When it comes to your business e-mail communications, you need to make an impression that can lend to the determination that you are someone that will be a pleasure to do business with.
For your consideration below are the Top 10 e-mail issuestargeted at business men and women. These are the issuesbusiness owners and their employees minimally need to be aware of in their day-to-day online communications.
1. SUBJECT: Field: The SUBJECT: field is the window into youre-mail and can many times determine even if your e-mail will beopened. If this is your first contact with a customer based ontheir request through your site or otherwise, be sure to have ashort SUBJECT: that indicates clearly what the topic of thee-mail is. Never be misleading in this regard! Typos, all capsor all small case can give the impression you are a spammer.
2. Level of Formality: Never assume a position of informality inyour business e-mail. Only time and relationship buildingefforts can guide when you can informalize your businessrelationships. And, in some cases that time may never arise. Donot assume that e-mail is impersonal or informal when it comes to your business communications. It is very personal - a windowinto the type of person you are and how you run your business.Remember, people do business with people not companies. Oneshould communicate as if your e-mail is on your companyletterhead at all times. This is your businesss image you arebranding!
3. Addressing: How do you address your new contacts I wouldsuggest initially that you assume the highest level of courtesy:Hello, Mr. Anderson, Dear Ms. Jones, Dr. Osborne, etc. Untilyour new contact states, call me Andy or you can call meDiane. Keep it formal until it is clear the relationshipdictates otherwise. You will also be able to get clues by howyour contacts approach you and their tone. Most business peopledo not mind being called by their first name, however, in aglobal economy that can be perceived as taking prematureliberties in the relationship if used too soon.
4. TO:, From:, Bcc, Cc fields can make or break you:
..In the TO: field make sure you have your contacts nameformally typed. John B. Doe - not john b doe or JOHN B DOE.
..In the FROM: field make sure your have your full name formallytyped. Example: Jane A. Jones. Not: jane a jones or JANE AJONES. The later two give the perception of lack of education orlimited experience with technology. Always use your full name.By only including your first name or e-mail address you aregiving the perception you have something to hide or do not knowthe basics of configuring your e-mail program.
..Bcc: use this field when e-mailing a group of contacts who donot personally know each other. By listing an arms length listof e-mail addresses in the CC or TO fields of contacts who do not know each other or who have never met is conducive to publishing their e-mail address to strangers. No matter how great the list of people may be to you, never make this decision for others! This is a privacy issue! With those you are forging partnerships with, visibly listing their e -mail address in with a group of strangers will make one wonder what other privacy issues you may not respect or understand. Not good.
..Cc: Use this field when there are a handful of associatesinvolved in a discussion that requires all be on the same page.These business people know each other or have been introduced and have no problem having their e-mail address exposed to theparties involved. If you are not sure if a business associatewould mind their address being made public, ask!
5. Formatting: Refrain from using it in your businesscommunications. Unless you would type something in bold crimsonletters on business letterhead, dont do it when e-mailing forcommercial gain. Even something as simple as using a differentfont makes your e-mails display contingent upon the recipienthaving that specific font on their system or it defaults to their designated default font. The recipient may not have their e-mail program configured in such a way as to display your formatting the way it appears on your system - if at all.
6. Attachments: Do you think your relationship with a potentialnew customer is enhanced when you send them that 5M Power Pointpresentation they didnt request and you fill up their inboxcausing subsequent business correspondence to bounce asundeliverable Nope. And, if they dont have Power Point theycouldnt open the file anyway! Never assume your potentialcustomers have the software you do to open any file you mayarbitrarily send.
If you need to send a file over 200,000 in size, businesscourtesy dictates you ask the recipient first if it is O.K. tosend a large file. Next, confirm they have the same software and version you do and what is the best time of day to sent it to them to ensure they are available to download the large file and keep their e-mail flowing. Do not send large attachments without warning, on weekends or after business hours when the recipient may not be there to clear out their inbox and keep their e-mail flowing.
7. Using Previous E-mail for New Correspondence: If you want togive the perception of lazy, find a previous e-mail from theparty you want to communicate with, hit reply and start typingabout something completely irrelevant to the old e-mailssubject. Always start a new e-mail and add your contacts to your address book so you can add them to a new e-mail with one click.
8. Down Edit Your Replies: Dont just hit reply and start typing. Editing is a skill those you communicate with will appreciate as it lends to reflecting a respect for their time and clarity in your communications. Removing parts of the previous e-mail that do not apply to your response including e-mail headers and signature files removes the clutter. In addition, by making the effort to reply point by point keeps the conversation on track with fewer misunderstandings.
9. Common Courtesy: Hello, Hi, Good Day, Thank You, Sincerely,Best Regards. All those intros and sign offs that are a stapleof professional business communications should also be used inyour business e-mail communications. Always have a salutationand sign off with every e-mail. Here again - think businessletterhead.
10. Signature files: Keep your signature files to no more than5-6 lines as this can be viewed as a bit egocentric. Limit yoursignature to your Web site link, company name, and slogan/offeror phone number. Include a link to your site where the recipient can get all your contact information from A-Z - that is what your site is for.
Dont forget to include the http:// when including your Website address within e-mails and your signature file to ensure itis recognized as a clickable URL regardless of the userssoftware or platform.
