Avoid Excessive Compliments

Some people have the idea that the more compliments they throw out, the more likely the receiver will comply with their offer/need/pitch.

There is a difference between being genuine and saying what’s on your heart, and going out of your way to compliment someone. We humans are exceptional at detecting unauthentic phrasings and remarks – even in EMAIL!

Compliment only if you really mean it. And remember to be brief if you need action from the receiver.

Forwarding an E-Mail Chain

When you forward a chain of E-Mails to someone, add a note of explanation before the series of forwarded messages. Do not expect them to burrow through your E-Mail and read every linked message if you just forward them without any explanation. Take the time to explain your reasoning or what you want you to focus on. It is then easier for the person to whom you are you sending the e-mail to respond to the question at hand rather than be puzzled about what exactly you require or expect.

E-Mail Is Permanent

Each E-Mail you send is more than likely saved or archived on your computer system or on the recipient's system; therefore, do not assume that an E-Mail message no longer exists, even if you delete what you received or sent. Your thoughts and interactions with others, via E-Mail, are archived and saved, potentially for posterity.

In financial services organizations, all data must be saved for a minimum of seven years. Think about what you are writing and what legacy you are leaving through such communications. E-Mail communications can be presented in a court of law.

E-Mail Reflects You and Your Organization

When you write an E-Mail, you are mirroring your thoughts and feelings in the electronic medium. It is important to understand the difference between writing an informal and a formal E-Mail. Sometimes it is okay to be funny and joking; that is the nature of the E-Mail medium. However, in business communications, err on the side of formality by spell checking, grammar checking and following proper etiquette of writing with proper headers and footers on all E-Mail communications.

For organizations, every E-Mail sent to a prospect or customer reflects your organization's brand. Set standards, protocols and templates to ensure that the millions of E-Mails that are sent do not erode your brand, but rather enhance it through each communication. Within each communication, be concise with clear objectives and the result you hope to achieve. 

E-Mail Is Not Free

One of the erroneous assumptions is that E-Mail is free. E-Mail is not by any means free. There are many direct and indirect costs associated within this medium. As mentioned in previous articles, it costs money for an organization to handle an inbound customer E-Mail. However, beyond this there are other costs. Spam or junk e- mail costs money to read, process, store and delete. E-Mail containing viruses has many side effects including loss in productivity and potential destruction of valuable information. Large attachments require additional space. Chain letters, forwarding of jokes and participation in flaming debates via E-Mail add to these costs.

Recognize that every E-Mail interaction has a cost including your time, computer hardware and software costs and IT personnel time to maintain the systems. Be frugal with E-Mail; if you're not paying for it, someone else is.

Images in E-Mail

I am sure you would have received E-Mails with images so large in dimension that they jut out far in the empty space in your E-Mail window.

There might also have been times when you would have wondered how to insert your mega-pixel images into E-Mails with reasonable dimensions. There is a very easy way of resizing your images without using any software on your computer! That's right... they can be easily re-sized online at ResizR. The following steps describe in detail how to achieve good looking images for the web:

• Open ResizR
• Select Local and click Browse... Then select the desired image.
• Use the slider or the entry field to choose the desired width.
• Use a width that is less than 600 pixels... ideally, around 400 pixels.
• Click the button that is labeled ResizR (You also have the option to rotate your image before this).
• Save the resulting image on your computer - now you have a web-friendly image!

Identify Yourself Clearly

If you are the person initiating E-Mail contact with someone, do not forget to include your name, profession or organization where you work, or any other important information to identify yourself. You could have this information in the first few sentences of your E-Mail as an introduction.

If you are just following up on an earlier conversation or contact and are not sure whether the other person will remember you, drop a few casual hints or bring up a reference to the earlier conversation.

If you are E-Mailing someone outside your organization, it helps to have a signature line that includes your full name and/ or telephone number with a link to a blog or website.

Avoiding Misinterpretation of Date in E-Mail

E-Mail allows you to communicate with your friends and associates, wherever they are in the world easily. Be aware that people from other countries may use a different format for date. If you are American, you will most probably interpret 05/10 as May 10. No doubt about that. Or is it? In another area of the world, this may be the 5th of October. With some misfortune, this area is where your E-Mail message ends up!

That is why you should always make sure to spell out the month. Write May 10, 10 May or something similar instead of 05/10 or 05-10. This makes it clear what date you are referring to.

