Email is the one of the most used forms of communication in business today.
It allows us to work around the clock and exchange information instantly that would take days, or even weeks using the postal system. Just imagine how different your life would be if you had to post every single email you wrote…
It also gives us an excellent ‘paper trail’ of what has been said, promised and asked for – so much so, many companies are now keeping their emails for 7 years, alongside their company accounts.
Get to the point – Get used to being direct.
It’s too easy to beat around the bush, be polite, explain scenarios and simply put in too much detail. Read what you have written before you send it and see what you can eliminate without losing the meaning of the message.
A few sentences that are quick and easy to read will be quick and easy to respond to.
You can even put a short sentence in the ‘subject’ line so the reason for the mail is seen as it arrives in their inbox…
Prioritise – Work out exactly what you need to know and what can wait till later.
Its far better to ask one or two important questions than listing everything you want to know.
If there are too many questions, replying is a lot harder as the recipient has to cross reference to your email to check the next question etc.
RSVP – If required, request that the recipient responds to your email and set a reasonable deadline. It’s human nature to stick to deadlines where possible and often if people have a deadline they are more inclined to do it now, rather than put it off and have to remember to do it later…
Address- If you are sending to a number of people in a department or team, be sure to name the people you require to perform particular tasks.
This avoids confusion and the situation that often happens with group emails where everyone assumes that someone else is actioning the requests.
Less is more – Don’t get in the habit of sending lots of emails, especially to people that are proving less likely to reply.
If they ignore one email, it's far easier to ignore the next...
If you only send meaningful content when you need to, the recipient will see an email from you and know straight away that it’s important and be more likely to respond.
Get controversial - If you are struggling with an account and aren’t getting any replies from someone, push them a little to get a response.
Make a considered statement that you believe will provoke a reaction. Eg. “I can offer you this rate if you order by Tuesday, but I think this is moving too quickly for you”.
You might be surprised how well this works!
Of course email has its uses but the most powerful email is the one that allows you to move on and have a face to face meeting. What can be achieved in 10 emails can be achieved in a 10 minutes face to face.
