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Salutations
A BizTip
reader asked, “Would you happen to know which
is better for business e-mails: opening with Hi Jane, Jane,
or Dear Jane? Mostly, I see Hi Jane used
in my business.”
BizTip Response: There are several options for starting an
e-mail in North America as our business culture is not as formal
as other areas.
You can
use “hi,” “hello,” “good
day” or any other variant – including just the
first name. I usually tell people to use whatever they would
say when they are greeting someone face to face. I recommend
staying away from “good morning” or “good
afternoon” as the person may not open the e-mail during
that time frame.
You could use “greetings” or “hello all” when
sending a message to a group.
If I didn’t
know the person, and it was my first communication
to him/her, I would use both names: John McDonald.
Not putting
a salutation on the first message of the day to someone is
often considered impolite. As you e-mail back and forth during
the day, you can drop the salutation when it feels comfortable.
“Dear” is
considered too formal in North America for an e-mail and
is reserved for letters. Note: “Dear” in an e-mail
is considered appropriate in countries such as Germany, Switzerland,
France, Japan and Indonesia.
Bye all!
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