Business Email Etiquette: Maintaining a Professional Image
Posted in Online Networking
Professional e-mail etiquette builds leadership, quality, business and careers. Without etiquette, you limit your potential, risk your image that are fundamental to business success.
Don't include anything that has potential to be offensive or misunderstood. Think about the impression your message sends to someone who doesn't know you, and be professional and clear.
Never be informal in your business e-mail because this is your business's image. Only time and relationship building efforts can guide when you can informalize your business relationships.
Attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation. Also, make sure the subject line meaningful to recipient.
Don't use all capitals. It's the e-mail equivalent of SHOUTING and people don't like it. Don't use all lower case letters.
All e-mail accounts have capacity limits. Also keep in mind attachments use the recipient's resources. Sending unnecessary, unexpected attachments reflects a lack of consideration for the person on the other side.
Assume the highest level of courtesy: Hello, Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. Smith, Dr. Smith, etc. Until your new contact states, "call me Bob" or "you can call me Karen", keep it formal until it is clear the relationship dictates otherwise.
E-mail alias so recipient sees your full name, or your full name with @sf.com, in their e-mail in-box.
Don't just hit reply and start typing. E-mail editing is a skill that takes time, diligence and effort to master.
Do not respond promptly to your business e-mail it can leave an impression that you do not consider the sender's e-mail of any importance. Never ignore your e-mail because this is giving a negative perception.
Clear signature block with your full name, postal mailing address and return e-mail address. Be careful about including quotations and sayings in your signature block.
