Business Etiquette This book teaches individuals how to represent their

The Phantom of the Opera
this weekend as much as
we did!”
Tip #26
Tip #26
Tip #26
Tip #26
Tip #26
Pr
Pr
Pr
Pr
Provide suf
ovide suf
ovide suf
ovide suf
ovide sufficient infor
ficient infor
ficient infor
ficient infor
ficient information in e-mail messages.
mation in e-mail messages.
mation in e-mail messages.
mation in e-mail messages.
mation in e-mail messages.
“Yes! Yes! I want to set up a meeting to discuss what
you outlined in your e-mail message, however, I don’t have
your phone number! Get back to me immediately or we’ll
have to call the whole thing off!”
If ever there was a message that wasn’t supposed to lin-
ger unanswered in your electronic mailbox, that’s the one.
The truth is, though, it never should have been written in
the first place. Any business contact with whom you con-
duct e-mail correspondence should be able to pick up the
phone and call you or fax you something or drop an over-
night package into the local pickup box—without having to
rely on another e-mail message from you.
Unlike “snail mail,” e-mail can usually be answered
immediately with the click of a few keys or a button on your
mouse. On most systems, you don’t even need to remem-
ber—or even notice—the sender’s e-mail address. Once you
read the message, you can hit the “reply” command, type a
few words of your own in response, and send your answer
hurtling back through cyberspace.
But suppose the person you’re in touch with wants to
enter all your relevant contact information into his or her
personal database.

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55
Correspondence
Frequently, users of e-mail forget to include the con-
tact information that will make later communication pos-
sible. If a contact decides to mail you a brochure, proposal,
or formal bid request, it will be a challenge for him or her
to do so if there’s no street address at the end of your
message.
Similarly, if the person with whom you’re correspond-
ing decides that it’s important to get in contact with you
immediately, he or she probably won’t appreciate having
to wait until you next check your e-mail. (Be honest, some-
times you let it slip for a couple of days.) A fax will at least
be noticed immediately, and even a phone message has an
immediacy that an e-mail distinctly lacks.
If you care enough about the business relationship to
correspond in the first place, make a point of including all
your relevant contact information at the conclusion of your
message.
Tip #27
Tip #27
Tip #27
Tip #27
Tip #27
Remember the five e-mail commandments.
Remember the five e-mail commandments.
Remember the five e-mail commandments.
Remember the five e-mail commandments.
Remember the five e-mail commandments.
Are you making the best possible impression with your
e-mail messages? By following the five easy-to-remember
e-mail rules that follow, you can be assured that you are.