Email communication is critical in today’s business environment. Phone calls and hard-copy memos are becoming obsolete and all the focus from these traditional methods has shifted to emails. If you are like me, I am sure you have received some seemingly rude, abrupt, robotic and unthoughtful emails. Have you ever thought how your emails come across? I decided to look through my sent messages to see just what attitude I was conveying. My findings were surprising. In this post my aim is to help you learn how to write emails in a professional manner that ultimately sell you as a person.
Professional Emails that Sell
Nearly every email you write is a sales pitch. You are trying to motivate someone with your words to do something, change something or simply respond. Whether you are a manager or an entry-level worker, emailing professionally is crucial. People at all levels expect to be respected. Amazingly, your emails can alter how someone views you as a person. Do they think you are abrupt, long-winded, cold, generous, kind, caring, etc.? It is critical to realize that every time you hit “send” that person is going to read your note and either decide to respond and act on your email or move it to the trash. The way you write needs to sell you as an individual.
Word Choice Sells
Word choice is crucial in writing a professional email. After clicking through countless messages, I discovered several trends in emails that made me feel good. Emails need to be more personal so that your clients and contacts feel like they are truly cared for on an individual basis. The solution–inject more of you.
The whole concept of words that sell your emails revolves around taking the time to incorporate your reader into your emails. Below are some concepts that can serve as a great checklist to writing and excellent, thoughtful email.
- Use More of You. Instead of saying “How’s it going?” say “How are you doing?” Instead of “Thanks” say “Thank You.”
- Use Names. Often, we will respond without using anyone’s name, especially in quick emails. If you are addicted to your mobile phone, you need to make an extra effort to still address the person by name. Find a way to incorporate the recipient’s name even if you are not saying, “Dear so-and-so.”
- Say Thank you. Find a way to say thank you (not thanks). You could thank the individual for their time or for their ideas. There is always a reason to say thank you even if it is as simple as “Thank you for all you do!” or “Thank you for taking the time to read my email.” Showing thankfulness raises a person’s self-importance and it also makes you truly value how that person contributes to your team.
- Compliment. Tell the individual you are writing to that they had a great idea or that they are a valuable asset to your team. If you can’t find a compliment, at least tell them to have an awesome day.
- Use Details. This is probably the most challenging and might not always be applicable. However, if you are responding to an email, try and comment on a detail in their email that most people would overlook. This shows the original sender that you took the time to read what they had to say and it shows you care. You could write something like, “You mentioned that…” This technique is always a winner because the individuals feels important that you took the time to read their note in detail.
Using these 5 points will help make your email communication more effective in today’s business environment. Always remember to sell yourself when writing an email and be sure to be professional. Using these techniques will help you be a far more effective email communicator and people will appreciate reading your emails more.