email for entrepreneurs
posted 2006.04.25
We've all heard it: email is king of the time suckage. And when you're working for yourself, it seems to gather even more suction as time goes on. There are so many tutorials out there on how to optimize your email, how to make it more efficient, how to prevent it taking up your life that I wish I had a dollar for each of them.
Email seems to take on an even bigger role once you're carving your own niche in the world, career-wise. I struggled against that for quite a while. In reality, all I really needed to know, from day one, were these simple things:
Looks matter.
Format your emails in a businesslike manner. Have a greeting, a body (with paragraphs and sentences and everything!) and a businesslike signature (not just your name!).
Run a business, not an acquaintanceship.
Always respond promptly - same day is ideal; at least every 2-3 days at a bare minimum.
Emotions have no place in business.
Certain words should just never appear in your emails: I feel, I'm disappointed, I'm angry, I'm hurt. Businesses don't feel, they don't get angry, they don't get hurt... they just do business.
Emoticons were created for a reason.
Even if you never use emoticons, never forget the reason they were created: because it's tough to tell tone via email. Something straightforward and businesslike to you may seem curt or sarcastic to another. Be as clear as possible.
Explanations go a long way.
Take the time, when you can, to educate. An extra 10 minutes spent writing a few paragraphs to explain something to a client can buy a priceless amount of goodwill.
It's time for a mindshift, entrepreneur.
Email is not something that takes you away from your work. Email is a vital part of your work. It requires the same care, feeding and watering as the rest of your business, if not more so. You're not in Cubeville any more, with a sales department to back you up. You're it, bub. Remember that without those emails, phone calls and other "interruptions", you wouldn't have a business.
I know that sounds simple, even basic. But honestly, without these rules, I wouldn't have a business. :)
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quote: "Businesses also do not send and reply to email, people do."
Chris, I agree completely with this. However, there's a difference between personalizing/putting a face on your business, and the kind of emotional responses I'm talking about here. This is something, I've found, that women in particular tend to fall into when running their own business:
* taking business decisions personally
* lashing out personally in email
* attacking companies by email when you don't get your way
* being "hurt" by customer comments, and SAYING SO in an emailed response to the customer... "you've hurt my feelings with your actions"
[sigh] Wish I was making all the above up, but I've seen it and more since going out on my own and dealing with other entrepreneurs.
So, yes, be personal by all means, don't be faceless. However, actions like I've described above will NOT do your business any good. Evangelism comes from a positive and personal connection, not necessarily an emotional one.
I agree! Basically you MUST keep your ego out of your business period. BUT Chris I think you are talking about something altogether different than what Angie is talking about. You can be yourself - and *still* come across as professional and ethical (and FWIW I belive that my clients appreciate this toggle act a great deal). It is a very fine line to walk - even more so when your business *involves* some sort of emotional attachment. You need to know when to wear different hats for different situations in a seamless, kindhearted way - all the while maintaining stalwart professional integrity throughout all of your communications.
Re: Emoticons
How does using emoticons impact the professional image you are trying to project?
I agree with Chris to a certain extent, but what "I"feel" Angie is trying to illustrate is the stance you take on dealing with issues. It's more professional to say:
"You have not delivered...which has caused...this can't happen again...etc"
As opposed to
"I'm so disapointed with you, you didnt deliver on time...now am i supposed to do?...etc"
What you're doing is dealing with the issue, or dealing with the subject at hand. Getting emotional just makes you look like a kid in a playground. But of course, once you hit send (or during writing it) curse and swear all you want.
GREAT LEGS!
Berko: for me, emoticons are an invaluable way to appear friendly, casual, personal, while still businesslike. It helps give context to sentences that might otherwise be taken the wrong way - yes, I do realize that means it's a "shortcut", instead of rewriting to make the context clear - but given the volume of email I deal with daily, I'm OK with making that choice.
I do think it's a personal choice, though, whether or not to use it in your business. Either way, you need to keep context in mind at all times when writing an email, and always try to consider how your email might be received by a different person.
Fazal, Kathy: exactly. :) And thanks - about the legs! Woo!
I agree with all your points except the part about not putting emotion in the email. Not putting TOO MUCH is important, but Emoticons are "emotional icons."
Email is more casual than a business letter but it s also more personal.
I remember reading this a while back: Tips for Mastering Email Overload: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=4438&t=srobbins
Stever Robbins, the author, says "Over 100 real e-mails come in each day. At three minutes apiece, it will take five hours just to read and respond."
There are some great tips here; I defiantly incorporated some of the things in the article, though I'm sure it's time for a reread!
Some good stuff here too!
I used to be a heavy emoticon user, but when my business grew I had to change some of my tone accordingly.
Emoticons are helpful to me in the same vein Angie cited them--they're a quick way to soften any potential blows and "massage" a client who may be more sensitive than others.
As I develop more personal relationships with some of my clients, I find I use emoticons more to create an atmosphere of friendliness than to offset tone.
Angie, your tips remind me of some articles I've seen of late calling for designers to be better writers. I firmly believe strong writing skills can propell a business to a new level of success, and with the kind of work we do, that starts with email and how you present yourself therein. Wonderful tips! :)
Some great info here, thanks to lifehacker for the lead. But, before I get into the interaction with my customers, can someone suggest some email software to organize and hone my 2000 customers? We are new to sending mass emails and want to do it right the first time.
"Businesses don't feel, they don't get angry, they don't get hurt... they just do business."
Businesses also do not send and reply to email, people do.
Don't come across as this faceless, unfeeling corporate monolith. No one cares about monoliths.
Be yourself, let some emotion through. People connect to emotions, they can rally around you, they can evangelize you and your company because they care.