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COMMUNICATION 101 Publish Date : 1/11/2006 4:21:20 PM Source : Dennis Mahagin
group studying technology trends, by the year 2005, one third of all electronic billing will be carried out via e mail routes; and devices like the "Blackberry" (a palm-sized, mobile wireless device designed exclusively for sending and retrieving e mail) will no doubt inevitably be scaled down to micro-size and incorporated into household appliances and/or items of clothing-- so that sometime in the not-distant future you will be checking your Inbox from under a band-aid-sized fanny pack velcro snap, shoe sole, or the brim of your favorite baseball cap. There are even companies who will now pay you $$ to read, and send, E Mails! www.zwallet.com/index.html?user=artfor The E Mail now stands poised to replace the "cold call" as one of the most widely applicable and effective business tools of the 21st century. Herein lies the caveat: Technology such as this forces upon us a new communication style, summed up below for the purpose of keeping your vital business e mail communications from being mouse-pulled to the nearest Trash icon by a deluged and easily-distracted reader. Think of the acronym, T.I.T.E.-- for tight writing-- to burn these basic principles into your brainpan database. Some Ballpark rules to ponder: GET PERSONAL -- Engage back-up e mail accounts for sent-and-received messages of the FFA (Free For All) Links and Autoresponder variety, freeing up your main mailbox for "quality time" correspondence, wherein you'll generate the bulk of your bona fide, "personal" contacts, two or three of which will be worth way more, over the long haul, than a hundred anonymous, automated hits that are divorced from your direct influence and mean very little outside a multi-level-marketing (MLM) context, which of course has its place but is handled by robots and, by default ! , is outside the scope of this discussion. Which leads us right into: BAD FORM -- If your message, sent by human - to human, reeks even remotely of a form letter, odds are it will be discarded, half-read or ignored completely, unless you're giving away autographed copies of Elvis Presley's last prescription refill ! Use templates and macros to ease the process of multiple mailings, but try as best you can to "personalize" each message, (especially as concerns the Title and Body of the e mail) and those few minutes of extra work will pay off huge dividends. Nothing turns a reader off more than the stale tone and "voicemail-menu-cold" qualities of a form letter. USE WHITE SPACE -- Break up your message with liberal usage of the spacebar, both horizontally and vertically, i.e.-- between sentences like this; and between paragraphs like this. It's just easier on overworked eyes period . Now for the main course of study : 1. [ T ] Title: An often-underestimated but crucial part of your message. It must have a hook that makes the reader curious enough to double-click on it. Virus - mongers have been intimately aware of, and adept at this technique for years. Nothing gets read until it's opened. If someone referred you to the person receiving your e mail, include that name as "mutual friend" in the title bar. If there is a benefit to be conveyed by your message, try to sum it up in a title that grabs the reader's interest immediately. By way of example-- 1) Bad Title: "Hello Potential Customer John X !"; 2) Good Title: "Website Traffic Booster Recommended by Mutual Friend Joe Y !" 2. [ I ] Introduction In a paragraph consisting of no more than 3 sentences, start your message by clearly and succintly telling your reader who you are , and why you're writing. If you must "toot your own horn" here, do it very lightly. There is plenty of time later (in future communications) for the reader to find out all about your background, qualifications, and inherently fine personal traits! Right off the bat, like a major league relief pitcher "setting the plate" for his best pitch, in the intro you are quickly working the reader into a malleable state of mind to receive the next step, wherein you: 3. [ T ] Tell the Tale To the extent that, in steps 1 and 2, you've made a promise to deliver a pitch, or set up a scenario of sorts, here is the litmus test for how well you deliver on that promise. Say what you need to say in strong, specific terms, and be as brief as possible without damaging the thrust of your intent. Create a sense of urgency by conveying an easily-understood benefit to the reader, and follow up with reasons why you are the person best suited, in the here and now, to bestow such a benefit upon the reader. Have you ever heard someone tell a joke really well? The trick is in getting quickly and smoothly to the punchline, then delivering it with an even tone and straight face, right before: 4. [ E ] Ending Believe it or not, this is where most "communicators" get hung up. You can nail the first three steps like a seasoned pro, but not capping off your e - message in a timely fashion can be a surefire way to see it "fragged." The reader must be left with a taste of curiosity lingering on the roof of his or her mouth, that can only be quenched by-- you guessed it!-- responding to your message. No matter how eloquent you may indeed be, the old adage "less is more" could not be more appropos than at this juncture. If you cannot "tell the tale" in 75 words (100 max.) delete the copy and start again. You will be rewarded with a swelling address book, successful link exchanges by the score, and a rare skill indispensable for navigating the rough cyber-seas of communication-- tight writing. About the Author Dennis Mahagin promotes and develops content for websites, writes articles, |
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