Things You Need to Know

Business Etiquette

Netiquette Rules

October 06, 2006

While working with a group of new, young professionals today, a question arose regarding e-mail. Suppose a more senior person in an organization asks a junior to send an e-mail to a client. The junior has never met the client. Should the junior address the client using the client’s first name or should the junior use a more formal salutation?

The first step the junior should take is to simply ask the person who requested that the e-mail be sent. Clarify whether a more informal or formal salutation is appropriate. At the same time, the junior should confirm the spelling of the client’s name and the appropriate e-mail address.

If the senior person is unavailable for these clarification questions, and when speed is critical, the junior should address the e-mail recipient more formally. For example, such an e-mail might begin:

Dear Ms. Client,

Senior Partner has requested that I quickly e-mail to your attention the attached document for your review and . . . .

Don’t forget to close personally and professionally. Appropriate closes for business letters include “Yours truly” and “Yours very truly.” These remain good options for closing an e-mail message. Once the junior establishes a relationship with the client, the close may become even more personal, for example, “Regards.”