He returns to his office from a meeting afternoon and decide to check email. Wondering where the day went after hours and hours downloading messages, reading some, deleting others, processing and storage of those answers you want to work at a later time. Your e-mail box was full when you arrived at work this morning and tomorrow promises to be different.
What is this e-mail explosion? There was a time when the world decided to use the Internet as a business communication tool of choice? There are rules for managing these messages and you're a professional and courteous e-mail? There are, but not everyone got the word.
Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes you wear, the postal letters you write (assuming they still do), the greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer. If you want to impress on every front and build positive business relationships, pay attention to your e-mail and steer clear of these top twelve e-mail mistakes:
1. Omitting the subject line. We are well past the time when we did not realize the significance of the subject line. It makes no sense to send a message that says "no subject" and seems to be for nothing. Given the huge volume of emails that each person receives, the subject header is essential if you want your message read any time soon. The subject has become the hook.
2. Do not be a significant line item. The header must be relevant to the post, not just "Hi" or "Hello". The recipient is to decide the order in which law-mail based on who left and what it is. Your email address will have a lot of competition.
3. Failure to change the header to correspond with the topic. For example, if you are writing your web publisher, your first header may be "the Web site content. However, as your site develops and you send more information, label each message for what it is, "contact info", "graphics" or "home page". Do not just hit "reply" every time. Adding details to the header will allow the recipient to find a specific document in her message folder without having to search each sent. Start a new message if you change the theme all together.
4. NOT Customizing the message to the recipient. E-mail is informal but it still needs a greeting. Start with "Dear Mr. Broome," "Dear Jim," "Hello Jim," or just "Jim." The formal name of the person can make you and your e-mail seem cold.
5. Not to mention the tone. When communicating with another person face to face, 93% of the message is nonverbal. E-mail has no body language. The reader can not see your face or hear your tone of voice so chose the words carefully and thoughtfully. Put yourself in the place of another person and think about how your words can meet in Cyberspace.
6. Forgetting to check spelling and grammar. In the early days of e-mail, someone created the idea that this form of communication should not be letter perfect. Wrong. He does. This is a representation of you. If there is to be sure email is correct, people will question the caliber of other work you do. Use proper capitalization and punctuation, and always check the spelling. Remember that your spell checker will take the wrong words, but not misused. You can not say if you meant "from" or "form", "for" or "come", "him" or "."
7. Write the great American novel. E-mail is intended to be brief. Keep your message short. Use only a few paragraphs and a couple of sentences per paragraph. People skim their e-mail so a long missive is wasted. If you are writing a message too long, pick up the phone or call a meeting.
8. Forwarding e-mail without permission. Most everyone is guilty of this, but think about it. If the message has been sent to you and only you, because you take the responsibility to pass it on? Too often confidential information has gone global because of the lack of any trial. Unless you are asked or request permission, do not send anything that was sent just to you.
9. Thinking that no one else will ever see YOUR E-MAIL. Once it has left your mailbox, you have no idea where your e-mail will end. Do not use the Internet to send anything that could not bear to see on a billboard on your way to work the next day. Use other means to communicate personal or confidential information.
10. Letting out your signature. Always close your name, even if it is included at the top of the e-mail, and add contact information such as your telephone, fax and address. The recipient may decide to call to speak or send additional documents that can not be sent by email. Creating a formal signature block with all the data is the more professional approach.
11. Expect an immediate response. Not everyone sitting at the computer with e-mail enabled. The beauty of Internet communication is that it is convenient. It is not an interruption. People can check their messages when it suits them, not you. If your communication is so important that you need to hear back immediately, use the phone.
12. Completing the "THE LINE FIRST. The name and address of the person you are writing is actually the last piece of information you should enter. Carefully check everything else first. The test of grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity. You said what needed to be said? How was your "tone"? If you were the least bit 'emotional when you wrote the e-mail you left to rest for a period of time? You also have the attachment you want to send? If you type the recipient's name first, a simple slip of the finger can send a message before its' time. You can never go back.
E-mail makes everything easier and faster including making a strong business impression and establishing positive professional relationships. A farmer who uses the technology effectively and appropriately will see the results of that effort reflected in the bottom line.
(C) 2004, Lydia Ramsey. All rights reserved in all media.
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