How to Write Professional Business Emails－活得精采，劉偉澍的學習網站

How to Write Professional Business Emails

by David W. S. Liu

Outlines for English Email Writing

How to write Professional Business Emails

I. English Writing – an email vs. a letter

II. Be Clear, Concise, and organized

III. Guidelines for Request Emails

IV. Guidelines for Reply Emails

V. Email Do's and Don'ts

VI. How to Write a Persuasive Email

主講人

劉偉澍，朋友都叫他 David ，商業智庫首席顧問，中美晶監察人，前福特六和汽車公司財務長，前Mazda汽車副總經理，同時任教于國立台北大學商學院，教授企業管理、國際貿易等課程，並常受邀在工商企業界作專題演講。曾榮獲中華民國十大傑出經理人，中華民國管理科學學會管理獎章。著有1.「臺灣汽車工業發展文集」，2. 「Travel 趴趴走 David 帶你環遊世界，行遍天下」，3. 「活得精彩，做好個人管理」三書。

It is important to have good business English writing skill, because

Customers see your writing more than they see you.

Good writing skills show that you really care.

Good writing skills contribute more forcefully to arguments/persuasion/selling.

Good writing skills reduce risk of losing a customer or damaging a customer relationship, and foster good relationships with colleagues.

Business writing is different, because (a) business writing is goal-oriented; (b) business writing takes place in real time; (c) the writer is responsible for successful communication and (d) a business message should present the writer, his company, and his department, in a favorable light.

II. BE CLEAR, CONCISE, AND ORGANIZED

1. Organize material exactly as they do

l When your clients present information in a specific way, follow their lead and organize your response to mirror their structure.

l Overview first, pricing last – When format is left up to you. It’s best to include an executive summary up front and save the dollar signs for the end.

l First thing first – Emphasize critical selling points at the beginning of each section or response. Don’t make clients wait to get the heart of your sales pitch.

l In business you get what you want by giving other people what they want.

2. Use Headlines

l Be a headliner – Write for readability, and use heads and subheads to keep your clients from drowning in a sea of black and white.

l Make it easy to find information – Like a Web site, headings and subheadings call out important information and make it easy for your clients to locate.

l Obvious is oblivious – Heads and subheads have more impact when you go beyond the literal and use them to highlight your key selling points.

3. Address all sub-questions individually

l Don’t just answer the question – Answer every question individually, no matter how general. Try to put a new spin on each response without too much repetition.

l Use every chance to sell yourself – Look at each response as an opportunity to promote your product or service to your clients and show them how they benefit.

l Every question we answer leads on to another question. Be careful.

4. Answer it each time it comes up

l Don’t cheat, repeat – Don’t leave your client searching for answers. Repeat your responses if your client repeats their questions.

l Avoid a second term – Use consistent terminology throughout the proposal.

5. Put it in the appendix

l Appendix items let clients “learn more” – Get your key selling points across in the main proposal, but put supporting documents in the appendix for clients to retrieve additional information.

l Move it to the back – Detailed documents and lengthy reports such as case studies and annual reports are valuable pieces of information that find a good home in the appendix.

6. Sound like a well-informed friend

l Set a friendly tone – Portray yourself as an informed friend who can talk about your product or service in terms of how it benefits the client.

l Talk (discuss) with the client, not just tell them – Use language that is client-focused, with examples that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of their goals and objectives.

l Know it all, but don’t be a know-it-all (萬事通) – Let the clients be the experts and you’ll send a powerful message that facilitates true partnership.

7. Stick to the point

l Quick, clear and concise – Get to the point right away and include only the information that supports your initial statements.

l Be active, not passive – Writing in active voice gets your point across more effectively and uses fewer words.

l Enhance readability by keeping your sentences short and limiting your paragraphs to just a few sentences.

8. Get rid of jargon

l Write your proposal for the average reader, avoiding terms that are highly technical or use only in your organization.

l Speak their language and avoid your jargon (行話).

9. Pay your attention on grammar, spelling, and punctuation

l Show attention to detail – Errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation distract from your message and demonstrate a lapse in the quality and care you’re trying to convey to your client.

l Make proofreading a priority – No matter how pressed for time you may be, schedule time to make sure your document is comprehensive, consistent, and grammatically correct.

