Usually people sounds either mildly jocular or very odd as a mode of address.
Many people are unsure of what salutation to use in a letter. Unless you know the person well, it's best to use a formal salutation versus a casual one.
"Dear" is what people use it nowadays.
When producing a mail-shot to prospective customers, what should be the salutation.
Walmart greeters must give salutation to all who enter the store.
The appropriate salutation to use when requesting a letter of recommendation is "Dear Recipient's Name."
"Dear Friends" might work.
A good salutation for a church foundation letter would be 'blessings'. You could also use your normal salutation such as 'sincerely yours'.
The most appropriate salutation to use in an email signature is "Sincerely," or "Best regards," followed by your name.
"Your Honor" is an appropriate salutation to use in a letter addressed to a judge when you do not know their name.
You can use "Dear" followed by the person's full name in a cover letter as a gender-neutral salutation.
When writing a recommendation letter, you should use the salutation "Dear Recipient's Name" to address the person you are recommending.
Dean actually is the proper salutation. One could say: Dean Redmond, would you please sign this form? Alternatively you could just use the Dr. salutation or the Professor salutation if those are appropriate, which they generally are.