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Improve Your E-mails with a Sig File
Your e-mail messages can become more effective by using a simple element called a "Signature File."
If you already use one, please continue reading to review the proper components of a "sig file."
If you don't use one or don't know what it is, please help your readers by creating one.
A well designed "sig file." can save you and your readers time, make you look more professional, and, possibly, get you more
business.
Simply stated, a "Signature File" is a section of information at the end of an e-mail that lists all of your contact information.
Rather than typing this information after each e-mail you create, the e-mail system you use most likely has the ability to place
that information automatically at the end of your e-mails for you.
Obviously, this saves you time.
But, it can also save your readers time.
If your readers want to call you, fax you, or mail you something, they need not spend the time to search for the correct
information. It's right there at the bottom of your e-mail.
I am amazed at how many people ask me to call them but don't put their phone numbers in the e-mail messages they send me.
Assuming is normally a weak strategy. But e-mail etiquette stands out as the exception.
Assume that your readers will need to contact you.
If you are a business person, assume the person who gets your e- mail needs more information about your products or wants to order
something. Give customers all the information they need to contact you.
Sending an e-mail without a "sig file" is similar to sending a business letter written on butcher paper.
Provide the basic information they need to contact you.
This basic information includes:
Your Name
Your Title
Your Company Name
Address (Street, City, State, Zip)
Telephone number and Fax number
(Cell phone is optional unless it is the primary way to contact you)
E-mail address
Website
(Assume readers plan to copy and paste your information into a file)
If you deal internationally, include your country as part of the full address.
Most e-mail systems allow you to create a "sig file" that automatically appears at the end of your message.
Be careful that your "sig file" does not offend your readers by becoming a long, overt commercial for your company or a campaign
message for your favorite cause.
You can save time, get better results and improve your image in your e-mails with a "sig file."
About the Author: Al Borowski, MEd, CSP, PP, is a communications skills image consultant. He helps business professionals protect or improve their images when they speak, write, or listen. He is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach.
Al has been a popular seminar leader for The American Management Association, Dun & Bradstreet, and several top universities. He also speaks at conventions, conferences, and meetings.
His website, http://www.connectallthedots.com offers free audio, video, and written tips as well as a bi-weekly UseLetter, to help you take your career to the next level.
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