Don’t Rely On E-Mail Alone

E-Mail is a great tool for efficient communication. However, it is just that - an efficient tool. It is not something to build relationships with - so don’t rely on it exclusively. Set a goal to talk to people at least once for every ten E-Mail exchanges. Relationships are best built in-person, second by phone calls, and third by the written word. Take full advantage of the first two if you want the relationship to grow.

Who Sent You M@il?

Quite often, you may find yourself sending E-Mail to someone you don't know or don't know too well. Identify yourself in the E-Mail clearly so that you the recipient knows who you are without a doubt. It may be helpful to add details like how you found out about the recipient or any prior meetings or E-Mail exchanges if you think it would serve to jog the recipient's memory. You may also want to indicate what the E-Mail is about and what you need from the recipient.

Ideally, these points must be communicated in the first one or two lines of your E-Mail. Otherwise, you may find that your E-Mail goes straight to the ol' trash can.

Towards More Meaningful E-Mail Forwards

Forwarded E-Mails are a fact of life. I am sure all of us receive at least a couple of forwarded E-Mails everyday. It is one thing to receive meaningful and interesting E-Mails that are profitable and convey something that you really did not know about. It is another matter when you receive stale, obscure jokes and links that are just plain annoying.

If you are forwarding any E-Mail or links, make sure that you indicate why you are forwarding it to them and how you think that it could be profitable and of use to them. In an instant, the recipient knows that you care about their time and will appreciate the fact that you yourself took time to think about their requirement and interests. It is definitely a way to further your relationship with the recipient.

Use Color Fonts for Emphasis

All modern E-Mail clients allow you to choose colors for your fonts. This comes in handy to emphasize something in your E-Mail. Use a different color for any particular text that you would like to be emphasized.

Sometimes, people ask me if using red color fonts is akin to shouting or using a louder voice in normal speech. It is not so. Using all capitals is akin to shouting when it comes to E-Mail So go ahead, do not be afraid to use color in your E-Mail. After all, the most important thing is to get your message across effectively and color can certainly be of help in some situations.

Stop Viruses and Worms!

This may not seem to be directly related to E-Mail, but it is. E-Mail worms and viruses are spreading via messages that could be sent from your computer without your knowledge. It is thus, essential that you use current anti virus software, to update it frequently, and to keep up to date with security fixes of your email software.

Your E-Mail recipients will definitely thank you for taking care!

Sending Group E-Mails

Group all people in one category under one group name. When you want to send an E-Mail to all the people in that category, simply send it to the Group. Only the Group name will be visible in the "To" field. Individual recipient names are not revealed. This also provides a degree of privacy.

Too Many Attachments? Compress 'Em

Do not send too many attachments often. Use them sparingly. Ask the recipient's permission before sending any large attachments unless the recipient is already expecting one. When you do send attachments, bear in mind the size of each attachment. Compress or ZIP those attachments so that you reduce the amount of bandwidth and space taken.

Using The Bcc Field

Use the Bcc field when you do not want any E-Mail recipient to know if there are any more people to whom you sent the same E-Mail to or who they are. To use the Bcc field effectively, type in your own E-Mail address in the To field (or leave it blank) and add all recipients' E-Mail addresses to the Bcc field separated by a comma. Each recipient will receive a copy of your E-Mail with only his E-Mail address. None of the other recipients' E-Mail address will be displayed.

Proper Names are the Proper Choice

While sending E-Mail, take an extra few seconds to type out the recipients proper name - instead of just an initial like B or M. It has been shown that using just initials puts some people off. Chances are, they may not go ahead and read your E-Mail at all.

Take a few more seconds to include a greeting like "Hi Bob" or "Good Morning, Jim" and your E-Mail will be better received. Simple... but effective!

Acknowledge E-Mails - Avoid Confusion, Misunderstanding

There are many times that I am not in a position to respond immediately to an E-Mail that I have received. In such a situation, I make sure that I send a short message acknowledging receipt of the E-Mail and inform the sender that I will respond soon. This way, the sender does not have to wonder whether their E-Mail has reached me in the first place or wonder as to why I have not responded to their E-Mail.

Short Paragraphs Make Sense

Always remember: E-Mail as a medium is ideal for short and simple messages.Try not to have more than three lines in a paragraph and always leave a blank line between paragraphs. Otherwise, your E-Mail may tend to look cluttered.

Be Friendly When You Write E-Mail

An E-Mail relationship is not much different from an offline relationship. It always pays to be friendly and personable. Take time to add something friendly in your E-Mail. You could remark on something relevant to the receiver or add a quick comment about their website or work. End your E-Mail with a friendly comment like “Have a relaxing weekend” or "Have a great day".