Independent agents send dozens of emails a day. These messages range from personal correspondence to client communication. Why? Texting aside, email is the fastest and most efficient way to relay information. Because email is so prevalent – and because we tend to “speak” differently (read more relaxed) in our personal correspondence than in our business correspondence—it can be easy to forget who we are talking to and lapse into the vernacular when communicating with a client or prospect. Using such an informal tone can cost you a lead or irritate a customer. To avoid these issues with your professional correspondence, we’ve put together some dos and don’ts of email writing and formatting.
DO
- Read over emails before you send, checking for spelling and grammar errors
- Use a professional font like Times New Roman or Calibri
- Write in a positive tone ( “Plan to arrive early” instead of “don’t be late”)
- Get main points across with bullets and numbering
- Stay brief and to the point
DON’T
- Use emoticons – these are never appropriate for professional emails
- Rely on abbreviations
- Employ all caps. This is essentially shouting, which is not appropriate
- Go on and on: emails are meant to convey only the most important information
- Use colored or “fancy” font, including in email signatures
Crafting a clear, concise email takes effort and practice, and is an important part of creating and keeping good business relationships. Your agency should have a system for tracking such relationships, be it clients, partners or prospects, including retaining email communications.
Your agency management system is an excellent tool for consolidating correspondence. Partner XE utilizes Microsoft Outlook integration to keep track of all emails, and mobile access for on the go additions to individual profiles. To find out more about what Partner XE has to offer to help build your agency’s partnerships, contact us at [email protected].
