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6 DOs and 4 DON'Ts For Using E-mail Effectively in Your Real Estate Business

DO

1. DO check your e-mail frequently, and answer all e-mail inquiries as soon as possible. Within 5 minutes is best. Within 2 hours is good. Within 2 days is unacceptable. If you can't send a full response right away, at least send a brief reply that you received their inquiry and will get back to them right after a showing, or within some other reasonable time frame.
   
   If you're not prompt in responding to their questions before an agreement is signed, they have no reason to believe you'll be better after.
   
   Additionally, many prospective clients fire off e-mails to multiple real estate agents in one session. Very often, the first Realtor to respond will be the one who gets their business. Very often, the first Realtor to respond is also the only one to respond — and if that's you, you'll get their business.
2. DO include a signature line in every e-mail you send that provides your full name, e-mail address, phone numbers, office address, and web site address.
3. DO quote relevant portions of the recipient's original e-mail to you. It may be perfectly clear to you what mean by "yes" or "at least $55,000" or "tomorrow" — but your client or prospective client may not remember exactly what he asked you. Provide enough context for your reply that the recipient will know what your e-mail is in reference to.
4. DO try to get a feel for whether your client (or prospective client) is more comfortable with e-mail or phone calls. Some people don't want to get phone calls unless an immediate response is needed, while others don't like or aren't comfortable using e-mail, and would prefer phone calls. Try to adapt your communication methods to your clients' preferences.
5. DO be very careful when using humor (particularly sarcasm or irony) in your e-mails. Without the cues of body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice, it is far too easy for clients to misinterpret something that you meant humorously.
6. DO send e-mails in plain text. If you must send html e-mails, keep them lean and do not embed large graphics. Many people are still using dial-up connections, and your "rich media" e-mail may never reach them because they can't receive it because it is too big. Worse, your e-mail may fill up their mail quota and keep them from receiving other, equally important e-mails.

DON'T

1. DON'T send overly detailed or long-winded e-mails unless the recipient has specifically requested a detailed reply. E-mail as a communication medium works best when it is concise and to the point.
2. DON'T write your e-mails without thinking of how the message will be received by the recipient. If you wouldn't say something to the client in person, don't say it to them in an e-mail, either.
3. DON'T fail to include common everyday courtesies and pleasantries, such as "please," "thank you," or "have a good week-end." E-mails are less formal than dead-tree letters, but manners don't go out the window just because you're communicating electronically.
4. DON'T send extremely large attachments — especially 6MB images straight out of your digital camera. Even more especially, multiple 6MB images straight out of your digital camera. Learn how to resize images — those 6MB images can be reduced to 100kb or less, without any noticeable loss of quality.

Bonus Tip

Make sure your caps-lock key isn't broken or stuck in the ON position. USING ALL CAPS IS THE ON-LINE EQUIVALENT OF SHOUTING, AND IS CONSIDERED VERY RUDE.