* Be polite
* Be clear
* Provide any necessary background information
So when you email a request for action to a client, what should you discuss in the first paragraph?
1. Social niceties, such as "It was nice to see you last week..."
2. Your request, such as "Please sign and fax the attachment..."
3. Background to your request, such as "Remember we talked about adjusting your asset allocation..."
Please answer the poll in the right-hand column of my InvestmentWriting blog. I'll report the results--and share my bias with you--in next month's newsletter. The NAPFA MA members who attended my email writing workshop know my leanings, but I wonder if I've convinced them to change their habits.
I'll report on the poll results in my February e-newsletter.
Related posts:
- Six ways to stop sending emails with errors
- Your mail has three seconds to grab your reader's attention
- To "dear" or not to "dear" in your email
- When NOT to personalize your email's subject line
Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2010 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved
The first paragraph should include all of that. How long is this email anyway? The second paragraph should start with something like, "sincerely." :)
ReplyDeleteOf course all this has to do with who you are and who your audience is too.
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI agree that all of these topics have a place in an email. However, putting all of them in one paragraph might be a bit much. I'll say more about my thoughts in my Feb. newsletter.
Meanwhile, thank you very much for taking the time to comment!