When I first started doing international business, I made a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, I was able to learn from them and turn them into positive experiences. Since I first started out, a lot of time has passed, and business practices have changed significantly. I continue working actively in the field of my passion and have been very fortunate in my professional career, so if you are new to international business I want to share some of what I’ve learned with you.
As of 2022, the year I was writing this article, we live in a more globally connected world where the digital age is dictating the rules. Despite this, there are fundamental rules that must be followed to maintain effective communication when conducting international business. The business language is a bit different from the traditional or informal language.
How to maximize de subject line
The subject or subject matter of electronic mail is first and foremost the most important part of the email. It’s possible that you’d like to add a call to take action to a message that asks for a response, for example such as “Reply by July 1st”. A well-written subject line, like the previous one provides the most crucial information without requiring the recipient to even open their email. A similar subject line it might be serve as a reminder of their meeting every time they glance at their entrance inbox.
Clear & Concise
Like traditional business cards, electronic correspondence must be clear and concise. Keep your sentences short and to the point. The body of electronic mail should be concise, informative, contain all necessary information, in other word as short as possible. However, unlike traditional postal cards, sending many electronic mail messages doesn’t cost any more than sending one. As a result, if you need to communicate with someone about a few distinct topics, you should think about writing a separate electronic letter for each of those topics. This makes their message clearer and enables the recipient to respond to multiple topics at once. It is best to avoid mixing up several topics in one email because this can lead to confusion.
Be Polite
One common misconception is that electronic correspondence may be less formal than conventional paper correspondence. However, the messages you send reflect your professionalism, values, and attention to detail, so a certain level of formality is required. Avoid colloquial language, jerky expressions, and inappropriate acronyms unless you are already on good terms with the other person to prevent miscommunication. Avoid emoticons and only use them with people you are familiar with. Keep in mind that you are working on a global environment, means provably you are interacting in a multicultural communication, so you be very careful how to communicate your message.
End your message depending on the circumstance with ” You write Yours truly at the end of a formal letter to someone you do not know very well”. In the other had “Best Regards or Sincerely yours” If you know the person well (typically a colleague or business associate). The recipients may be prefer to print the email and share them with others if they are always concise. Remember that your electronic correspondence reflects your professionalism, values, and attention to detail. Try to picture how others would feel when read your communication.
Spelling & Grammar
This may seem obvious, but many people send electronic mail without proofreading their spelling and grammar. If you want to come off as professional, you won’t succeed if your grammar and spelling are not good. We are humans and we can make mistakes, but we must avoid them, the orthographic revision tool provided by the electronic mail application must always be used.
For example, you probably don’t want to yell at your customers, but that’s exactly what happens when you use capitalize letters in electronic mail communications. You can use capitalize letters to emphasize a specific word or phrase if it is necessary, but not to cover the entire body of an electronic letter using capitalize letters.
Before you send a message
Finally, review, review, and review. 1) Remember that the subject line was fill. 2) Make sure the message is brief, straightforward, and well-structured. 3) Be sure to use the appropriate tone, always be polite. 4) Be careful not to include compromised information, avoid abbreviations and if use acronyms include in parenthesis the meaning.
