Massage & Bodywork

MAY | JUNE 2019

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22 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a y / j u n e 2 0 1 9 BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS best practices Improving Your Transactional Email Skills The Workhorse of Online Communication By Allissa Haines and Michael Reynolds A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL ADDRESS If you're still using PTAmom@aol.com or lovetoscuba@juno.com because that's the first email address you ever had, it's time to level up. The best and most professional email option is the one that coordinates with your web domain. As an example, Allissa's website is www.hainesmassage.com and her email address is allissa@hainesmassage.com. These types of custom email addresses can be set up through your domain registrar or (our favorite option) through Google's G Suite Business. If you don't have a website, the next best option is an email address through a free service like Gmail, Yahoo!, or mail.com. Do your best to choose a version of your name or business name for the first part of the email address versus something you think is witty or cute: allissahaineslmt@gmail is fine; deeptissuegod@mail.com is less fine. GET YOUR NAME IN THERE When you set up your email account, you likely had the opportunity to enter your first and last name in the additional settings, so your name shows up in the "from" box along with your email address when you send someone an email. Many of us blew by that screen and never set it up. Now is the time! Find the settings in your email service and make it happen. Your full name looks much more professional in the recipient's inbox and your email is more likely to get the attention it deserves, because it's clear the email is from you. SET AN EMAIL SIGNATURE You can do this in the settings feature of your web-based email service. If you use Outlook, Apple Mail, or another program on your computer, you can do it there. Include your full name and business name, phone number, and website. You may or may Email is a double-edged sword. When used well, it's a fast and easy way to communicate. When it's done wrong, email can be arduous and annoying. In our businesses, we deal with two types of email: bulk and transactional. Bulk emails are when we send the same content to a list of people, usually through a service built for commercial emails. Transactional emails are the one-on-one communications with our clients and colleagues. When a client emails to ask whether massage can help their uncle's knee issue, that's a transactional email. Anything one-on-one—like inquiries about gift certificates or a coffee invite from the business owner next door—fall into that same transactional category. We're tackling transactional emails here, the often-overlooked workhorse of online communications. Just like a handshake at a networking event, transactional emails are often a potential client's first or second interaction with you. Of course, you want to come across as professional and trustworthy, and it only takes a bit of effort to ensure your transactional emails make you look good.

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