SMEs need to be prompt in replying to buyers

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Bikky Khosla | 26 Aug, 2008
With numerous players in the market waiting for their chance, there is fierce competition between small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get business. Many are complaining that although they are getting enquiries, the same are not getting converted to deals. This is becoming a perennial problem which I, along with my research team, tried to find a solution to.

Amazingly enough it was found that still many companies do not realize how important email communications are. Many SMEs reply to emails either too late or not at all, or send replies that are not actually the answers that the buyer is seeking.

If SMEs are able to deal professionally with emails, this will provide them with that all important but elusive competitive edge. Moreover, by educating employees on the pros and cons of email writing, SMEs can protect their respective companies from awkward liability issues.

In my pursuit to find an answer to this problem I went through the book Writing Effective E-mail, by Tom Flynn and Nancy Flynn and one aspect which sums up the problem faced by SMEs is that they need to understand that "by requiring employees to use appropriate, businesslike language in all electronic communications, employers can limit their liability risks and improve the overall effectiveness of the organization's e-mail and Internet copy in the process."

Rightly said, I would say. SMEs need to understand that buyers send an e-mails because they wish to receive a quick response. Had they not been looking for a quick response they would either send a letter or a fax, which would have taken hours or even days.

It is an undisputable fact that each e-mail sent by a client should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably within the same working day. If one feels that one needs time to reply, it works to just send a reply email saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them at your earliest convenience.

Doing so will assure the customer that you are interested in dong business and will also minimise chances of his writing business proposals to another seller or supplier.

So let's not overlook the opportunities that come our way. I think a proper emailing strategy can do a world of good to SMEs â there is no doubt about that.