PEM 101 (Part 4): Summary of Writing Professional Emails
Already, we have discussed,
- How to contact clients effectively by email,
- How to write and respond to professional emails,
- Rules of writing and responding to emails;
Now, let’s go over the major points on writing professional emails:
1. Ensure You Have a Professional Email Address
Most of the time, it is actually better to have a business email address or company email address ([email protected]’s name.com) e.g. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
If you do not have a business email, get a Yahoo! or Gmail equivalent e.g. [email protected].
This is the first step in writing professional emails.
2. Choose Your Email Headlines Carefully
Bear in mind that business owners (your clients) receive a lot of emails just like you.
Your email headline must stand out to grab their attention. Yet, you should avoid using ambiguous and annoying headlines like Important, Urgent, Emergency etc.
Your headlines should be succinct and meaningful; it should be individual and professional.
3. Greet Your Client or Prospect Respectfully
It is quite normal to get so passionate that you send an email without greeting the recipient, but that’s bad.
Begin with,
‘Hello’, ‘Hi’, ‘Dear Sir’, ‘Dear Ma’, ‘Dear Ayo’, ‘Dear Mrs. Margaret’ etc.
Depending on the type of business you do and the previous relationship between you two, choose a courteous way to address your client if you are writing professional emails.
4. Introduce your Emails Cheerfully
Just like in most professional writing, your introduction sets the tune of your message. So, take time to make sure it is good.
‘If you fail at introducing your emails, you are halfway to losing your clients’
First, it determines whether your client will read your mail to the end or not. Secondly, it dictates the mood for your client. A cheerful introduction will help your client rise from the fatigue of email spams and respond to your mail.
So, here are 3 ways you can introduce professional emails:
- Introduce yourself humbly but professionally.
- Quickly explain how you found your prospect or why the recipient is your client.
- Stylishly lay out your agenda and move to the next paragraph.
5. Be Concise and Informative in Your Email Body
This means you should avoid unnecessary explanations. Use the fewest words with the fewest letters in the smallest paragraph to convey your message.
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex … it takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein
In any thing at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away…
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Being concise also shows that you value the time of your client, and you will send other emails with the same courtesy.
6. Conclude Your Emails Enthusiastically
Confidence breeds attraction and respect. When you conclude your emails with the confidence that your client or prospect will respond favorably, you have already set success in motion.
So, conclude professional emails with an expectation, and let it be a good one.
7. Sign off Warmly
‘Best Wishes’, ‘Best’, ‘Warmly’, ‘Sincerely’ etc are excellent ways to sign off a professional email.
Include your name, address or website, and phone number so that your client or prospect will be able to contact you immediately if necessary.
As a byword, take note that your email can cause a disaster and can bring good fortune.
Most importantly, having read this article, you stand a better chance of achieving success than your competitors if you implement the tips provided.
So, sit tight and get back to work.
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