Truly the “killer-app” of the web, e-mail is a critical part of doing business. Mastering the uses of this essential tool makes you more effective whereas improper or half-baked ways of using it can undermine your image.
Don’t let these e-mail gremlins get you!
- Immediacy is guaranteed, or is it?
E-mail gets delivered immediately. Right? Well, most of the time. Sometimes, it takes hours…sometimes, days…sometimes, it never gets there. Never assume with something very important that it WAS received immediately. Assume there was a glitch. Use the receipt function to verify that the other person got it. Or, better yet, call to verify. Servers go down and stuff just happens. And, count on it will usually happen when it is most important.
- Respond when it is convenient, if you want to lose the client
One of the benefits to email is the ability for each person to access and answer at times you would never call someone on the phone. This convenience factor leads some to believe that whenever is an acceptable time of response. Not!
One aggressive way to approach this is with an auto-responder to every mail that answers immediately with a message of when and how you will be replying and perhaps a phone number for immediate service. If that doesn’t fit your style, at least check and respond to e-mail no less than three times per day. Respond - even if it is just to say you received the mail and you will be getting back to them.
- E-mail is private, er, public
Because of the ease in forwarding, you must assume everything you send may be shared by others. This may include others who you never intended to read what you said. Unlike the old days of gossip, thoughtless words can come back to embarrass us, timed and dated. They spread almost as fast as some of the dreaded viruses. Don’t type in anger (or at least don’t send until you’ve slept on it and reread what you have written!)
- Don’t forward those jokes even if they're funny
Most people are inundated with more mail than they want and they really don’t need another joke or virus alert. Especially don’t forward mails that contain others e-mail addresses! I know that email gremlin makes you do this. My friends would continue to send jokes, attachments and chain letters….I know it must be because they have a virus!
- Missing contact information: who is this from?
Your e-mail is also a kind of business card, so why not have your contact information handy? Someone might want to call you from your e-mail. Save them the frustration of e-mailing you back to ask for your phone number. Software like Outlook, Outlook Express and Eudora allow you to set up a signature file so that your e-mail signature lines appear automatically whenever you send an e-mail. The work is done and you don’t have to insert that information repeatedly. But they must have a funny little gremlin that sometimes decides to delete this information. I know the savvy agents using e-mail would not forget to sign their mail or just sign their first name and no contact info. I can see the gleeful software gremlin laughing it up on this one!
- Bad punctuation and grammar
These same e-mail programs must also have a punctuation and grammar gremlin. I get e-mails with misspelled words, bad punctuation, even curt replies. I don’t know any agents who would write like that…..oh, no, the gremlin strikes again!
Little things do make a big difference. Take the time to master professional e-mailing and you will stand out from the rest!
Published: October 4, 2001
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 Joeann Fossland GRI, LTG, MCC is a dynamic speaker and business coach. Creator of THE REAL ESTATE GAMETM, she provides coaching solutions enhance your effectiveness and life balance. You can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter, attend free monthly telephone seminars, and find out about classes delivered by email and personal coaching by visiting JoeAnn.com or e-mail her at .
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