Who’s the First Person to Greet Your Customer?

As the owner of a small business, it may be difficult to determine who should be the first person to greet your customer. Is it the one who waits on them? The one who greets them when they enter? The manager/owner?

We know better than anyone how complicated this can be so we've put together this post that covers all your options and gives you some key pointers along the way. Your customers will surely appreciate your efforts in making them feel welcome.

#2 - Closing Paragraphs:

Your closing paragraph is probably the most difficult paragraph to write because it ties everything together neatly, reflecting back on what you’ve written. Closing paragraphs are also the most important part of your email because they provide your customer with closure. For example, if they have an issue or question that you address, in a closing paragraph you can thank them for taking the time to read your email and answer their question. It’s amazing how impactful this can be as it comes off like you listened to their problem and responded accordingly.

#3 - Save Your Openers for Later:

If you use an opener, don’t write another one in the body of the email. If there is anything more to say, just save it for later when necessary. Many times you might find that you’ve already written a great opener in your Gmail draft and don’t have to write another one until you need to. Of course, if your opener isn’t great, just write another one – it only takes a few seconds after all.

#4 - Length Matters:

We know that an email has to be long enough to convey information but short enough to not annoy your customer. The truth is that it depends on what the email is about, but most of the time we see emails around 100 words being effective. You can always write a few more if necessary.

#5 - Consistency:

If you want your customer to think wow this is a great email, then make sure your previous emails look and feel like it. If the tone of your emails is inconsistent, then they will stop reading because it’s difficult for them to keep up.

#6 - Asking Questions:

Instead of just writing about everything you do in the email and then asking for a call or requiring a response, ask for what you want in the first paragraph. If you don’t ask for it, then you aren’t interested in their business, and that could end up being a deal breaker.

#7 - Sentences:

In the first line of each sentence make sure that the thought you are trying to convey comes across clearly. The second line should have a transition word or phrase that reflects what you just said. Other lines are often blank space to give your customer a chance to think about the content of your email.

#8 - Using Numbers and Percentages:

Some businesses will put numbers or percentages right in the body of their emails when they want to show off how much they made last quarter. It almost looks like they are bragging when it’s not necessary. It’s better to focus on the key points, and then let your customer discover more by reading on their own. The more actionable items you include, the better.

#9 - Proof-Read Your Own Emails:

It’s human nature to want to sound smarter than anyone else and it can easily be done with email. Even if others have read your drafts or seen them in action, make sure that you have proof-reads them thoroughly. This simple step can help identify spelling or grammatical errors or anything else that could be misinterpreted by your audience. You wouldn’t want to look like you aren’t that smart, would you?

#10 - Treat Every Email as a Unique Opportunity:

Every email is an opportunity to be the best at what you do. The problem is that most people don’t see them this way. The next time you write an email, take a step back and look at it as if it were your first one – this will increase your chances of writing a great email and scoring another customer.

#11 - Don’t Create Emotional Turmoil:

Emotions run high when talking about money. Business owners know this well and that’s why they always try to make a profit. Regardless of whether you are pitching something or not, try to avoid creating emotional turmoil in your emails. You can go so far as to tell your customer exactly how much you loved that new puppy they just bought or just how good their family looks on vacation. This doesn’t mean you have to lie, but it does mean you need to get creative. Everyone wants to feel good, so tap into that and create an amazing email – one that will ultimately influence them into buying from you again.

#12 - Short Form Emails Will Never Replace Longer Forms:

Some people think that emails are not only the most convenient way to communicate, but that they are also more effective because they are shorter. While it is true that emails can be shorter, it’s important to draft a 20-45-minute form instead of just an email for the same reason above – because you will still have to customize and personalize your email even though there are no other means of communication. That doesn’t mean you can’t write long emails, though. You really can’t go wrong with any type of writing as long as you make sure the content is interesting and useful to your reader.

#13 - Anticipate the Person Reaching to Read:

When you are writing your email, always try to anticipate how the person will read it. If they are in a hurry, you should include links and subheadings to make things easier for them. If they have a slow connection, use bullet points and bold words when necessary. You can’t guess what your reader will do, but you can write your email so it is easily readable from every angle – that’s why it’s best to think about this before even writing anything.

Conclusion:

You’ve read the tips and tricks we have on our website. Now it’s time to practice what we preach! Try out these new email tactics and apply them in your business. It will start to show in your sales rate, conversion rate, customer satisfaction, and overall satisfaction.

In case you want a complete guide to mastering the art of email marketing, you can check our Free Internet Marketing Guidebook here.