Write a better e-mail

E-Mail Etiquette

Are you a good e-mailer?  Or, do you just pound out some words and launch your e-mail to a recipient like an athlete throwing a javelin at a track meet?  Unfortunately, e-mails are often propelled in a hurried fashion and it shows.  

Professionals must use good manners.  When e-mailers concentrate on writing better and adhering to acceptable etiquette, e-mails can be sent and responded to professionally.  It is possible to write high quality e-mails.  When you send e-mails properly, your e-mails will be welcomed.      

Do you ever get e-mails and wonder what in the world the person is trying to communicate?  Or worse, the message sent is misinterpreted with a negative outcome.  It is bewildering sometimes to read e-mails that are poorly written and lack the necessary information.    

Redundancy is a problem for most writers of e-mails.  From time to time, the redundancy plague infects even the best writers.  It seems that all of us want to make our point so badly that we repeat ourselves frequently.  Readers of e-mails have important things to do, so get to the point.

Remember, your e-mails are not expected to be the refined prose of your college English class.  Reading a long e-mail is more difficult than reading a long report in hard copy.  You want to reduce the reader’s eyestrain, so being concise is essential. 

E-mail is for important information.  Be quick about getting to the meat of the issue.  This is not to say that we need to de-emphasize our message.  However, our wordiness can detract from our message.  Be short and snappy.  The recipient will appreciate your concise e-mails.  

When addressing questions, answer them precisely.  If you are complete in your answers, there will not be a need for another e-mail to clarify the original message.  This will cut down on e-mail traffic and unclog your in-box.

Just imagine a customer wanting to know how much a product costs.  You respond.  Then, the customer asks about the type of credit cards you take.  You respond.  Then, the customer asks about the time it will take for the product to be delivered.  You respond.  This is just too much e-mail traffic.  It is best to address all the possible questions in your first e-mail.  

You should provide a link to your company web site when appropriate.  Also, make sure you do not put the customer into an automated answering machine loop.  This can really irritate a customer.  Being put through the ominous task of negotiating a complex answering machine configuration is frustrating and may even cause a customer to hang up and stop doing business with your company. 

If a customer sends you an e-mail asking specific questions and trying to facilitate the purchase and delivery of a product or service, the last thing you want to do is delay the customer.  If necessary, handle the customer request personally.  Since you have already established a working relationship with the customer, provide the product or service quickly.    

Be careful to spell correctly.  It is essential that you do not turn out e-mails with spelling errors.  This will surely detract from your professionalism.  A wise professional will always have a dictionary nearby.  In fact, it is best to put a dictionary in your desk.  In addition, you should carry one somewhere in your car or with your paper day planner or electronic day planner.  You may assume that your e-mail spell check will catch your errors.  You could be surprised when your spell checker lets you use the wrong word.  Therefore, be careful with your writing and don’t be ashamed to consult your dictionary. 

Always use the proper grammar.  Do not think that your grammar does not count when writing e-mails.  This being said, you should not let the mechanics of writing get in your way of writing.  Write and communicate fully, but make sure you go back and proof your writing.  You have a spell and grammar check built into your e-mail system, so use it every time you write e-mails.

Proper punctuation is essential.  Use your writing style, but adhere to standard punctuation.  Some people are fond of saying that rules are made to be broken.  Well, when it comes to writing, its best to use standard writing rules.  Use periods and commas correctly.  Your writing will define you.  If you show you can write well, you will gain tremendous respect from the recipients of your e-mails.  Even if you never meet the recipients, you will impress them with your writing.

Always respond to e-mails quickly.  You should reply to e-mails within 24 hours.  Senders want a quick reply.  If they wanted a slow reply, they would send a post office letter commonly known as “snail mail”.  The sender doesn’t want to send their message “snail mail”.  When people send e-mails, they are anticipating a rapid response.  So, don’t disappoint them.  Remember, if someone takes the time to send you a personal e-mail, they deserve your immediate attention.  

Traditional old-fashioned values of respect are vital in returning messages.  If you dilly-dally around and do not answer your e-mails in a timely manner, others will think that your work is of the same quality.  Good writers of e-mail do not delay when dealing with important e-mail correspondence.  Long-established notions about being prompt are still prized.  No one wants to deal with a procrastinator.  Time is of the essence in business, so be quick in responding to e-mails.  

