4 Ways to Use Email for Results and Respect

SpeakerSue, also known as Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, focuses on just one thing—helping people get best results—through her passionate, practical and fun approach. The author of two books, “Power Sales Writing” and “How to Say it to Sell It,” SpeakerSue has degrees in English and Counseling, which has enabled her to blend neuroscience and art to develop highly effective email and communication structures to transform results. She is proud to have tossed about 90% of pre-pandemic research because “teaching that would be like walking with the dinosaurs!” 

You may have heard that “no deal is ever signed over email” or maybe even “email is dead.” And it’s true, the phone is an underutilized tool of persuasion and internal apps that enable—mostly—productive conversations. 

Yet almost nothing gets done without a form of email.

So, how do you boost the results and respect you want to get with email? Here are four ways to be more persuasive, drive revenue and enjoy a much higher level of success.

Create emotional certainty for your reader

Messaging is always about more than the message.

“It’s not what you say but how you say it.” In reality, it’s both, but in email, your recipient, without benefit of your face or voice, decides how you meant what you wrote. Their perception of your intent, influenced by factors such as their frame of mind at the moment, your relationship, and your phrasing, determines the success of your message.

You may think your intended audience understands your intent 80%, 90% or more of the time when they get your email. Consider this: when more than 30,000 internal and external emails were analyzed in 2021, recipients got the intent of the message right only 52% of the time.

Email is more than just a transactional tool. Add care, demonstrate positivity, and build excitement for your ideas and the other person’s success. Only when your reader feels emotionally certain can magic happen.

Make the next step frictionless

The easier it is to move forward, the more likely readers are likely to do so. This is true whether you’re asking your CEO to increase your meetings budget or a meeting professional to look at a particular venue.

The more “work” you give them, the more you diminish your value and their motivation. Every next step should be clear, easy and respectful. Funnel their choices so it’s easy to say, “Yes, please!"

Revolve your message around them

Who are these sentences about?

·      I would like to discuss your ideas to…

·      I am sure we will have a very productive conversation…

·      I have your reservations…

They are 100% about the writer. Stop writing about what you want and don’t make yourself the hero of your own story. Your reader can be made to feel important in each of these sentences.

How about:

·      Thanks for sharing your ideas about how we can further deliver…

·      Your insights will help us all to..

·      Here is your reservation confirmation…

Nuanced? Yes. Critical to further success? Absolutely.

Lighten up

The best way to connect with another person is to be yourself, and that means your best self. 

Infuse your email messaging with a bit of levity. Not a borscht belt joke, but maybe a side comment such as “this is so cool,” or an emoji or exclamation point to convey enthusiasm. Align with your brand voice and add your personality.

You’re in the meetings and hospitality industry. You’re not selling caskets, and even if you are, you’re not selling caskets to the bereaved. Trust yourself to be yourself.

When readers like you, they’re more likely to trust you and when they trust you, they feel comfortable doing business with you. When that happens, signing the deal by whatever channel you prefer becomes a simple next step.