 I'm curious, how many emails do you receive in a day? And even more curious, how many do we respond to in a timely manner if that matter is not pressing? How long do they sit in our inboxes, days, weeks, sometimes they don't even get answered? And yet we are busting our butts trying to craft emails that elicit a response from the recipient. So today we're going to talk about some simple email tips that will hopefully elicit a faster response to your next email. Hey friends, it's Leanne and we all receive a plethora of emails all day long. And if they're not pressing in nature, they often get ignored for weeks, months, sometimes indefinitely. But typically it's something within that email that's signaled to the recipient that there was really no need to respond right away. And so it gave them license to push the email off. So today I want to look at some of the email tips that we can start using that trigger to the recipient that, yes, we would like a response and continue down the road of building this relationship. So let's look at these dos and dos of email writing together. Tip number one include a clear subject line. And now I know this almost goes against some of the inbound marketing rules that are talking about subject lines being vague or being intriguing in nature. And yes, we want to capture their attention. But at the same time, if you're working on a program that requires a response, you want to be very clear about what it is that you're communicating about. Tip number two, there is no need to ask, how are you in an email? An email tends to be a one-sided dialogue. You're not sure if you're even going to get an answer. So try not to use the words, how are you or how are you doing in your email? This is better left for a phone conversation, maybe even a text message, if that's the way that you're communicating with the recipient. But email, let's leave out some of the, how are you's or how are you doing for other modes of communication? Tip number three, do not use the words, do you ever? Now, these words tend to come in solicitation emails where we're looking to see if they book business in our destination or use our type of hotel. The problem is, if we've done any research on that particular individual, chances are we might be able to answer that question already. So the, do you ever question signals that we haven't done a lot of research? So instead, what we want to do is turn the words, do you ever, into something a bit more specific that allows us to dig a little bit deeper with that client and show them that we have done a little bit of research into them, into their organization and potentially even into their meetings. Tip number four, this is my favorite. You've heard me talk about it before. Never use the words, just following up or just checking in. A couple of things with this. For starters, we are never just doing anything if we are positioning ourselves as a strategic partner in the meetings process. We are on a level playing field with all of the partners in this relationship, so we are not just doing anything. We want to be very clear about our important role in the process. And so eliminating the word just from your vocabulary helps you get there faster. And following up and checking in are all things that we need to do, but we need to accompany it with something of value versus it being a one-sided. This is about me. I want answers type of email. We want to ensure that the recipient is getting something in return and it's just not a solicitation for an update. So hopefully that helps with those two terms, but ensure that you get just right out of your vocabulary. Tip number five, never use the words. I wanted to take the time to email, kind of a given since you're taking the time to email, but see number four. It's very similar to be at being about you and no longer about the recipient. And we want to flip that around. So along with number four, this one and the next one, number six, I'm hoping to connect with you. Again, that makes it about us versus the recipient. So we want to eliminate all three of those terms from our email. Number seven, again, don't use the words, I'd love to. Again, that's more of a focus on things that I'd love to do, but not necessarily what the recipient would love to do. And we need to turn the focus back on them. Number eight, limit the amount of times that you use the words. Do not hesitate to reach out. It again is a given. Your recipient knows that they can reach out at any time to provide you with updates, with requests for information. So it goes without saying, and it just becomes email clutter. If every email they open, it says, do not hesitate to reach out. So again, stand apart from your competition. Eliminate those words from your vocabulary. Tip number nine, try to limit your use of the words. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Once again, this is a given similar to number eight. So we can turn that phrase around and use it a little bit more pointly rather than using the words. Let me know if you have any questions. Tip number 10 and one of my favorites again, always include a call to action. This is the biggest one. Your recipient needs to know what to do next with this email. So make it easy for them and include a call to action. Include one, don't include several, but one strong call to action will help the recipient get to that next step. Tip number 11, include a strong signature line, even on replies and forwards. So many emails I get from people who have no signature line, especially on replies and forwards, and I am digging. I am digging deep to try and find out what their phone number is. Even sometimes what their address is. So please include at least some basic details on all of your email replies and forwards so that people can find you easily. Tip number 12, etiquette tip around texting. Do not text your recipient unless you guys are on that playing field. Texting is still seen as very personal. It has crossed into business boundaries, but not for everybody. So unless you and your recipient have already established a relationship where texting is OK, don't try it. Reach out to them in other ways, but try to stay away from texting until you both have a clear understanding that this is OK in order to conduct business. OK, so that was a long list and I realized that there was a lot to take in there. But there's probably some that I missed. And I would love to hear from you about any tips or tricks that you have seen or faux pas that you have also seen that you can share with the audience. We're all in this to make our email communications a bit clearer and a bit stronger. I hope these tips will help you craft more impactful communications. And if you're looking for more sales and service advice, hop on over to my website at liankaldrewood.com and take a look at the sales and service section. Alternatively, you can go to my YouTube channel and I have videos under sales and service there as well. Thanks for watching this week's video. Good luck to you and the emails that you send out to your audience. Have a great week, everyone. Bye for now.