How to Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes
When you’re starting out in business or don’t have much of a budget it can be tempting to cut corners. Emails you send out to customers are often neglected as an important tool.
Keep reading to learn five of the most common email mistakes made by small business owners, why these can make you look unprofessional and how to avoid them.
Using a free email address
For some reason trades people such as plumbers, electricians etc seem to be the worst offenders when it comes to using free email addresses. For example, your web address might be jamiefairbairnplumber.co.uk but your email address is jamiefairbairnplumber@yahoo.co.uk
Why does this matter? Well it’s a matter of professionalism. Asking the person who hosts your website to set you up an email address takes no time at all and won’t cost you much. The result will be a more professional image for your business when you email customers.
Not having an email signature
An email signature usually consists of your name, position within your company, contact details and web address. It makes sense to include this info on all your emails to make it easier for people to get in touch with you.
For example, if you send an email to a potential client and they want to phone you to accept your quote, having your phone number in your email signature just saves them time.
If you have Microsoft Outlook on your computer for emails, you can amend your signature by going to the Tools menu, options, mail format and then clicking on signatures.
Not setting up the ‘from’ field correctly
When you send people an email do you know what name comes up in their inbox? Some people send business emails with just their first name or a nickname which again doesn’t look very professional.
To change what appears in the ‘from’ field when you send someone an email using Outlook go to Tools > Account Settings > Email > Change then enter what you want to appear in the ‘Your Name’ field under User Information.
You may want to use your full name or perhaps your first name followed by your business name.
Making your emails difficult to read
If you want to express yourself with a funny font or bright coloured text, your business emails are not the place to do it.
Some people get thousands of emails a day so do them a favour and write yours in a simple font with dark text on a white background; otherwise you may not get a reply!
Not acknowledging emails quickly
When your company phone rings do you try to answer it as soon as possible? Most people would say yes, in case it’s a potential customer calling. The same principle should apply to your emails. There are a number of reasons why some people prefer to communicate by email rather than over the phone.
If you’ve got a mobile smartphone, you can set up access to your emails on this so you can check and reply to them throughout the day if you’re away from your office or normal place of work.
Follow these steps to make your business emails more professional and get taken seriously by customers.
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