Perceptions and Your Business Email Style

Do not kid yourself…

We do it offline when we meet someone new or see a person walking down the street. Perceptions are made and are a natural reaction to what we see, feel and hear.

How you communicate online has the very same impact.

Impressions are Subliminal

For example, when meeting someone new or viewing passers-by:

• Are they into personal hygiene?
• What language do they choose to use when they speak to you?
• Do they look you in the eyes when they speak to you?
• Did they offer a firm or timid handshake?
• Do they enunciate when they talk or are they hard to understand?
• How do they carry themselves?
• Is their outfit appropriate for the occasion?

All of the above are things that run through our minds, even if subliminally when we form an initial impression about another person in the offline world.

Email is No Different

When it comes to your email, most of the above is not available to help you determine what kind of person is on the other side. So instead, we look at:

• What is the overall tone of the email?
• Did the Sender take the time to spell-check?
• Did the Sender take the time to be courteous and choose their words carefully?
• Was an effort made to be pleasant and professionally courteous?
• Are they too informal and nonchalant?
• Did the Sender make the effort to communicate in such a way so that you know exactly what they mean?
• Did the Sender care enough to have proper sentence structure, grammar and punctuation?

These are some of the issues that new contacts may be looking at. We perceive things based on available info every minute of every day. You can say that you don’t — but you do.

How you email your business contacts will reflect what you feel is essential and your level of professionalism to the other side. Your actions, or lack thereof when it comes to your business email communications, can also reflect on your business image, branding, and reputation.

Is your communication style one that will win a contact over compared to your perceived competitors? Are you someone that can be trusted and relied upon? Each email you send provides a window into what can be expected when choosing to do business with you.

Why risk a negative impact when it can be so easily avoided?