I have been corresponding with some business owners in Europe recently, in hopes of some work, some business or contracts. Whether I get the work or not has not even mattered. What has mattered is how they sign their emails.
I have never met these people before, we’ve not yet been on the phone yet together. They sign each email not with “Cheers” or “Thank you” or “Thanks” or “Sincerely” as we might in North America, which always seems so stiff to me.
They don’t have Facebook and Twitter and website links galore in their email footers. They don’t have logos and branding and visual headers throughout their emails to market and sell frome each email and each word that they speak and share. They are very successful, wealthy, actually. They don’t speak about their brand, and nowhere is their brand shown in an email.
No, none of that. Simply, they are polite, extremely respectful and kind and friendly and how do they sign their emails to strangers like me? In such a lovely way. They sign the bottom of each email with “Your friend, …” or “Thanks a lot, my friend” or “hear soon my friend” and “Hear you soon, Brenda, my friend” …
AND, THEY USE CAPS and !!! TO SHOW THEIR PASSION AND EXCITEMENT AND GRATITUDE WHEN WE ARE TOLD TO NEVER YELL OR USE CAPS IN EMAILS AND CORRESPONDENCE.
Fingers crossed I get to work with these people, as I sure need the money and I need the work. However, more importantly, I need a friend. What’s your business and work life about anyway? Work? Or friends? I’d say, they’ve got this work thing right, in Europe, over there, in that small place, where we strangers are welcomed with open arms, as friends.
Business isn’t really work, is it? How do you sign your emails?
Your friend, Brenda
