Great emails begin with deep understanding

👉 because that leads to trust

Big response to my last email.

It seemed to strike a chord with a lot of people.

And it strikes me that really, that should be one of the key goals of your emails.

Back when I worked in “big consulting” I spent a lot of time talking to potential clients to try to win business.

When I first started “business development” (or selling as normal people call it) I thought winning projects was down to proposing clever and detailed solutions to client problems.

After a while I began to think it was being able to do brilliant pitch presentations.

But after a lot of hard-won experience (and spending some time on the buyer’s side) I realised that it was often much simpler than that.

More often than not, clients bought from people who they thought really understood them and had some decent ideas about what to do.

Understanding was key. Being on the same wavelength.

Somehow clients intuitively knew that a consultant with a brilliant solution but who didn’t really understand you would eventually screw things up when things inevitably changed.

But someone who understood you and was on your side would figure things out, as long as they had some half-decent ideas to start with.

Writing emails isn’t really about sharing genius new ideas.

Not that those are bad. I wish I had more of them.

Nor is it about Pulitzer-prize-winning writing. Though it’s nice to be able to string together sentences in ways people can easily understand and which make them smile.

But what’s more important is to strike a chord. To be in tune with your readers so they feel you deeply understand their issues and challenges.

Or as Lori Lieberman might have put it…

I felt he found my letters

And read each one out loud

When people feel that connection, that understanding…then your ideas will click with them. They’ll feel just right.

Sometimes, of course, you’ll just write a good email with useful tips illustrated by an interesting story.

But the more times you sing as if you know them, the more likely they are to want to work with you.

Great emails begin with deep understanding.