Identify Yourself Clearly

If you are the person initiating E-Mail contact with someone, do not forget to include your name, profession or organization where you work, or any other important information to identify yourself. You could have this information in the first few sentences of your E-Mail as an introduction.

If you are just following up on an earlier conversation or contact and are not sure whether the other person will remember you, drop a few casual hints or bring up a reference to the earlier conversation.

If you are E-Mailing someone outside your organization, it helps to have a signature line that includes your full name and/ or telephone number with a link to a blog or website.

Who Sent You M@il?

Quite often, you may find yourself sending E-Mail to someone you don't know or don't know too well. Identify yourself in the E-Mail clearly so that you the recipient knows who you are without a doubt. It may be helpful to add details like how you found out about the recipient or any prior meetings or E-Mail exchanges if you think it would serve to jog the recipient's memory. You may also want to indicate what the E-Mail is about and what you need from the recipient.

Ideally, these points must be communicated in the first one or two lines of your E-Mail. Otherwise, you may find that your E-Mail goes straight to the ol' trash can.

Identify Yourself

If you are the person initiating E-Mail contact with someone, do not forget to include your name, profession or organization where you work, or any other important information to identify yourself. You could have this information in the first few sentences of your E-Mail as an intro.

If you are just following up on an earlier conversation or contact and are not sure whether the other person will remember you, drop a few casual hints or bring up a reference to the earlier conversation.

If you are E-Mailing someone outside your organization, it helps to have a signature line that includes your full name and/ or telephone number with a link to a blog or website.