Recipients may be reluctant to open a file attachment with your e-mail.  It is best to inquire in a previous e-mail if the recipient wants the file attachment.  Do this before you send it.  If recipients know the file attachment will be coming with an e-mail, they will be ready to open the file attachment.

There are two primary reasons for a reluctance to open attachments.  First, virus problems can be transmitted in file attachments.  Be careful about sending along an annoying virus in e-mail attachments.  The recipient will be upset and you may ruin a working relationship.  When you are trying to present yourself as a professional, transmitting a virus through your e-mail can detract from your presentation.  In addition, if you foul up a recipient’s computer system and cause it to crash, the recipient may want to send you a bill for fixing a system that has been infected with the virus you sent with your e-mail attachment. 

Second, jokes and pictures that may be unsuitable for a professional setting are occasionally sent in attachments.  Unfortunately, a recipient may not know what is contained in the attachment until the document is opened.  Therefore, most professionals are hesitant to open an unknown document that has the possibility of being improper. 

Do not write in all CAPS.  Writing in CAPS is like shouting.  You may not mean to shout, but someone may interpret your CAPS as shouting.  The entire meaning of your e-mail could be misconstrued.  Therefore, refrain from using capital letters, unless the capital letters are normally used as good grammar in the structure of your text. 

Large type can also be viewed as shouting.  For example, it is best to use a font with 10,11, or 12 point size.  When you go from a 10 point size to a 14 point size in the same e-mail, you may be giving the impression that you are shouting. 

Always proof your writing.  Don’t be in such a big hurry that you rush through your e-mails and make mistakes.  Even though the mistakes will be unintentional, they will be mistakes nonetheless.  This will reflect poorly upon you.  It is essential to be aware of mistakes that may creep into your correspondence.  There is nothing like a well-written e-mail.  Be an extraordinary writer of e-mails.  Do this and people will talk about your expertise in writing for a long time.  Make your e-mails your signature work. 

Do not forward chain letters.  They are just annoying and most people do not want to see them.  It is vital to keep all e-mail correspondence at a professional level.  The quality of your correspondence will define you and passing along chain letters will diminish your reputation.  Time is precious and opening chain letters is just a waste of time.  Therefore, do everyone a favor and just delete chain letters. 

Don’t discuss confidential matters on e-mails.  If you put confidential data out for everyone to see, your first-class status will be damaged.  Also, don’t spread bad news in your e-mails.  No one likes a gossip, even through e-mails.

            Avoid long sentences when writing your e-mail.  You never know how the recipient’s e-mail will format the incoming message.  Also, it is a good habit to keep your thoughts short and to the point.  A long complex sentence can be misunderstood sometimes.

You will encounter discourteous writers of e-mails from time to time.  For some reason, a few people feel it necessary to express their frustrations in e-mails.  It is tempting to respond to e-mailers the same way they communicate with you.  When getting into heated exchanges with other e-mailers, you may arouse an angry person to become a flamer, or even worse, a cyber-stalker.  When a person flames another, they are tossing insults.  Do not fall into this trap.  You do not want any part of this dreadful e-mail behavior. 

Be gracious.  Wise professionals will always maintain their cool and keep their writing courteous.  When you are polite in your writing, you will be viewed as an exceptional writer of e-mails and a person of distinction. 

Guide to writing a better e-mail

1. Avoid attachments.

2. Always be gracious.

3. Do not write in CAPS

4. Avoid long sentences.

5. Be concise and to the point.

6. Do not forward chain letters.

7. Answer e-mails in a timely manner.

8. Proof your e-mail before you send it.

9. Double-check your spelling and grammar.

10. Never discuss confidential information in e-mails.

11. Address all questions the first time.  This will avoid more e-mails.

E-mail etiquette is important.  Successful professionals write high-quality e-mails.  Therefore, when they send e-mails, their e-mails define them as being first-class.

For more information on e-mail processing and the real estate market, contact Timothy L. Stanley at Dilbeck GMAC Real Estate 626-230-0741.  This article was published in the Rosemead Herald.  All rights reserved.