This one’s easy: Assume anything you write will get shared.

Emails get forwarded. To someone else on the buying team. To the CEO. To your CEO (or HR.). Sometimes even to competitors.

So write like you know that.

There’s a silver lining here: it forces you to write better.

Cleaner language. Fewer typos. Clearer points. More useful content. Less knee-jerk emotion.

And if you're thoughtful, you can use this to your advantage.

Want your email, proposal, or status update to get passed around? Make it worth sharing.

Here’s how:

Subtly recognize the customer’s good work.

For example:

“Our solution builds on the impressive reengineering effort you’ve already completed—which helps reduce implementation time and cost. Kudos to whoever pulled that off.”

That kind of note—if sincere and well-placed—sticks.

It can’t be over the top. It has to be real. And ideally, you know who deserves the recognition (or who you want to see it).

The goal is to be respectful and appreciative, not flattering or fake. A quiet compliment, tucked into your message.

That’s the kind of email people want to share.

Not the one where you call someone “dense and clueless.”

But that’s a sales story for another day.