Ten Commandments of Proper E-mailing
E-mail is without a doubt the best business-building tool to hit
the home-based business arena since the fax! Why? Because it is
low cost, instantaneous, flexible and absolutely anyone who can
type can learn how to use it to their advantage.
But just because you know how to open, write and send an e-mail
doesn't mean you are making the most of this incredible tool. In
fact direct sellers who fail to follow simple e-mail etiquette
may be doing more harm than good. Check these Ten Commandments
of Proper E-mailing to see how you measure up.
1. E-mail netiquette: > Thou shall not SHOUT (all caps) > Thou
shall not flame (profanity) > Thou shall not SPAM (unsolicited
junk e-mail) > Thou shall not attach large files (or more than
one at a time)
2. Be Brief And To The Point - Messages should be concise and to
the point. Think of it as a telephone conversation, except you
are typing instead of speaking. Nobody has ever won a Pulitzer
Prize for a telephone conversation nor will they win one for an
e-mail message.
3. Always Use The Subject Line - The subject line of your e-mail
determines whether it will be read or not, so make it
compelling. Including an appropriate description in the subject
line is a courtesy that will be much appreciated by clients who
need to store and easily reference previous e-mails.
4. Include a Signature - A custom signature, automatically added
to your outgoing e-mail is one more opportunity to promote your
business and invite people to your website. (In Outlook, you
must first open a blank e-mail and then select Tools, Options
and the General tab. At the bottom right corner you'll see a
button that will allow you to create as many signatures as you
want).
5. BCC - (This stands for Blind Copy) - Don't expose your
friends and relatives to the risk of receiving future
unsolicited e-mails. When sending an e-mail to numerous
contacts, place your name on the TO: line and the rest of the
e-mail addresses in the BCC line. This way, your friend's and
family's e-mail address is not distributed along with the
message.
6. Be Pleasant! Nobody like to receive boring, curt or rude
e-mails. Begin your e-mail by addressing the recipient in a
friendly, positive manner. When a pleasant attitude is conveyed
through your e-mail message you build rapport more quickly.
7. Always reply as quickly as possible - Develop a good
impression by responding to business related e-mails. The more
promptly you can write back the better. Start with the oldest
e-mail first.
8. Avoid Over Punctuation - Don't get caught up in grammar and
punctuation, especially excessive punctuation. You'll see lots
of e-mail messages where people put a dozen exclamation points
at the end of a sentence for added emphasis. If something is
important it should be reflected in your text, not in your
punctuation. Exclamation points (called "bangs" in computer
circles) are just another form of ending a sentence.
9. Back up your e-mail address book! - Windows-based users might
try these steps to find the approariate files on your hard
drive. Using the "find" command type *.wab (Windows Address
Book) and select the Find Now. Once you locate the file, copy it
onto a floppy disk for safekeeping.
10. Use Plain Text Format - Formatting can be everything, but
not in your e-mails. Plain text is best. Using HTML, or Rich
Text Format is a bit risky because there are lots of e-mail
clients (and some servers) that can't handle messages in these
formats. The message will come in as utter gibberish or in the
worst case, crash the e-mail client. I've seen it happen. (In
Outlook go to Tools, Options, Mail Format and change to Plain
Text. If you want to take the risk and use Word to format
messages, click the box that says Use Microsoft Word.)
Taking time to learn the basics of e-mailing will greatly
enhance your ability to build on-line relationships and work
more effectively in less time. Make it a priority today!