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I recently received and email from someone regarding potential business. However, a small part of me suspects that they may have an alternate motive for contacting me.
Common business closings, such as regards, can come across as a bit stiff. Yet, it seems the casualness of our original interaction is likely one of the reasons they wanted to do business with me in the first place.
How about something on the lines of
"Looking forward to doing business with you
With Kind Regards
Your name"
Or maybe "Best Regards".
Consider looking at this list for some nice suggestions.
Be careful when greeting across cultures. Many years ago, I was learning German. My prof told me that "Wie gehts?" was replacing the more formal "Wie geht es Ihnen?", especially among close acquaintances. Soon after, I happened to visit my "uncle" (really, a close family friend), who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany as a teen soon after WWII. I greeted him with a jaunty "Wie gehts?", hoping to impress him with my slick German. He was mortified! After growling something in German, he informed me that "Wie gehts?" was a greeting that only very low-class Germans would use, and that using it with one's uncle was insulting. (Ach, those class-conscious Germans!)
My point is, even when you think you know the culture, I would err on the side of formality for a first email. Your greetings can gradually get less formal as you trade correspondence.
Kind regardsis certainly formal but also warm.Cheersis common work-casual andThanksis also a great way to go.thanksorgood luckif appropriate to the content of the email. Here 'Best' heavily used in business here, and thus has a formal connotation.Cheersis casual with a hint of warmth.