Bob McElwain

Email Foulups

Sure, you know how to handle email. You're probably floodedwith the stuff and deal with it as effectively as you can. Butis this good enough?

Maybe, but I sure get a lot of email that completely ignoreswell established rules. And even defies common sense. Here aremy pet peeves.

Line Length:

A line of 80 characters is about twice as hard to read asone of 65. My reader window is set to accommodate 65 characterlines. Send me 80, and 15 or more will wrap to a second line.Ugly. And hard to read.

Send 60 character lines, 65 maximum, as do most newsletters.All you need to do is hit Enter at about 60 while typing.

Courier

Use it. Forget all other fonts. This is what most expect.When you use the font you love, it's a struggle for me to readit because it is not what I expected or am used to.

HTML

Forget it. Many are now trashing HTML, much favored bypornographers. While I don't automatically trash it, it's gotto be important else I will. People can send Java and Active Xin HTML. Reports I have not confirmed, suggest these willbecome joyful tools for those wanting to do mischief.

Do The Views Above Reflect The Norm?

It's doubtful. But I'm not alone in any one of them. So ifyou break these rules, you are bound to annoy some. Rememberingthe importance of generating every single possible hit, can youafford this risk? Many obviously believe they can, for theabove are commonly violated in the email I receive.

There's more to all this than mentioned above. If you areserious about your business and want to be certain your messagesare first rate, visit my site. Click on Library in thenavigation bar to the left. Then, under Topics, select EmailHandling. You'll find lots of good information here, and theviews of others.

Three Unbreakable Rules

Ignore the following at your peril. You can lose lots andlots of potential customers in doing so.

Answer Promptly

What good is a reply a week later? Heck, the sender haslikely forgotten the question. And even that they asked it.

There's no exception here. Email needs to be answeredwithin a few hours of receipt. If you're working a day job,handle the heavy stuff in the evening. But check for importantmessages in the morning as well. Otherwise, check every two tothree hours. If you haven't the time, outsource the task. Thatis, hire someone to handle your email for you. It simply has tohappen.

Answer Completely

Many replies are incomplete, so you have to respond again toclarify your question. Often the answer does not relate to thequestion. Intolerable.

Take whatever time is required to be sure you understand thequestion. Then answer it completely. But go further. Includerelated information that may be needed given your answer. Forexample, if you suggest using a Windows' tool, add how to do so.

Answer With Grace And Style

Be pro. Talk nicely. Use simple language. Say enough, butnot more than is needed. Above all, watch your manners. Thismatters most when dealing with someone who is angry.

Remember there is no such thing as a dumb question. Butwe've all seen and heard loads of dumb answers. Be sure yoursdo not fall into this category. It's just plain bad business.

If you have been careless with your email, and have beenbreaking any of the above rules, begin following them now.It can do wonders for your bottom line.

Simple Rules That Matter

As spam is an ever increasing problem for most, be sure yourmessage stands out clearly.

> Use your name in the From field, followed by your emailaddress in angle brackets. Bob Jones

> Be sure the first three words in the Subject field getright to the point. Often the full subject is not visible.

> Address your message to a name. If you don't know it,visit the site. If the recipient does not see their name, theymay not even open the message.

> Get to the point in the first line of the message. Even abusy reader who doesn't recognize the name or doesn't find thesubject revealing, may read the first line. But that's as faras he or she is going to go, unless you have grabbed attention.

Sig Files

If you're not using signature files, start now. They candraw visitors like crazy. In fact create several. Append theone most appropriate to the end of the current message. BothPegasus and Eudora do a fine job in this.

Writing Skills

If you are weak in this area, you have only two choices.Outsource the task (which can be expensive) or figure a way tohandle it. Content of an email message may matter more thanthat on your site, for it's personally directed.

What works for many is to create boilerplate. Answers tocommonly asked questions prepared ahead of time. Create acomplete answer acceptable for each question you have seenrepeatedly. Include more information than most will need. Thatis, try to anticipate all possible twists people may add to thequestion. Ask a friend to edit for you. Or pay a pro.

Then tuck it away into a .TXT file, to be copied as neededin a reply. Or use a program such as ClipMate. It greatlysimplifies this task.

You may need to add or edit a bit to get your prepared textto really fit the way the question was asked. But withpractice, this is not difficult. One approach is to give asimple, brief answer to the question asked. Then add, "I'veappended further information."

Put Email To Work For You Now

Email is a revolutionary tool. A grand leap ahead incommunications. But "communicate" has two sides to it. Youneed to accurately state your message. And the person whoreceives it needs to understand it. Quickly and easily. Elsethere is no communication, and no point in having sent it inthe first place.

While some big outfits can afford to ignore email, a smallbusiness can not. Handling email effectively is fundamental toonline success. Few succeed without embracing this need. Thepotential value of a single hit is simply too great. You can'tafford to toss even one opportunity aside.

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