We’re wellness providers, but we’re also business people. That means we have to look, speak and write with a certain amount of professionalism. You wouldn’t have letterhead with cutesy little bunny rabbits on the border and you wouldn’t greet patients wearing a t-shirt with a hole in it. Why, then, would you use a hotmail or g-mail account for your business mail?
I’m always amazed when I get business e-mail from a doctor and the address is dr-ralph@hotmail.com or yourdoc@yahoo.com or bestchiro@gmail.com. Using a freebie mail account for business purposes says one of three things about you:
- You’re cheap … too cheap to pay a few dollars to get a “real” e-mail address
- You’re not tech savvy … you don’t know how to get or set up a personal e-mail address
- You don’t care what impression you give … and if that’s the case, do you care about what kind of service you give?
Keep in mind that I’m not talking about having a hotmail or gmail account for non-business purposes; we all use them for leaving comments on blogs, subscribing to e-newsletters, etc. But for mail you send to professional contacts such as colleagues, patients, or suppliers, you need to upgrade your image and use a proper e-mail address.
This isn’t just my personal opinion. Here’s what other business consultants have to say on the topic:
“A common mistake I frequently see business owners make is that they continue to use generic e-mail addresses like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.”
– Not So Tech-Savvy? Entrepreneur.com
“A generic e-mail address can send the wrong signal to potential customers.”
– Think twice about generic e-mail addresses – Business Management Daily
“When I see a business using a free email account, particularly a Hotmail account, I immediately think: ‘this business doesn’t care about email, or using the internet to communicate with their customers.’”
– Why is using Hotmail for my business such a bad idea?
“Stop using free email services like yourbusiness@juno.com (yahoo, hotmail, gmail, etc.) to contact current and perspective customers, conduct business and network. Using your own domain, like info@yourbusiness.com adds credibility to your small business. As an added bonus, you are also promoting your brand.”
– 3 Easy tips to INSTANTLY transform the perception of your business
Combine all this with security and privacy concerns voiced by many experts and you have some very compelling reasons to STOP using generic e-mail addresses and invest in a unique domain and e-mail address.
Perception might not be <B>everything,<B> but it’s definitely important in today’s ultra-competitive world!
Terry Rondberg, D.C. is Founder and CEO of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), an international organization that promotes subluxation-based chiropractic. A leading figure in the health care community, Dr. Rondberg is dedicated to promoting health and wellness. Dr. Rondberg, is an accomplished author, public speaker, educator and advocate of drug-free chiropractic. 
Well, I do think it’s a good idea to have a customized email address, but even more importantly, I feel as a consumer, the quality of the website is really important! An outdated website, that is static, without current news and information will be unable to bring patients or friends back often.
Having been a small business consultant for many years, websites and email addresses are often the first order of business when I take on a project. This is a digital age and there is a new standard for businesses who want to succeed.
I could not agree more about the poor impression that is made using free e-mail services. Every Chiropractor must understand that in the digital age we make a digital impression on everyone and every organization we encounter. Having an address that promotes and identifies your office as a serious practice is a part of that first digital impression.
I could not agree more about the poor impression that is made using free e-mail services. Every Chiropractor must understand that in the digital age we make a digital impression on everyone and every organization we encounter. Having an address that promotes and identifies your office as a serious practice is a part of that first digital impression.
+1
Very true, most doctors don’t think about the problem with using freebie email services. Another problem is having a silly name in the first part of your email address, like “bigdog69@yahoo.com”.
Being a doctor, I love your view on this particular issue. Several of our clients go over similar matters together with me, and it really is exciting that we are not the only people who truly care!
Very true Terry, seen some email address’s for chiropractors who have just left university and their email address reflects their age. The big worry is that some of them don’t change them for 5-6 years, doesn’t send the right message.