Getting your emails read every time

By Jim Domanski

THE key to getting your emails read and acted on is

I makins sure thev catch vour clients' eyes and draw the reader into th" ."rrug.. Foilow these tact-ics to make your e-mails clutter-free, quick to read, and precise. Your message will be more appealing and more likely to be read with the attention you deserve.

Email can be a very effective and efficient means of communication. It's inexpensive and can produce immediate results. But here's the problem with email, especially in the prospecting and selling process: your prospects and clients get dozens of emails every day.

So the challenge is this: How do you get your email read and acted on?

The key to getting your emails read and acted on is winning "eye share." Eye share refers to how well emails catch your clients' attention amid all the other emails they receive, and how often you draw clients into the text of the message.

Because most prospects and clients get such a large volume of email, their attention span is limited. Generally speaking, they'll scan your message and make a quick determination of whether they should read it now, defer it until later, or hit the dreaded Delete key. Your objective is to get the client to read your message, and read it NOW because if it is deferred, it's pretty likely to get lost or forgotten.

The trick to increasing eye share is making your email easy to read and attractive to the eye. If it's easy to read and attractive to look at, chances are better that your reader will get into the text. Mission accomplished.

Here are eight ways to create email messages that attract and retain eye share.

a I. The Greeting: Formal vs. casual tone...

Sometimes it is subtle and sometimes it is not, but your greeting can influence eye share.

. The "dear" salutation: Compare "Hi, Tracie" to "Dear Tracie;" two different tones are immediately established: one is more informal and one is more formal. What tone do you want to set? There is no right or wrong answer but be aware that at a conscious or subconscious level you are conveying the mood, feel and flow of your message.

Surname or first name: Whether you use a first name or a surname also influences the tone of your email and can impact eye-share. "Mr. Maynard" gives an entirely different feel than "Mark." When you use a surname it is formal and tends to work better with newer prospects, but it also is very traditional and some readers will put it aside for the moment because it lacks familiarity. Personally. I use the first name regardless of the situation. I am trying to make the email feel more light and personal: I want to influence the reader to see this as an easy going message and not something starchy and formal.

.l

/.The Opening Line: Make o goodfint impression...

The opening line is probably the most important part of the email because this is what your client tends to read first. If the message is compelling. then the reader's eye is drawn further into the text. If it is long. convoluted and confusing, you lose the anention. The eye gets weary and you may lose your reader. Here are some key tips:

. Skip the royal "we." "We at TPD Limited take pride..." Borniiiing! Who cares? What's your point?

. Please, please don't use the old clich6s: "Brandi. further to our conversation today please find attached..." Not only is this old fashioned and stilted, it is what every other vendor uses; you don't stand out from the herd of others who send the same types of messages. Instead, say "Janice, here's the report you requested." This approach cuts to the quick, uses fewer words. and makes it easy to digest.

Another powerful type of opening is called the "direct approach." Tell your reader the precise reason for the email. For instance: "Bob, the reason for my email is..." Readers find this refreshing and it helps them determine if they should spend more time here or skip onto something else.

. Here's another really, really powerful way to get the gist of your message across to your reader: If you have two or three key points you want to make or reasons for the email, then tell the reader. For example, "Matt, there are 3 reasons for my email today." Or "Derek, I know you are busy. I have 2 quick reasons for my email today." This works because a numerical list tends to make the average person curious; they wonder, "What are the three points?"

And because they are itemized, it makes it simple for the eye to follow and quickly check out the key points. Rich in psychology, this is a BIG tip. (I also recommend using this approach in the subject line to catch your client's attention.) Use numerals (e.g., 2,3,4) rather than written words (one, two, three) because the numeric catches the eye since it is different from the text.

. Make your opening only one line long. That's it. One line is easy on the eye. It's not an intimidating, long winded paragraph. One line tends to lure the reader in-a snack instead of a meal. Here's a really neat idea: Put your opening in bold face print to suggest importance and add an extra punch. It stands out, draws the eye to the text, creates curiosity and suggests importance.

3. fn" Paragraphs: Short and sweet are best,..

The paragraphs contain the meat of your message. The rule of thumb: the shorter the better.

First, double-space the greeting line from the first paragraph. This creates "white space;" i.e., it opens up the email and makes it friendlier to the eye.

Always double-space between paragraphs for the same reason.

Never make your paragraphs more than three or possibly four lines. Anything longer than that can turn the client off simply because it "looks" long. They say to themselves, "I'll get to that when I have more time."

Use the same technique I mentioned in the "opening;" i.e., put your first line in bold print. Again, it draws the eye and more importantly, it gets the first line read. If it is crafted well enough it can pull the reader into the rest of the paragraph.

If you have two or three reasons for the email, start your first paragraph with "The first reason for my email is..." Or, alternatively, number the points: "1. The report..."

. Use indents to highlight key points. The use of white space and the uneven edges continue to play with the roaming eye of your client. It naturally tugs the eye to the indented words. It's a great way to emphasize benefits, etc.

. Similarly, you can change the font to emphasize a key point. Notice that I have switched to italics. Because there is a change in font, the reader is drawn yet again to a dif' ference in the text.lt creates curiosity because it is dffirent.

. Use bullet points to shorten your message or list items. Have you noticed? I have been using them throughout the article. Ifyou made it this far chances are I have influenced your decision by making it look like a quicker read than it really is.

. Try not to go beyond three paragraphs. I know that is not always easy and in fact, it is sometimes necessary to go longer. It will depend on the objective of the email. Generally speaking however, more than three paragraphs can be subconsciously perceived as burdensome to the mind. If you need more length, use an attachment.

4. rn" Last Paragraph

The last paragraph gets read often. Reader's eye often scan or skip the paragraphs and zip down to the last line or two to see if something needs to be done. You can leverage this natural process.

