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(dis)please advise…


A man wearing a maroon t-shirt that says "Please Advise"

People love the phrase “please advise”. You shouldn’t. It’s a great way to lob the tennis ball back into the other person’s court.

If you’re helping a business person, don’t use that phrase. Especially if they’re busy. Craft every message to a customer with a method that enables the executive to simply reply with “ok” or “yes”.

That’s one way you go from “techie” to “consultant”. Techies do what is asked of them. Consultants tell clients what they should do so that the client can follow their advice and guidance.


Example:

(before)  – Your virus subscription expires on Dec. 15th. Please advise.

(after) – Your virus subscription expires on Dec. 15th. Cost is $24 for the year and we have your Amex on file. Ok to renew this for you?


If you’re asking your customer to “please advise” you, you’re making too much work for them. The more you make it easier for them to say yes, the more often you’ll hear the word “yes” from them.


If you’re a stickler for business writing, here’s more on the phrase


And here’s an attorney who uses it and loves the phrase, but check out the comments, many people despise it…

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