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“How to Customize Your E-mail Endings?”
“How to Customize Your E-mail Endings?”
There’s More to It Than “Looking Forward to Seeing Them Again”
Have you ever thought how you could make your e-mails more effective?Or have you ever wondered how come they’re rather ineffective?
There might be several reasons if you just can’t get the message across. Among most common ones:
- they’re too long;
- the organization of ideas is inappropriate;
- the ending (closing) is not action or future-oriented;
1. What Do You Usually Do?
I don’t blame anybody for using the same closings day in, day out. Among these:
“I look forward to receiving your reply.”
“If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.”
“I hope this matter receives your immediate intention.”
You probably do it, because some time ago you were told to do so. Or have already been told not to do it, but haven’t got around thinking of something else or just don’t have the time to do it differently.
2. What’s the Problem, Anyway?
A relevant question, indeed. The thing is that e-mails are personal means of communication. Usually you know who you’re writing to. And this person might expect a bit more than just a cliché. He/she expects a tailor-made closing, which shows that you “care” about the matter and the person. The latter seems extremely important these days. Relationships matter. Nowadays more than ever. Tell the readers of your e-mails that you are aware of this.
3. So, What Are You Supposed to Do?
Before I reply to this question, let’s think for a second what the mails are all about. Either you send information or require it. Information or something else.
So, even if you stick to the “old recipe” of cliches when you inform people, you can do better when you ask them to do something. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a colleague or their superior. Perhaps if you’re their boss it matters even more.
The bottom line is: customize your closings.
4. How Do You Customize Closings?
Really easy. Instead of adding an overused and completely meaningless phrase, write for example:
“Thanks for sending me your reply asap.”
“If I can help you with some other info, mail me or call me on …”
“I’d like to ask you to look into this asap.”
If you look closer, these are rewritten closing of the cliches under point One.
However, they could be done even better.
5. Why Not Clearly Asking for a Reply?
The best way of getting a reply is asking for it. So, instead of an affirmative closing, change it into a question and specify what you mean with “asap”:
“Can you send me your reply by Friday?”
“Can I ask you to look into this during this week?”
It’s as simple as that and don’t worry about sounding rude or impolite. No way. It’s business, where the time, money and results have underlined value. Not to mention relationships.
And one more thing … This tip applies to all languages, not only English ☺
