By the way, a word formed by two other words is referred to as a portmanteau.
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Nine Guaranteed
Ways to Enrage People Over Email
Adam Grant
May 17, 2014 time.com
LinkedIn Influencer Adam Grant
published this post originally on LinkedIn.
Follow
Adam on LinkedIn.
On email, though, it’s the Wild
West. The internet and social media have made it effortless to contact
strangers: even many influential people are just a click away. When I speak
with influencers, they are often shocked by the everyday rudeness in emails
from strangers. What does it take to avoid alienating the very people with whom
we’re hoping to connect? Here are nine rules for polite email outreach:
Don’t ask strangers to…
1. Acknowledge that they received
your email
Electronic return receipts are a
thing of the past, and I know many people who interpret them as a sign that you
(a) are paranoid, (b) have an inflated sense of your own worth, or (c) have
just emerged from a 20-year coma and are unaware of mailer-daemons and delivery
status notifications. If your message goes unanswered, you can always resend it
a couple weeks later.
2. Share your content on social
media
What if they don’t like your material?
An explicit request to circulate puts people in an awkward position: they can
say no and look rude, or drop the ball and look disorganized. It’s more polite
to just send them your content along with a sentence about why it’s up their
alley, and end it there. If they like it enough, they’ll share it—and they’ll
do it more enthusiastically, because it’s based on intrinsic motivation rather
than obligation.
3. Provide feedback on something
you’ve created
If you’re seeking input on a
product, service, technology, document, or idea, it’s an awful lot to ask a
stranger to engage with your work and comment on it. Whereas feedback requires
a lot of effort, advice can be much less time-consuming. Try asking for
guidance on a specific question or dilemma that you’re facing, and you’ll be
more likely to get a response.
4. Jump on a call today or tomorrow
If you’re asking the favor, the onus
is on you to be flexible. Ask if they might be willing to talk sometime in the
next month or two, and let them suggest some times.
5. Name some times for a meeting
It’s a red flag when people feel
entitled to a face-to-face conversation. A friendlier option is to ask
strangers if they’re willing to meet, or if there’s a more convenient way for
them to communicate with you.
6. Introduce you to specific people
in their networks
It’s not fair to ask people to put
their relationships on the line for someone they don’t know. Instead, ask if
they know anyone who might be a good source of insight on a particular topic,
and they may suggest a person who they feel comfortable connecting.
After strangers respond to your
initial message, don’t…
7. Email them every day—or even
every week
Stalker alert! People sometimes
interpret a polite reply from a stranger as an offering of friendship. If
you’re tempted to reach out too regularly, try saving your points in a draft
email, and then prune at the end of the month. Intermittent reinforcement can
be a powerful thing.
8. Immediately introduce them to
someone else
This can come across as using your
newfound access to gain status or influence with the third party. The safe bet
here is to simply ask for permission first: “I thought you two might enjoy a
chat for the following reason. Are you interested in connecting?”
9. Invite them to collaborate
You just proposed marriage on the
second date. Try having a dialogue first, and explore whether working together
might prove mutually beneficial.
All I Ask Of You
Thanks for reading this post—I just
have a few requests. Will you please like it so I know you read it, and share
it on all of your social media platforms? I await your comments on the best
parts of this post and how I could have improved it; let’s discuss by phone
today.
I’ll drop by your office Monday for
lunch. That will be the perfect time for you to introduce me to your boss’s
boss.
To firm up the plans, I’ll check in
with you again tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ve sent an email introducing you to
my dentist. He’s great, and I know you’ll be very interested in his work, so I
gave him your cellphone number. Oh, and we should totally write together—you’ll
learn a lot from me.
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It is not easy, see what I mean!
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In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County, NJ.
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