With electronic communication as one of the major ways we communicate, it’s imperative for your team to pay close attention to what they are saying to customers and how it may be conveyed. Communication involves 3 things: words, voice inflection and body language. As such, the verbal communication of words alone only count for 7% of the message being received. The emotion behind the intent is not conveyed through electronic communication. This is why more attention is needed to effectively communicate. 

In an article we wrote in 2015, we suggest sharing these ten rules for effective email communication with your team:

1 - Think before you start typing. Know what you want to say and how you want it conveyed. 

2 - Be succinct. Keep your message as concise as possible.

3 – Make sure it’s grammatically correct. Don’t give the reader any reason to judge you negatively.

4 – Avoid abbreviations and text shorthand. Spell out words as if you’re writing a formal handwritten letter.  

5 - Avoid sarcasm. Without hearing someone’s tone it’s hard to pick up sarcasm in emails. Don’t take the risk.

6 - DON'T WRITE IN ALL CAPS. This is commonly viewed as shouting.

7 – Listen to your words as you read aloud before sending. When silently reading, our brain speeds things up as we read, causing us to skip over things that may need revisions.

8 – Use formatting to emphasize. Italicize, underline or bold individual words.

9 – Get a second pair of eyes to read before sending. It’s better to know before you send something that may be construed as confusing. Proofreaders may also find grammar errors you missed. 

10 - Write an attention grabbing subject line. Make sure your subject line entices someone to open it to stand out from the overload of emails most people receive. 

For more insights and tips on how to effectively communicate verbally and non-verbally in a vehicle sales or service advisor capacity, contact The Mar-Kee Group today!

David Martin
The Mar-Kee Group
888-300-4629
251-490-7010 (cell)
markeegroup.com