The last paragraph should be one line, maybe two.

. Use it as an "action" line. Tell the reader what you

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(Continued from previous page) will be doing, what actions will be taking place, or what they should be doing. Use bold print.

5. rn. ctosing

Like the opening, how you close the email can have a subtle influence on your reader's subconscious.

. Standard closings such as "regards," "all the best," "yours," "yours truly" will vary depending on the nature of your relationship with the client.

. The more you know them, the less formal you need to be; in fact, you can even skip the closing and just leave your name.

O. The Postscript: P.S....

In direct mail, the P.S. is one of the most important components of a good letter. Next to the opening line, the P.S. is the most read line in a letter. Why not the same for the email?

. Use the P.S. when you have something important that should be noted and you want to make sure the client sees it. When you want to build the relationship and show the personal side of you, e.g., "P.S. - Eric, trust the surprise party was a hit."

sl/. The Signature File

If you don't have a signature file, make one... today... right now. If you don't know what a signature file is find out... today... right now.

A sig file should have your name and your contact information (phone,

email, fax, Web site, and mailing

address).

Why? Because it makes it easier if the client suddenly decides to call or respond in some way. They don't have to fumble around and look for numbers. etc.

8. fuiscellaneous Tips: Looking good...

Here are a few other tips culled from direct marketing gurus.

Font: For the most part, use a Serif font, such as Times (the type you are reading now) because fonts with "little feet" have been shown to be easier on the eye (and it's all about eye-share). If you use Sans Serif font (without the little feet), use Arial or Verdana because they are more common (but are considered a little harder to read than Serif).

Size: Use l2 pt. size because it's standardized and sized to read without being garish; anything smaller could be challenging and not appeal to the eye.

. Backgrounds: I have mixed feelings about backgrounds, but tend to be conservative here. For the most part, play it safe and go with a regular white background.

. Color: Black or blue print. Blue is used less often so it can have a positive impact on eye-share.

. Smiley things: Please don't put in happy face symbols, sad faces, or any of those characters (unless you are REALLY close to this client). We are talking about a business email and not a love letter or a chat service.

Acronyms: BTW (By The Way).

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now). Don't use acronyms that people use when chatting on MSN; these are clients and not your pals who may not know what you mean.

Attachments: Use attachments as necessary for quotes and proposals. Make sure to reference them in vour email.

If you want to give yourself an edge in the selling process, create emails that are easy on the eye. Eliminating clutter makes your message more appealing and thus more readable. If your message is read sooner (rather than later), your sales cycle will increase. This can mean your customer or prospect taking some sort of action sooner. It means increasing your leads or sales in less time.

- Jim Domanski is a speaker, author and president of Teleconcepts Consulting, helping businesses and individuals use the telephone more effectivelt to generate leads and sell more product. He can be reached at (613) 591-1998 or yia n'rt'rt'.t e I e c oncept s cons u I t i n g.com.

Gas Stations Pump Up llepot

Home Depot has opened a pro totype Home Depot Fuel store, which includes a 2,7fl)-sq. ft. convenience store, filling station and car wash.

"The Home Depot Fuel strategy complements our recently announced plans to reinvest $350 million in our retail stores in the second half of 2(X)6," said senior v.p. Jim Stoddart. "It's another way for us to continue to grow store revenue by delivering innovation, great value, and one-stopshop convenience to our customers. Plus, it's no secrct that the same contracton who spend a lot of time in our stores are also heavy custorners of convenience stores."

The chain is testing the new concept before deciding whetber to expand to new markets. The new facility sits in front of its home improvement center in Acworth, Ga. The company selected Acworttr because of its location along a major corridor and the success of the existing Home Depot store.

Depot opened fircI locations earlier this year in Brentwood and Hermitage, Tn. Each surtion is projected to generate $5 to $7 million annually.

llews Briefs

(Continued from page 24 ) million single-family starts rose 4.3Va to a | .426-million pace regionally, starts fell 2.2Vo in the West permits dropped 6.37o

Weyerhaeuser will shut down its sawmill in Carrot River. Sask.. and a plywood mill in Hudson Bay, Sask., in early January

CSl has made an accredited presentation on D-Blaze available on AEC Daily, a continuing education Web site for architects and design professionals ...

Marvin Windows & Doors, Warroad. Mn.. was voted best national manufacturer and JeldWen Window & Door, Klamath Falls, Or., best remodeling contractor manufacturer for wood and wood clad windows in Market Resource Associates, 1nc.'s Best In Class Awards ...

SelectBuild Construction, a subsidiary of Building Materials Holding Corp., San Francisco, Ca., has agreed to acquire M//ls Roof Consulting Inc., Las Vegas, Nv.; the deal is set to close by the end ofthe year

Kelleher Corp., San Rafael, Ca., won the Mobile Enterprise Alliance's 2006 Mobile Impact Award in the sales force enablement category ...

Canfor will close its fingerjoint sawmill in Grande Praire Nov. 13: operations at the lumber mill next door won't be affected

Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In., ranked 248th on Information Week's list of the 500 companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue that use leading-edge technology ...

Lloyd Lumber, Nampa, Id., received an Integrity Counts! award from the Better Business Bureau...

Cascade Capital, Tacoma, Wa., a division of Capital Lumber Co.,

Tacoma, Wa., recently joined with Rivers Wood Products and Terminal Forest Products on an Extreme Makeover project in North Pole, Ak.

CanWel Building Materials

Income Fund agreed to buy l7 Canadian DCs and five treating plants: Western Pacific Wood Preservers, We stern Cleanwood Preservers, Alberta Wood Preservers, Eastern Wood Preservers, and Ouebec Wood Preservers.