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
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As my clients will attest; I am a Blog pusher. I am always asking them why they aren’t Blogging yet. I love to Blog, have 4 already with another on the way, and Blogging is one of the things I enjoy doing most. Of course, I’ve written here about the benefits of Blogging (see links below) and jump on every opportunity I can to get clients juiced up about how easy it is to Blog about what you know and much fun it is to Blog above and beyond the benefits.
Unfortunately, some do not consider typing each day about their business or sharing their experiences as “fun.” Which I find odd. I mean, business better be fun or you probably are not going to reach any realistic goals. It is just that fun factor that gets you through the ups, downs and frustrations that any business will throw at you — no matter how much you enjoy or have a passion about your particular niche.
If you don’t care about the fun factor of Blogging, then you must consider the benefits Blogging offers in gaining visibility in those search engine organic rankings that many are so obsessed about. They want the rankings but seem to think they should “just happen.” Want to improve your rankings? Then you’d better get Blogging! Here’s another smartie who is preaching to the Blogging choir:
SEO - Why a Small Business Needs a Blog
So, when are you going to start Blogging?
At your service,
Judith
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Trust is not something you can launch with a Web site. Just as in the off-line world, trust is built with consistency and over time. You can’t “buy” trust; you have to earn it.
Search algorithms have trust factors. For example, Google determines trustworthiness of a site by the number and quality of sites that link to a particular site. Although this isn’t the end all be all, Google uses this as just one of many ways to try and determine trust.
Why trust? Because of the reasons stated above… You can buy it; you can’t install it. You have to earn it over time. That is also why domains registered for longer and that have been online longer are trusted more.
Same goes for Social Media and Networking — which you should be involved in and if you are not yet; get your butt in gear! From being involved on trusted sites, to being trusted by site visitors who can reflect their trust by virtue of their actions, once again it is clear that trust is gold online. Build trust and you build your reputation, exposure, business, network and even friends.
Here is a great article written by one of my fav writers by Jeff Quipp, that covers the trust issue in Social Networking:
4 Pillars of Social Media Algorithms … Trust x4
Then, when you are done reading the above article, read his next article that goes into the top trusted sites:
25 of Digg’s Most Trusted Sites
Between these two articles, you’ll have a good idea of why you need a Social Media plan and where to start implementing it. I’ve been doing this from the start — over 13 years now and I have to tell you that right now is one of the most exciting periods in the Webolution. If you have an static Web site — you are simply glorified brochureware. You need interactivity components where you can reach out to visitors and they can do the same to you — and I’m not talking a contact form.
The possibilities and opportunities are endless — right now — due to all the ways you can share information and interact with like minds! Time to get Social!
At your service,
Judith
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