How To Write Your Email Signature – Part 1

The Valediction / Closer

It’s 2020 and that means that it’s time to evaluate where we’ve been and where we are and decide what needs to happen to create a solid foundation for our life and business. That’s what we’re doing in the PowerHouse during the Planning Pyjama Challenge AND during the Seasons of Success Retreat later this week.

And contrary to what our culture shouts at us every day, long-lasting success is not found in just one or two big moments. It’s not in overnight success or hitting the jackpot.

No.

It is lovingly crafted, day by day, decision by decision. It takes thousands of smart, small baby steps that accumulate to create a destiny that leaves us breathless with awe and joy.

There are no magic bullets, just subtle shifts, in who we are and how we show up in the world, that happen one at a time and change our trajectory over time. Profound change based in slow and steady decisions to do it differently.

I wanted to start 2020 by answering a RESOURCING question from our Seasons of Success group and I wanted to do it here where we could all share it because it’s something I see done ineffectively ALL. THE. TIME.

Nailing this subtle little shift can create some pretty serious magic.

What is it?

Your email signature.

Whaaaaaat? I know. I know. It sounds utterly mundane. But, I’m telling you, there’s magic in that valuable little piece of real estate.

Claiming WHO YOU ARE and the MAGIC YOU DO and putting it out there in all of your online correspondence shifts how others perceive you, and, more important, it shifts how YOU perceive you.

Yup. Your email signature is all about claiming your worth and expertise and not having it working for you is actually a subtle form of energetic self-sabotage.

Ready to kick that little demon to the curb?

Let’s do it.

Here are 5 best practices to craft a powerful email signature that immediately establishes your authority, markets your offerings, and deepens rapport (that know, like, and trust factor) between you and your Ideal Clients.

1. Your Email Closer

This is one of the most overlooked, and most fretted about, pieces of a well-crafted email and your complimentary close, or valediction, helps to establish the tone for your brand.

It’s also typically the first line of your email signature that will be automatically added to all of your emails.

And, to be totally transparent, a lot of people just leave it out altogether, treating it as just one more unnecessary word or phrase that can be edited out for conciseness. Or a relic from ages past that we’ve evolved beyond.

I couldn’t disagree more. I believe that our use of language has become far too sloppy and informal and that, as business owners, we have the opportunity and responsibility to elevate our correspondence and the lives of those we touch.

We have the opportunity to do better and be role models for those who follow us.

Nothing damages your business credibility faster than a sloppily constructed email.

So, go on! Be bold! Take a stand for polite and effective communication that builds your brand and deepens the know, like, and trust factor so essential to heart-based service businesses.

Take a few minutes and really think:

How do you want to be perceived?

What ‘voice’ do you want people to hear when they read your email?

What feeling do you want to leave them with?

I look to strike a balance between warmth and professionalism. I want it to be professional enough that I create a feeling of authority, safety, and trust and I want it to be warm enough that it deepens rapport and the heart connection that I seek to create with my network.

And, just in case you weren’t sure, warmth and professionalism are two of my business values.

What are your business values? Use them to choose your closer.

The most common business closers are:

Sincerely,

and

Best Regards,

They’re safe, time-tested, and they will definitely work for you.

They’re also bland, bland, bland. Bleh.

If you work in corporate, tech, finance, or law – these are probably where you live.

As heart-based business owners, we get a little more leeway. Over the years, I’ve experimented with many different closers and you can see that these weekly love letters end with:

Blessings and grace to you,

I wanted something that would convey how much I care for you, pray for you, and am grateful to have you in my world, without getting sloppy or overly informal.

Again, I’m always seeking that balance of warmth and professionalism.

And, because you’re on my list, you’re in one of my Inner Circles. I will be less formal and more intimate in my communications with you than I would with, say, someone I had just met networking, or, y’know, the fridge repair company.

You get to see more of my heart and soul.

My ‘normal’ everyday emails all end with:

Warmest regards,

It’s a little less warm and woo while still obviously being warm – I mean, it’s right there in the close, isn’t it?!! It still conveys that I think fondly of the recipient AND it has a touch of professional courtesy. I worked hard to pick it and, after a few years of using it, I still feel that it perfectly captures the essence of the client and networking relationships that I wish to build and nurture.

And for some, it would definitely be too warm and too personal.

That’s the beauty of communication: it can be personalized so that each one of us develops a style that is just perfect for our selves and our businesses.

But, that won’t happen if you don’t slow down enough and pay enough attention to craft something elegantly, boldly, distinctly Y-O-U.

Other possible email closers include:

Warm wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Blessings,

Best wishes,

Yours truly,

Respectfully yours,

Kindest regards,

and even, if you want a little retro flair…

Cordially,

This week, take a few minutes to sit down with a cup of tea or coffee, and dream about how your business letters would ideally end.

How could you close them with elegance, power, and a touch of your unique brand?

LOL! I didn’t realize that #1 would be so long! I mean, whoddathunk that there would be this much involved with simply picking an email closer?!!

I guess… ME!! This is what I mean by digging down deeply into the details of your life and business and working to make them excellent.

When we slow down and get still, new realms and possibilities open up to us and, by taking advantage of the infinite possibilities in front of us, we gain the ability to move from fate to destiny and create something beautiful, powerful, and new.

There’s a lot going on that we rarely perceive and becoming all of who we’re meant to be involves perceiving more and more of what is real and true around us.

I’ll continue with the 5 ways to hack your email signature next week.

Remember: You’re here to change the world and we’re here to help.

What questions do you have? Just respond to this email and let’s get you sorted.

It’s a New Year and now is the time to make magic happen.

Events:

#1 

3 Essentials to Build a Successful, Profitable – and Sustainable! – Coaching or Soulpreneur Business

In this powerful training – that comes complete with an 18-page workbook! – I share with you what I’ve learned about what to focus on – and what not to focus on! – when you’re building to your first six-figures in your soul-based service business.

Go here and register to get instant access.

If you just know, deep in your belly, that your business isn’t living up to its potential, this training will shine light on your path forward. It’ll lay out your next steps and how you can get moving toward the success you yearn for.

Register for the 3 Essentials to Build a Success, Profitable – and Sustainable! – Coaching or Soulpreneur Businessright now – before the day whisks you away – and get immediate access.

#2  From January 1st to 21st, we’re doing a…

15-Day Pyjama Planning Party Challenge + Virtual Retreat 

It’s a full 15-days of organizing to get you ready for a solid and profitable 2020. 

Right smack dab in the middle of that Planning Party, I’ll be running a 3-day virtual planning retreat, exclusively for everyone who has joined the Seasons of Success.

Register for the Party here.

That’s right! For the first time in 8 years, I’m not going to Ste. Anne’s in January to run my luxury retreat. This year, I’m bringing the strategies and planning straight into the comfort of your home.

I’m excited for the magic that we’ll create. Stay tuned… I’ll be releasing more details as we get closer to the date. Just make sure you block off January 9-11 on your calendar so you don’t miss a thing.

Vanessa Long

Vanessa Long is creator of the Seasons of Success and author of Discovering Your Passionate Purpose. Focused on providing straight-forward, no b.s. solutions, strategies, and support to move you from where you are to where you yearn to be. It’s time to tap into your purpose and build a life that expresses all of who you were designed to be.