The Other Day...

Several of us at RLM were talking about how important it is to be email centric. So we made up some rules. Enjoy. Pass along. Viral-it-out!

1. Be concise and to the point. Do not make an email longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an email is harder than reading a printed document and a long email can be very discouraging to read.

2. Don’t use that tone with me! Tone is a difficult thing to explain. Remember when your parents would say "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young lady (young man)?" Your feelings come across by the way you say something. It is easy to change your tone when you're speaking, but not so easy when you are typing.

There are three words, totaling 14 letters that carry a great deal of meaning. People may not notice these words when they are used, but if you forget to use them, you'll come across looking disrespectful and ungrateful. These very powerful words are “Please” and “Thank You.” Please take my advice and use these words in client emails – you’ll thank me later (please).

Before sending your email, read it over several times to ensure it communicates the tone, urgency, information, etcetera that you desire.

Caution: Don’t be glib—remember that you may have a terrific relationship but others are going to see this thing!



3. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. An email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further emails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and the client’s, but also will create considerable frustration.

If you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, the client will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful attention to detail.

REMEMBER that when you are explaining, you’re losing them.

4. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation. This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of RLM, it is also important to convey the message properly. Outlook has a spell checking option. Please use it.

5. Answer swiftly. Clients send an email because they wish to receive a quick as heck response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or smoke signals. Therefore, each email should be replied to within one hour. If the email is complicated, send an email back saying that you have received and you will get back to them. This will put the client’s mind at rest.

6. Do not attach unnecessary files. By sending large attachments you can annoy clients. Therefore, only send attachments when they are productive. Some clients have said no attachments—only PDAs for them.

7. Think before you send. When you think about it, sometimes you may want to use spell check JUST so you can reread the email as it asks you questions (“Hm, maybe not that”). Oh and yeah spell check is free. :).