I take my business e-mails very seriously and personally. See, I understand that those who don’t know me at all or too well will be determining if the want to do business with me. They do this initially by virtue of the level of professionalism displayed in my e-mail communications — which will contribute to how easily it will be to partner, work with or hire me.
Once you begin working with me, I immediately start coaching on Business E-mail Etiquette practices. This is for my clients own good — whether they know it or not — to ensure that they are perceived as the credible professionals they are, or need to work on becoming. All to give them the best shot at success in this über competitive online market.
Those who are serious about their online image; immediately embrace the information and resources I provide. While others, even 10 years later and after many a suggestion to work on or hone these skills, refuse to integrate any form of courtesy or professionalism in their e-mails. They must feel e-mail etiquette doesn’t apply to them?
They know how to configure the little blurb about sending from their “crackberry.” They certainly know where the exclamation point and question mark keys are so that they can hit them redundantly. So effort is being made — just not in the appropriate areas to make sure they provide pleasant and professional communications.
Forget about nice greetings and throwing in a gratuitous “thanks for your help” or “TIA!”. Instead demands and questions are blurted out in one line, typo laden e-mails that make me wonder what their customers are thinking by virtue of the way they choose to communicate.
Yes, it is a choice about how you will be perceived. It is your choice how you choose to communicate with the written word. And, it is your choice as to whether you use technology with knowledge, understand and courtesy. Are you a professional? Are you educated? Could have fooled me…
What I am most curious about is why you feel e-mail etiquette doesn’t apply to you and that it is something you can choose to ignore and not embrace. Please do pipe in and let me know… I’ve yet to hear a valid business reason given as to why business onliners choose to be rude, terse and illiterate instead of making the minuscule efforts necessary to be view favorably as the expert professionals that potential customers will choose to do business with.
At your service,
Judith
Spam is spam is spam. You send unsolicited, unasked for e-mail, you are a spammer. You fill out Blog comment boxes with your gibberish thinking you can get your site linked to — your intelligence is seriously in question.
Who cares what the person you bought that database of names from claims. Those listed didn’t ask you directly for your information so you don’t e-mail it to them! More importantly don’t believe everything you read, see or that some slick salesperson who simply wants to get your CC info says!
It has nothing to do with if you “feel” those you are sending to “would be” interested. If those folks have not specifically given you permission to e-mail them, regardless of your perception of their need or desire for your information, you simply do not e-mail them. If you do, it’s spam and you are a spammer — period.
Bloggers put all your posts into moderation and don’t even approve anything that has a sniff of being spam. Ignore the comments about how great your Blog is just to get a link on your site from those who cannot provide a name and more substantiative comments related to the post they are “commenting” on. Is your ego that easy to manipulate? Raise your standards!
If onliners were not so gullible, spammers would be out of business! No response — no spammers! No business — no spammers! No approved posts — no spammers! How about everyone simply ignore and not open any e-mail they did not request? Don’t approve any Blog posts that simply stroke your ego. Don’t fall for all the hype and sales pitchy BS.
If it’s sounds too good to be true — believe me — it is!
At your service,
Judith
Each week I get literally hundreds of e-mails from concerned Netizens about how to handle those they care about (or those who simply don’t care) in regard to issues involving E-mail Etiquette and proper technology use. 30% of those e-mails pertain to business related issues!
What has become clear in my decade long journey of championing this topic is that most folks don’t know what is right, what the guidelines are or how they are being perceived by virtue of how they choose to use e-mail. Online, just as in the off-line world, is not an “anything goes” environment and there are repercussions based on your actions, the words you choose and how you use technology. In business, lack of E-mail Etiquette is called lost opportunity!
I’ve launched a new project today to help get the word out about proper technology use and E-mail Etiquette specifically. It’s called The E-mail Etiquette Revolution!
The concept is simple. Everyone posts the Revolution’s logo on their sites and Blogs and links back to the Revolution site. Visitors Take the Pledge to use technology as a way to learn, grow and thrive; not as an excuse to be lazy or not use the education we received in grade school.
We use the viral nature of the Web to work together to get the word out about this very important topic. Are you up to the challenge? Won’t you join me?
Take The Pledge today then Grab a Logo and let’s start a Revolution!
