First Impressions With No Regrets

"No regerts".

(Yes- this was the subject line!)

In the past two days, I've received emails with misspellings in the subject line. One of them immediately brought to mind a meme I've seen on social media of a man with a neck tattoo that says NO RAGRETS. I assumed the email would be a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact the word regret was spelled wrong. 

No.

While the article did focus on what agents wish they had done sooner in their careers, it had nothing to do with bad tattoos or the importance of using a good spellcheck program.

The second email's subject line read, "Are you looking to sharpen you listing skills?" An editing program may not have caught this one (you instead of your), which begs the question, "didn't anyone read this before hitting send?" 

We only get one chance to make a positive first impression. There is nothing worse than sending an email with incorrect information because once it's been sent and seen, that first impression is already made. Even if a follow-up is sent immediately, the proverbial damage is done. 

Email is impersonal. Text doesn't convey tone or emotion, so  the impression formed is from the content, making grammar, spelling, and punctuation incredibly important. If email is a blind date, a poorly written message with errors is scuffed shoes, messy hair, and food stuck between their front teeth. It may not matter how nice or attentive the person is that first impression may lead to a snap decision about who they really are. An apparent lack of attention to the small details can lead to a wrong impression, even if the important things like knowledge, experience, and professionalism is above reproach.

To provide the very best written impression possible, follow a few best practices to ensure you have no regrets.

• Use a grammar and spellcheck program, but you still must read the suggestions. They can still be taken out of context or make incorrect changes.
• Take advantage of the growing popularity of AI writing programs. You will still want to ensure it is properly written and spelled correctly.
• Have a colleague or family member proofread for you.
• Check, double-check, and triple-check before publishing, posting, or hitting send. 

While no one is perfect, taking a couple of extra steps to ensure your text is will go a long way to creating the best first impression possible.