I had an interesting conversation with my very inquisitive 10yr old son the other day, and I wondered how I could incorporate that conversation into an interesting and relevant blog post. So here it goes…it went something like this…”Dad, why do you beep your horn at people so much?” Well son, good question. There are many different levels of beeping and they consist of:
- A quick “double hit”…beep, beep – used to say hello to a person you know
- A medium triple hit…beep, beep, beep – used for safety to warn other drivers
- A long …beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…used to let a driver know you're upset because they did not use their turn signal or that they pulled out right out in front of you.
Ok, so how does this relate to business or marketing? Well, I believe there is direct correlation with your beeping style to your “Email etiquette” style.
Proper email etiquette is so important these days as email has became our primary source of communication in business. So how DO YOU respond to emails? What “beeping style” do you use? I use to be a “knee jerker” and respond quickly to emails that maybe I should have thought about before clicking the send button. However, a very close friend and colleague made me privy to his email etiquette strategy. I coined him “The Email Draft-Box KING”. He could potentially have 200-300 emails in his draft box at any given time. He takes his time and reviews each email very carefully prior to sending. I have adopted this technique and it has proved to be a life-saver.
Each email you send, is an extension of your brand. What is the tone you use? Are your emails professional? Each touch point of communication could be critical in getting that next project or keeping your current clients happy.
Before you “beeeeeeeeeeep”, and send off that next furious email, save it to your draft box, review it the next day, and see if you feel the same way. You may quite possibly change your mind. I know I have!
Other important rules of email etiquette
http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/tp/core_netiquette.htm
