I get at least a couple 100 emails a day (not including the SPAM). A lot of them are trying to sell me on something. Most I quickly delete, but some are interesting and intriguing.
Some of the interesting emails are offers to explore a collaboration, people interested in getting me to do something for/with them, some outright trying to sell me something–but still interesting.
However interesting many are, I won’t respond to them–I don’t delete them, I keep a file of “bad email marketing examples.”
Here’s why I won’t respond to those emails. They are addressed, “Hi,” or “Hi there,” or something similar. Or they may refer to my company in the email as “Excellence.”
What’s wrong with those?
Well, if you want to do something with me, ask me to buy something, ask me to collaborate, ask me to promote something; then you should understand me. You should be trying to develop some sort of relationship with me, starting with the very first communication or request.
There is no excuse for not knowing my name and addressing me by my name, so at a minimum, the note should open with, “Hi Dave…,” or something similar. There is no excuse for not knowing my company name is Partners In EXCELLENCE, not Excellence (Though I might warm up to being addressed as “Excellency.”)
So if you want to sell me something, if you want to discuss a collaboration, if you want me to even consider promoting something, do your homework! Show that you’ve done the homework, show that you care enough about the relationship to know my name and my company’s name.
That’s just the starting point, but it is unacceptable to do anything less. Regardless how interesting your product or proposition might be, absent my name and the proper company name, you won’t catch my attention because you’ve demonstrated you don’t care. You haven’t taken the time to do the most basic homework.
Whether it’s an email, a LinkedIn invitation (there are some embarrassing challenges LinkedIn creates in their mobile implementations), or something else; it is inconceivable that anyone is still addressing emails (or snail mail) as “Dear Occupant or Current Resident.”
Even the most basic email systems, marketing automation, CRM systems allow customization of “mass emails.” Automatic insertion of name, company name, and all sorts of other data has long been possible with all of these systems or most word processing programs.
So when you address me by saying, “Hi,” or not using the right company name, all you are saying is “I don’t care enough about you to do my homework, but I want you to do something for me.” You should know the likely response to those messages–so don’t waste my time or yours by sending it.
Getting people to read your messages, getting them to agree to speak, getting them to buy or do something for you is hard enough in normal circumstances. Don’t blow it with your first communication with anyone, show that you care enough to at least know who they are.
