to lose credibility. Be discerning in your email delivery. And if all else fails, remember, there's always the fax machine. (c)Renee Walkup, All Rights Reserved, www.salespeak.com, 678 587-9911 |
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