The most important details in this text are the four cardinal sins that can lead to emails not being responded to. These sins include not giving the recipient a reasonable amount of time to respond to the first message, not using HTML mail, and using a bright blue hyperlink-colored font that is too small for the average eye to read in some e-mail programs. These sins can lead to an e-mail being sent to a coworker that is going "spam" and the recipient having to go out of their way to retrieve the message from the server.
The most important details in this text are that sending ezine length e-mails to business people is impolite, and that individuals who mark ALL of their messages as High Priority are hurting their chances of quickly responding to urgent messages by abusing priority markers. Additionally, it is important to clean up your e-mail act if necessary, and watch as more of your e-mails are not only read, but also responded to.
Let's face it, no one enjoys being ignored. However, sending an e-mail to a coworker that commits even ONE of these four cardinal sins can mean the difference between a quick response... and that big e-mail receptacle bin in the sky.:-/
Here are four common reasons why YOUR email may be going "spam," and how to fix them so that your messages are answered – and answered *quickly*:
1 "Can you hear what I'm saying now? Durn! Can you hear what I'm saying now? Frick! Can you hear what I'm saying now? Cripes! Could you...?"
Follow-up e-mails are acceptable and even necessary in these days of overzealous spam filtering. But please, for the love of all that is good and holy... give your recipient a reasonable amount of time to respond to the FIRST message FIRST!
You haven't waited long enough if you haven't waited *at least* 24 hours, especially on a first contact. People do have to take care of their lives, spouses, hunger pangs, bathing, and... (well, maybe not the last two if we're in a REAL bind ;)).
2. God, please... HTML is not permitted!
It still amazes me how many people disregard this rule.
HTML mail is roughly *twice the size* of plain text mail with the same content. If your recipient has the option to skip downloading messages over a certain size, and that size is set too small, your e-mail will be cut off in the middle of the message.
This means the recipient will have to go out of their way to retrieve YOUR message from the server.
(Annoyance No. 1)
And people who send HTML mail always seem to use a bright blue(??!) hyperlink-colored font that is WAY too small for the average eye to read. Umm... \sWHY?!
Anything other than Courier New is GUARANTEED to be difficult to read in some e-mail programs – and it's usually a matter of chance that your recipient is one of those.
(Annoyance No. 2)
Don't even get me started on the peculiar "glow" that blue text has when placed against a white background... please?
3. "NO, MAMA! I don't even WANT to read an ezine!"
Sending ezine length e-mails to business people is impolite, period.
You almost guarantee that your email will not be fully read, or that you will receive a half-assed response, because the reader did not want to wade through your verbosity to get to the meat of the matter.
"Ezine length" is typically 9 kilobytes (9k) or greater. Before sending an e-mail, you can usually tell how large it is by looking at its size in your mail program's outbox. If not, for your convenience, 9k is approximately 650 words. (Yeesh!)
Unless the recipient *expects* a lengthy response from you, 3k (200 words) is a good place to stop for a first contact.
NOTE: This also applies to personal e-mails. Being "friends" with someone does not give you permission to consistently disrespect their time with massive e-mails unless they do the same to you on a consistent basis.
So, no repeating yourself 8 billion times, or using "flowery" language and "pretty" mental pictures to make your point.
Just say it, then say something else, and for the love of God... KEEP IT MOVING.
4. I mean, seriously... is it that important?
Ugh. Is it really necessary to explain this one? Individuals who mark ALL of their messages If you know what I mean, High Priority reminds me of the little dude who cried wolf.
When I see these from the same people on a regular basis, I start ignoring the priority and answering them LAST in a mail check just to spite them.
To be sure, not everyone is as insane as me and will do this. But, at the very least, you're hurting your chances of quickly responding to *seriously* urgent messages by abusing priority markers. -« I could go on and on. I won't.
(Yet.)
The rest will be saved for "Part 2." Until then, clean up your e-mail act if necessary, and watch as more of your e-mails are not only answered, but also answered faster and more productively.
Commit the heinous offenses listed above at your own risk!
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