I recently got ‘an end of year wish you well’ kind of email, the type that we all experience at this time of year. The email subject title was, ‘Best Regards, Personal!!!!’ Such a title is sure to grab your attention and most certainly create expectations.
On opening the mail what became immediately apparent was that it had been sent to some 25 people whose addresses were there for all to see. The email started ‘Dear Sir, Lady’ after which followed a warm, but hardly personal greeting. This was a mail merge, a badly one at that and one no more personal than me handing out pamphlets offering a car service to strangers at an intersection.
The point is that in today’s context and with the available technology, such generic messages mean little and may even have a negative impact. It is a lesson that we need to be alert to for in the Connection economy, a personal, authentic connection is essential.
So, do go ahead and wish others well for the season and the year that lies in wait. But, be sure to make it personal and authentic…if that is, you want it to mean something! And, if that is not possible, then at least refrain from indicating it is ‘personal’ when it is not.