The above Top 10 items will certainly allow your businesscommunications to rise above the majority who do not take thetime to understand and master these issues. When forging newbusiness relationships and solidifying established partnerships,the level of professionalism and courtesy you relay in yourbusiness e-mail communications will always gain clients over thecompetition that may be anemic, uninformed or just plain lazy inthis area. Went it comes to business, regardless of mode ofcommunication used, professionalism and courtesy never go out ofstyle.
About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has been playing @ for over a decade. Check out her popular E-mail Etiquette site @
Signature files have been around since, well, before most current Netizens were even aware that e-mail existed. Most will use their signature file as a quick identifier of who they are and what they do and provide a link to their Web site while those online for personal use will serve up witty, clever and many times interesting quotes.
If online for commercial gain, the most important reason to use a signature file is that your signature file allows you to promote your Web site indirectly, by simply going about your daily online business. Whether you are posting on message boards, e-mailing other site owners or participating in mailing lists, your signature file gets your basic information and a link to your Web site in front of everyone you e-mail or those who may just read your post on a message board. Signature files are the ultimate in online passive promotion when used properly and effectively.
Lets first cover the DONTs:
DONT have everything about you including the kitchen sink in your sig file. If you have a Web site, include a pointer to your URL to ensure the recipient can find out whatever they like about you - that is really what your sig file is for. Keep it to 4-6 lines max. To have your pager, cell, home, business, work, accreditations, associations and slogan about how great you are will lead to the perception that you are tad bit overbearing.
DONT throw in any sales pitchy type hype. Credibility online is very difficult to attain and maintain without undermining your efforts. Refraining from overzealous sales hype that ends in multiple exclamation marks lends to you being perceived as a seasoned professional. A short and sweet comment about your product or service is sufficient. Let your Web site do the selling for you!
DONT include formatting in your sig file (or your business e-mails). This includes ASCII formatting, colors or attaching any animated graphics. If I had a dollar for every formatted sig or e-mail that then messed with my reply by formatting it as well or worse yet by looking like doo-doo because I read all my e-mail in plain text - I could retire. If you wouldnt turn your name or title bright red on your company letterhead - dont do it in e-mail.
DONT close with your signature file reflecting anything but proper punctuation. Capitalize your name formally: John A. Smith, John Smith or John. Not typing your name formally with appropriate capitalization reflects a lack of education and busy savvy.
DONT start using your sig file until you have verified, reviewed and double-checked that all the information is correct. Send yourself a couple e-mails and test your Web site link. I see signature files with errors every day! Sigs with errors can give the impression that you lack attention to detail.
Now to the Dos:
DO make sure that your signature file contains the basic info a recipient needs to contact you. No need to include your e-mail address - that is automatically noted at the top of every e-mail you send. The only instance where you would want to include your primary e-mail address in your signature file is if you are using a different or secondary e-mail address to send the e-mail in question.
DO setup your e-mail program to automatically append your signature file and make sure to include your sign-off so that you do not have to type your name with every e-mail. So, for example you can have:
Thank you,
John A. Smith Widgets Sprockets
Web Site Address Here Slogan
Additional Information Here
Special Tip: You want to align your sigs text with spaces rather than tabbing. Tabs and text are displayed differently on different machines, which can make your layout look yucky. Also keep in mind that you want to keep your sig file to 70 characters or less, as that is the set screen default width for most e-mail programs.
DO make sure that when you include your Web site address that you add the http:// before your sites URL. In some e-mail programs and online applications without the http:// the program will not recognize the address as a link and it may not be clickable within your e-mail. One of the neato things about sig files is they allow you to have every e-mail be only one click away from your Web site. Dont miss this opportunity by forgetting the http:// .
DO have several signatures that you can switch dependent on tone or issue at hand. Sig files are an excellent way of setting a tone and directing the ongoing communications priority or level of formality. Sincerely, Best, Regards, Respectfully can be used differently depending on whom you are communicating with and the tone you would like to set. You can also set up signatures that have your formal name and a less informal version to set a comfort zone with the other party such as Judith versus Judi. Keep in mind to not be overly informal too soon with new contacts. Formalities are in place for a reason - especially in business communications.
DO have signature files that relay a different message based on where and to whom you are e-mailing. If you are marketing on message boards or newsgroups, use a signature file that reflects your new product or the current promotion that is directed to that specific audience. Different terms and words produce a different response depending on the market. Be sure to include a call to action such as: Download now... Contact Us today about... Get your free... - you get the idea - sans hype. Dont use multiple exclamation marks or question marks.
The beauty of your sig file is that you do not have to say anything about your own site in the body of a posting ... unless it would be relevant or appropriate and it is the proper forum. Sigs are a great way to subtlety market to those you do not know. Keep in mind however, that the last thing you want to do is post gratuitously or send an e-mail with a one word answer just for the sake of getting your signature file in front of readers. That is one of the oldest tricks in the book and the other members will know what you are up to and may complain directly to you and/or the moderator. Credibility lost.
DO keep in mind that your signature file will naturally add to the perception of who you are, what you believe in, if you follow the rules and if you know how to use technology - or not. Quotes are fine and sometimes apropos depending on the conversations tone and topic; however, keep in mind who will be reading the e-mail and the perception your opinion via the quote you include will leave. Humorous quotes are best left to personal e-mail. You also want to make sure to have all your e-mail basics covered by visiting: .
So, there you have it. The basics you need to know to use signature files properly. Use these tips to build your own personal library of signature files. I have over 75! Always update and work on your signature files - there is always something new to say about yourself or your business!
About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has been playing @ for over a decade. Check out her popular Technology Cheat Sheets @