Unlike me, you may always get an instant response when you fire off an e-mail. The very notion of having to follow up on an important request with a second e-mail, and a third, and then a phone call may be utterly unfamiliar to you.
But if you are like the vast majority of us, you’ve had the experience of sending an e-mail and feeling as if you’d just dropped a very small pebble into a very deep well.
How much more effective could we be if we improved our e-mail batting averages, prompting quicker and more complete replies? I’ve been asking local executives, entrepreneurs, and communication specialists for their tips on how to craft e-mails that get answered – in part to improve my own skills.
The message I’ve heard: Be succinct, make it clear what you’re asking the recipient to do, and make it easy to respond.
Here are the best pieces of advice I collected:
Subject line. Given that the subject line is the second thing people see, after your name, when they’re scanning their in-box, it’s surprising how many people leave it blank, or use something generic, like “Following up.’’
CCing. Many people ignore e-mails on which they are CCed but aren’t the primary recipient, shunting them into a separate e-mail folder. So including lots of people on the “cc’’ line of an e-mail may communicate that it is intended for everyone in general but no one in particular.
Don’t forget to use spell-check, advises Jana Eggers, chief executive of SpreadShirt, a custom clothing company based in Boston and Leipzig, Germany. Typos can send the message that you’re rushed or unprofessional.
Be persistent. Even if you follow this advice to the letter, you may still need to re-send a message, emphasizing an imminent deadline, or pick up the phone once in a while.
More suggestions and the entire article
