Creating Emails That Get Results

As a business owner I often find my inbox extremely intimidating and get anxious every time I have to create an email to my clients or co-workers. Email is such a quick and efficient way to get your point across if you know how to create emails that actually GET your audience's attention. I've learned a few things over the years that have made managing emails in general but none as important as the " P.A.S.S. method. "

If you haven't looked into McGhee Productivity's blog you are truly missing out. They have awesome training and great tips that just take a second to learn and begin implementing. The importance of the P.A.S.S. method is really getting your emails the attention they deserve by using a few letters that represent an action required from your audience.

McGhee states the following: "Here are four subject line headings that will improve clarity and increase responsiveness: Action Requested (AR): Take action, Response Requested (RR): Respond only, Read Only (RO): Read, file, or delete, FYI: Read if relevant, file, or delete." By utilizing these headings you automatically put yourself ahead of so many other emails sent to your customers and co-workers because they know what you expect and the urgency of the request.

Think of how many emails you get in a day that you need to try and "figure out" what to do with. Is it a request? For your information or a copy of something that should be filed for the future but isn't urgent now? If you could tell from the subject line what the intention was you would probably handle it more efficiently and actually respond in a timely manner. It's the same experience for your customers. Letting them know the intention of your emails right up front will get you more results with your correspondence and in tandem a more productive day overall.

Whenever I utilize this method it's also easier to create tasks from my inbox because the subject line also says exactly what the task title should be without having to change it. It saves me time and allows me to scan through my tasks to find things that say "take action" so I can be sure to meet the timelines attached to them.

Use the "P.A.S.S. Method" to streamline your email requests and get solid results in much less time.

More Articles from This Contributor:
Surviving a Poor Performance Review
The ABC's of Prioritizing Your Workload
Recovering from a Client Mistake