 | | SALES MEETING TOOL KIT: USING E-MAIL EFFECTIVELY | |
|  Component 1: Facilitator talking points Component 2: E-mail agenda Component 3: Action Plan worksheet Component 4: Story of business e-mail success Component 5: Activity 1: E-mail Quiz (handout) Component 6: Activity 1 answers Component 7: Appropriate uses of e-mail (handout) Component 8: E-mail etiquette (handout) Component 9: E-mail marketing tips (handout) Component 10: Making personal contact More Resources | Component 8: E-mail Etiquette Although an e-mail message may be informal, it’s important to follow common etiquette guidelines. Remember, you’re representing yourself and your company in your e-mail correspondence. 1. Don't yell. USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN AN E-MAIL IS THE SAME AS YELLING AT A PERSON. In addition, an all-caps message is difficult to read. Caps are more effective when used sparingly for emphasis. 2. Just the facts, ma’am. Be concise in your e-mail message. Your recipients may have hundreds of e-mails to read. The last thing they want to read is an endless, directionless message. 3. Less is more. Punctuation. One exclamation point is just as effective as five in a sentence. And the fewer used in the overall message the better. They’re distracting. Abbreviations. Many abbreviations have more than one meaning. Stick to common abbreviations, such as ASAP. Smilies. Those cute little faces you create with punctuation keys :- ) should be used sparingly and appropriately. To some, they may seem more cutesy than professional and can be distracting. 4. Easy on the formatting. All e-mail systems aren’t created equal. Copy that appears with fancy fonts, bold lettering or colors, and bulleted lists on your system may come across as gibberish on the receiving end. Keep your e-mails plain and simple. Many e-mail text fields don’t allow for much formatting anyway. 5. Cheek yore speling. Spelling errors not only look unprofessional, they draw attention to the misspelled word instead of the message in your e-mail. If your e-mail system includes a spell check feature, use it. And read through your message word for word before sending it because spell check doesn’t detect syntax errors nor does it know that you meant "though" even though you typed "through." 6. The joke may be on you. One person's witticism may be another's ground for a lawsuit—or at least a nasty response. Something that you say in person may come across differently when written. Keep in mind that the receiver may not share your sense of humor, values, or cultural background. 7. Tell them your sign. Sometimes it’s difficult for the e-mail recipient to figure out from whom an e-mail originated. So always add your “signature” (your name, company name, e-mail address, and phone numbers) to all your e-mail. 8. Return to sender. When you respond to e-mail, include the entire previous message (depending on its length) or the part of the message that corresponds to your response. It ensures that your response will be read in context. Component 9, next page > |