Working as a technology consultant (specifically data warehousing) a few years ago (6 to be precise), my laptop always had an active Toad window open. Having moved to a client engagement / business development role, Outlook has replaced Toad – whenever I am using a laptop. Considering that I deal with an average of 125 incoming & 50 outgoing mails per day, I must be some kind of an email super user!
Naturally, I read about email tips & tricks all the time. And I thought about listing a few tips that have actually helped me tame the beast & be more effective with emails. Here goes the first of them.
# Call To Action
The number one thing that separates business communication from any story is a call to action. A story is to be enjoyed. The former is intended to get the audience to do something: follow up on an opportunity, hire someone, make organizational change, enrol into a training, get some information, etc. As an email sender, you need to focus on this part of the message that calls for action of the readers.
Question Yourself – What do I want my audience to do after reading my email?