How to E-Mail a busy person

Conscientious Business Communication

I created this blog in order to collect my thoughts and ideas on Professional Writing and Business. Throughout my career, I have seen a dire need for professionals to improve their written communications. I hope my ideas will help businessmen and professionals throughout the world take full advantage of the power of the written word. Additionally, I plan to gather some of my ideas from this blog to use in various projects.

During most of the United States’ greatest eras of industrial and economic growth, the business letter was the key form of communicating with customers and associates.

As technology has permeated every facet of our lives and the speed of communication has increased, the respect many show for their communication with each other has decreased. Fundamentally, businessmen understand the differences of business correspondence and messages between friends. However, much of the respect and proper attention society showed to correspondence in the past has now been lost. Often in business, important communications with customers or other business partners are mishandled and treated too lightly.

P.T. Barnum wrote, “Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business.” [1]

A glaring example of how poor etiquette and a lack of civility can destroy good business is the case of a marketing contractor’s response to a customer inquiry regarding a new video game controller. The customer began an exchange of emails with the marketing contractor to inquire when the new product would be shipped to customers who had pre-ordered. One improper response after another escalated into a written brawl. With the speed and proliferation of Internet communication, the marketing contractor’s poor display of business etiquette was showcased for anyone to see. The manufacturer of the video game controller quickly terminated his contract. His reputation was ruined, and the reputation of the company was tarnished. An opportunity to build customer loyalty was traded for a childish tantrum that almost destroyed a business.

Another example occurred when a popular Internet movie rental and streaming company needing to raise its prices. A poorly planned email and press announcement created a firestorm of customer discontent. This communication was followed by another email meant to explain a separation of the business services into another company. This added confusion to the anger customers already felt. As a result, customers were lost, and trust was eroded.

Careful, civil business correspondence requires only a small investment of time, effort, and money. Proper communication has a large potential for greater returns. While a face-to-face conversation may be generally preferable, there are many benefits a written letter or email has over such common communication:

• Correspondence can build relationships with new clients and customers.
• A proper email can save customer trust by addressing complaints.
• A letter must be read.
• The person you are writing to must internalize each word of your letter. If reading is still the most effective way to learn, then writing is the most effective way to teach. Writing can be the greatest way in which to convince someone of argument.
• A letter can be read many times.
• Repeating the same conversation with a client is rare and bothersome. If your thoughts are written to the client in a letter, that client can read your argument many times.
• Proper correspondence can create a historical record of you and your accomplishments.
• We might know considerable less about many historical figures if we did not have collections of their personal letters.

In previous eras, the phrase ‘Man of Letters’  was used to describe a man of intellect. This title carried great weight when most men were illiterate. It did not simply refer to one who could read. A ‘Man of Letters’ could and would write. Writing letters has always been the best way to communicate over long-distance and with which to conduct business. The invention of the Internet and social media has not changed writing. These have merely changed the method of delivering writing.H.G Wells wrote, “The invention of writing was of very great importance in the development of human societies. It put agreements, laws, commandments on record. It made the growth of states larger than the old city states possible. It made a continuous historical consciousness possible. The command of the priest or king and his seal could go far beyond his sight and voice and could survive his death.” [2]

References:

1. Barnum, P. T.. The Art of Money Getting or Golden Rules for Making Money. Chicago: L.P. Miller, 1882. p. 17.
2. Wells, H.G. (1922). A Short History Of The World. p. 31.