10. Go to extraordinary lengths to follow instruction

l Go in the right direction – One of the most common complaints clients have is that proposals don’t follow their directions. Make sure your proposal is the on that does.

l Read, learn, do – Make sure that from the very start you’ve read and understood and are prepared to follow the directions.

l Check and double check – As part of your editing and review process, make sure you’ve followed each and every instruction, to endure your proposal is decisively poised to win the deal.

VI. How to write a Persuasive Email

1. Get agreement up front

l Address issues early on – Before you begin writing, make sure you have all the information you need to create a proposal that gives your clients what they want.

l Don’t be shy, clarify – Talk to your clients about any questions you have and gain valuable information in the process.

2. Involve the experts

l Don’t work alone—Involve a team of experts who will help you propose the best solution for the client.

l Delegate to make it great – For content that accurate, detailed and timely, ask the experts for assistance in drafting the proposal or presentation.

l Pull it all together – Integrate responses from your experts to ensure consistency, comprehension, and focus on client needs.

l If you wish to succeed, consult three people.

3. Read between the lines

l Successful sales efforts often require that you read between the lines 弦外之音to determine a strategy that satisfies clients’ needs that aren’t explicitly stated.

l Look for hidden messages – A question isn’t just a question. It’s also a subtle way for clients to obtain specific, revealing information from you.

4. Write for your audience

l Write for a specific audience – Understand that every clients is unique, and tailor your content accordingly.

l Know your client – Learn as much as you can about your client and the organization before you begin creating your proposal.

5. Focus on a theme

l Sing your theme song – Determine the one thing your clients want to hear from you and make that your theme throughout your proposal.

l Be specific – Horn your theme so that it’s directly relevant to the client’s needs, and substantiate any claims you make.

l To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.

6. Use their questions to frame your benefits

l Go beyond “just the facts” – answer clients’ questions directly, but also include information that demonstrates the unique benefits of choosing you as their vendor.

l Exceed expectations – Responses that show you “exceed” rather than just “meet” your clients’ need go a long way toward establishing your organization as the clear winner.

7. Detail your qualifications

l Clients won’t “take your word for it” – Give them a detailed description of your experience and qualifications.

l Be convincing, not vague – Vague assurances aren’t as effective as specific examples and real evidence of your experience and qualifications.

l We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done. (Henry Longfellow, U.S. poet)

8. Draw on industry experience

l Use real-life examples – This is often the best way for clients to see how you’ll work for them.

l Tell a great story – Know the client’s need and use the experts in your organization to create relevant examples of your work.

9. Prove your capability

l Bring in the outsiders – Supporting information from impartial 公正的, outside sources helps your clients see you’re not the only who thinks you’re the greatest.

l Be an information gatherer – Create a library of internal and external information you can use to make a convincing argument for your achievements and keep it current.

l Well done is better than well said. (Benjamin Franklin)

10. Use endorsements to make your case

l The past dictates the future – Your client’s best glimpse of how you’ll work for them often comes from taking a look at how you’ve worked for customers in the past.

l Endorse, of course – Include testimonials and references in your proposal to support key strengths and successes.

l Obtain permission from your customers before using their testimonials or including them as a reference, and make sure they’re still your number one fans when they talk to your client.

11. Show them how they benefit

l Winning proposals are more than a description of what you do – Talk about what you can do for your clients and why you are the superior choice.

l Customize language to focus on client needs – Understand your client’s business and make sure every feature or benefit is related specifically to solving a problem or fulfilling a need.

l Write from the client’s point of view – Your proposal should be written and structured from the client’s perspective, giving them information that is customized, persuasive, and relevant to their decision-making process.

12. Stand out as uniquely qualifies

l Differentiate yourself – Don’t blend in with the crowd. Give your clients a reason to choose you over the competition.

l Be convincing – Talk about your differences, and use persuasive content that is highly relevant to your audience.

l Everything perfect in its kind has to transcend it own kind, it must become something different and incomparable. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 歌德)

13. Pull the best from old winners

l Different proposals for different clients – The degree of standard content customization depends on the situation, but always personalize at least one aspect of your proposal.

l Read it word by word – Use of existing content for a new proposal is wrought with pitfalls, unless you read the proposal carefully and make sure content that has worked in the past is going to win in the present.