by Montieth & Company’s CEO and Global Managing Partner, Montieth M. Illingworth, featured in FundFire, discusses his opinion about sending consultants emails and request for proposal (RFP) responses.
Brevity may be the soul of wit, but the asset management industry has mixed feelings about sending consultants emails and RFP responses consisting of only one word, according to a recent FundFire poll in which more than 40 percent of respondents said that they are wary of sending emails of such length.
“Short responses lend themselves very readily to being interpreted negatively,” says Montieth Illingworth, president of strategic consultancy Montieth & Co. However, it all depends on the context, he notes.
“When writing an email, it’s important to play close attention to the need one is addressing and devote the words and length of the response to addressing that need. However, one must also be mindful that the medium is most effective when used economically,” he explains. “Given the choice, I would rather use more words and address the needs head-on than [use] fewer words and risk being perceived as not service minded.”