In
business world, “You’ve Got Mail” has turned into a curse. Fact is, average business user spends an average of over two hours a day just dealing with email! If you have an urgent issue requiring an immediate response, how do you get your colleague, average business user, to pay attention and take action? Here's a typical scenario: You are sending an urgent e-mail to a colleague, Notina Hurry. Only Notina knows location of a budget file you need desperately. You called her, but her phone is tied up. How do you get your important e-mail read, and then responded to as quickly as possible?
1. Write a headline in subject area that will grab your colleague's attention. You need to get recipient to notice and WANT to open your e-mail. According to experts, you have to make it specific enough to be intriguing but vague enough to provoke curiosity. And, it's a real advantage if you know recipient.
For example, Notina is a good-hearted person but is always getting blamed for screw-ups. So, you decide you will headline a plea for help in Subject area.
You decide against "Where did you put @*!!%& file?" and opt for "Help! Help! Last week' s budget file is so lost!" as your headline in Subject area of e-mail.
2. Next, write a specific, easy-to-read message. Short sentences are best. Tell reader what's in it for them. Remember that everyone is tuned into radio station WIIFM (What’s In It For Me).
