3 Elements of Effective Business Email
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe to my blog posts by e-mail. Thanks for visiting!
Image via Wikipedia
Posted in Communication
Have you ever received an e-mail message saying something like this:
“I need the first quarter sales reports”
or have you sent such a message? There’s no greeting, no thank you, no signature, nothing to make the message look professional.
There are many people who use e-mail a some sort of instant-messaging system. They think they can dispense with basic communication principles by using a couple of smilies and an “lol”.
Like any form of communication, the business e-mail you send tells the recipient a great deal about you. The old “first impression” adage applies to email just a much as a face-to-face meeting. If you are inconsiderate in your email, that’s what people will remember about you. If you approach e-mail with professional business attutude, that’s how the reader will see you.
Every email you send should contain three basic elements:
- A Greeting – Even if it’s as simple as “Hi”, you start off your message with a positive tone. Mobile e-mail users might use a shorter greeting to save key strokes, while desktop users have opportunity to add a name to the greeting.
- Courtesy – If you require something from the recipient, ask politely. Learn the word please. Ask for the information; don’t demand.
- A Signature – Always end with a “Thank You” or “Sincerely”, then your name and business name. This is quite simple. Every e-mail client —whether desktop or mobile— has the option to set an automatic signature. Take a moment to configure that setting and every message you send will have a closing without having to type anything extra.
You don’t know what benefit may come from your next e-mail message. Make sure it is conveying the best impression of you.
Related articles by Zemanta
Related Posts:
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment