When we first installed e-mail in our company in the early 1990s, I had to “pull the plug” on the system after just a few months. People were sending incredibly caustic messages, writing things in their messages that they would never say face-to-face. It was a new form of communication, and we had to take the time to train people on how to use it and how to be polite and courteous when communicating via this new medium before “turning it back on.”
Fifteen years later it seems that people still don’t have a clue on the effective use of e-mail communication. Web Worker Daily offered a wonderful tongue in cheek post on negotiating via e-mail that illustrates how little progress has been made.
In the new world of web work, you might find yourself negotiating by email over a job or project. Most of us know how to screw up phone or face-to-face discussions. Scotching plans by email requires a completely new approach.
Remember that email is asynchronous, impersonal, and only seemingly private. Use these characteristics to best advantage and you’ll never have to deal with a pesky email-negotiated business deal again.
It would be even more funny if it weren’t so true!!
(Thanks to Ben Cunningham for passing this along).
I agree, it is nearly impossible to negotiate via email especially about money. Other non-important items can be agreed upon, but not money.