A number of small factors will make or break your sales. The same is true in customer service, management, really all of business. So it absolutely applies in marketing as well!

Think about your email address for a moment. Have you ever considered what it says about you? Likely you’re using it extensively for both sales and marketing. Is it saying something you’re not intending it to?

You likely want to be viewed as a professional. Do you think using a Gmail, Yahoo, or even AOL email address looks as professional as using your own domain name in your address?

Obviously, that’s subjective, but some people would view that as unprofessional. The good news is that if you have your own domain name, you can have a more professional-looking email address. In fact, if you have a website, you can often set up your email address as part of your website hosting. Contact your website host or your IT company if you need help getting it set up.

That’s the portion of your email address after the @, but what about the part of the address before the @? That makes a difference as well!

Let’s use Mike’s email as an example of the difference between various options. Here are some email addresses he could theoretically use. And for the record, Mike’s email address is actually mike.crandall@sandler.com

• Really formal: michael.crandall@sandler.com
• Formal: mike.crandall@sandler.com
• Formal: mcrandall@sandler.com
• Informal: mikec@sandler.com
• Informal: mike@sandler.com
• Unprofessional: mikerocks@sandler.com

For some organizations and individuals, a more formal address will make sense. For others, informal is a better fit. The key is to give thought to your address and pick the one that makes sense for you and your organization.