The Fine Line Between Brevity and Unprofessionalism in Email Communication

Given the volume of emails prospective buyers receive, as well as the fact that said communication is often read on mobile devices, it has become increasingly important to be direct. The fact that it’s also important to provide value in each touchpoint and avoid generic messaging presents a challenge in generating impactful content. As someone who can be prone to overexplaining, I fully acknowledge the need for brevity. I am also concerned about the degree of informality and unprofessionalism, and the absence of critical information that I notice in many sales and marketing emails I receive.

You Are Not in High School and Neither Are Your Prospects

Attempting to gain the attention of a prospect and secure a meeting with a corporate executive is not the same scenario as your teenager making plans with their friends for the weekend. Then why do so many emails I receive read like a text message from a fifteen-year-old?

An email from a stranger that begins with “Hey Mike” and ends with “Got 15 this week?” significantly decreases the likelihood that I pay attention to the content in between. It doesn’t have to read like King Charles addressing the British Parliament, but if your ultimate goal is to secure a business meeting, don’t make your initial outreach seem like it’s to get the recipient to be your date to the prom.

Don’t Forget the Meaning of the Word “Representative”

While many sales organizations consciously or unconsciously go through great lengths to give their salespeople titles that mask the fact that they are in fact charged with selling things, whether you’re a Business Development Representative, and Account Executive, or a startup founder wearing multiple hats, you are representing your organization in each outbound activity you undertake. In many cases, your emails represent the first impression a prospective buyer will have of your organization, and we all know what they say about chances to make them.

Incomplete sentences and poor grammar read lazy and unserious more than “respectful of my time”. Get to the point but do so in a way that doesn’t make you or your company appear unprofessional.

Leading With the Customer Doesn’t Mean Forgetting Who You Are

Making the customer and their needs and objectives the focus of your interactions is critical but will fall flat if you fail to succinctly explain who your company is, what issue you address, and how you do so. I receive countless (very brief) emails from salespeople promising that they can “guarantee” me new leads for my business with limited time or investment required on my part. While I and most business owners would like more leads, the overwhelmingly majority of these messages fail to explain the “What”, “Who”, or “How”. Are you an outsourced business development firm? An advertising agency? Something else entirely?

I am not a game show contestant and I am not going to carve out thirty minutes in my schedule to find out what’s behind door number three. Just because I don’t expect the salesperson to know everything about my business or challenges prior to conducting proper discovery doesn’t mean that I should have to guess what some business I’ve never heard of does.

Standing Out from the Competition Isn’t Easy, But It Also Isn’t Complicated

Do your homework. Lead with what you perceive my needs to be (it’s okay if you are not totally spot on). Provide an example of how you’ve helped a similar organization. Explain who you are and why I should consider speaking with you. Politely ask for my time and make it easy for me to schedule it. Use proper grammar.

Hopefully that advice is brief enough.