You might be drowning Chris but you are hiding it well. Email gave us a platform to ramble and that was important because it set us free from "text book communication". Email isn't formal and you can't run out of paper - therefore hard to "keep it to one page" of business ettiquette. Twitter, I hope is making us better writers. When there is a space constraint in order to get the point across all the 50c words get culled. Perhaps if we write emails that are more like twitter posts there would be more answers.
Sonny Gill
· 2 months ago
For those drowning in their emails, what would help from our perspective is to understand where your emails are coming from and what type of attention they need (as you've explained a bit by your %'s).
Taking that a step further - and after watching Inbox Zero - I've learned to *process* those emails that need immediate attention or some sort of response. After doing so, I either delete or archive said emails. I've adjusted to this method in the past couple months and has helped relieve a bit of that drowning feeling and stress from the numerous daily emails and requests.
Understandably, it may not be effective for every person (or fellas like you who get 600 a day), but it's been helpful in my own email management.
What an important issue and something Rick and I have been discussing often. We are so buried in emails, it's incredibly challenging to manage.
I'd love to see how you use the form and reply efficiently using google docs. If you already posted on this, would you be able to put up a link for those of us that missed it? Thank you.
I'd add just two thoughts for consideration. Not necessarily tips for getting an email answered by a busy guy like you, but rather tips for everyone who gets buried in emails.
One. Track conversations in strings for those you email with frequently. Whenever possible if an email conversation goes past more than a few volleys, I ask the other party to connect with me on skype. It helps me to keep the string all together (instead of fragmented and mixed with other conversations), and we move through the dialogue very quickly. If I could organize my email conversations into strings like skype, I'd be one happy camper. As it stands, the volume of contacts and conversations coming thru email exceeds my ability to organize and keep pace. It's a continual challenge, and IM'ing helps me save time and keep conversations cohesive. (The lack of latency doesn't hurt either.)
Two. If a misunderstanding occurs for more than 2 emails, pick up the phone. Sometimes messages are misread in text, and only a voice, inflection, and dynamic interaction can truly convey what's intended. I've seen business friends completely piss off a contact because they insisted on sticking to email, and their intention failed to convey accurately in text form. Sometimes a quick call brings a personal touch, greater success in resolving issues and complete clarity to an otherwise tedious exchange dragged out over numerous time-wasting emails. It's not always necessary, but when things go wrong in text, nothing compares to a real person.
Best Regards,
Dave Cynkin Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker BlogWorld & New Media Expo
directormatt
· 2 months ago
Chris, I love your blog.... : ) Drinks on me next time you're in LA, specifically the Burbank area.
Matt Warren @mattwarren
Mark Bao
· 2 months ago
Those are fantastic tips not only for emails but for communication in general. Pretty much all comes down to brevity, clarity, and relevancy.
Generally, I star/flag emails I have to take action on, and unstar when they're responded to. That's the easiest way to track what needs to be replied to. Any email that isn't important and doesn't need a reply I hit delete on (which is configured to send it to Google Mail archive.)
I've started to only handle emails on the BlackBerry now. I use a BlackBerry app called Sensobi www.sensobi.com which allows me to schedule a follow-up time to someone from the Sensobi app (if it's a really important email), which I can choose to also add to my calendar, which is a good way to prevent important follow-ups to get lost in the mix. (It also gives points when you contact or are contacted by someone and ranks your most important contacts, wherein you can see your conversation history.)
The perk of using email on a mobile device is that I can identify an important email and star it when I'm out, and when I'm back on the computer it's not lost in the mix, whereas if I'm gone for a few hours and get back, it's hidden among the barrage of other email.
Otherwise, the mid-importance email does seem to get lost. Thankfully, social things like event invitations are tied up in Facebook and SMS.
Andrew @ WeBuildYourBlog.com
· 2 months ago
I remember when I worked in the 9-5 corporate world and the most off putting thing for me was long emails. Hated them
Another bug-bear - 'urgent emails'. "I need this today by 2pm".
Really? Well don't email me, ring me. Do you really think I am sitting at my desk just refreshing my emails every 5 minutes. Must admit even if I saw emails like that and I could response by 2pm, I never did (on purpose).
Andrew
BTW, Chris I couldn't get you 'retweet' button to work.
Jamie Favreau
· 2 months ago
I will say I have done most of the above and I always get an answer and if I don't get the answer I would like I get a reason why. Which I have learned a great deal from Chris and I think he does a great job with communication. I did get my Trust Agents yesterday and I am going to be reading it today. Thank you!
James
· 2 months ago
600 per day? you are wasting your time - outsource it. A capable helper will be able to answer 95% of your emails, requiring your efforts only several matters.
Adam Ban
· 2 months ago
Couldn't agree with you more Chris. Email has gotten way out of control. I really agree about being quick and to the point. Who has the time for Fluff. That's what I love about Twitter, short sharp and to the point.
jeffcutler
· 2 months ago
More techniques for wading through the morass - from the point of view of the receiver - include enlisting the help of virtual assistants, filters and setting aside offline time to deal with the tidal wave.
On the flight back from Europe I got 1000 emails read and all the pertinent ones addressed either via a response (which went out when I hit wifi at Logan) or trashed because they were spam or idle chit chat.
I must confess, though, as a writer I default to using email instead of Twitter, etc. for my deeper communication. The tide is shifting though.
Daniel Decker
· 2 months ago
I think getting your email answered also begins with getting your email OPENED! A clearly defined subject line can also make a world of difference.
Rebecca
· 2 months ago
I have a tip. If someone wants something from you, let them contact you twice and only respond the second time. If they really want a response they won't give up after one round of radio silence. (I am a creative agent and always have people contact me fishing around for a new rep. 1% of them are really interested in *me*, the rest just want *an* agent. If they're keen, they will email again/call.
Jeanne Ruckert Lovy
· 2 months ago
This is the most useful blog entry I've read in weeks. Thanks.
mmyerspalio
· 2 months ago
Agree with Mark Bao - "Pretty much all comes down to brevity, clarity, and relevancy." I'll add one for the list though...
- Don't open your message like you know me if you don't. Nothing conjures up my delete button faster than BS coming in any form into my in box.
WhyHire.Me
· 2 months ago
If its unsolicited, make sure the subject is aligned with the recipient. This means doing your homework and researching the recipient. If you do this, you have a great chance of nailing point number 5!
David Turnbull
· 2 months ago
Heh, sorry for contributing to one of those email interviews that takes extra time. ;)
Zack Grossbart
· 2 months ago
I often contact busy people with requests to interview them, and one approach that has worked for me is big open small close. I give the person a hint of the open ended benefit (publicity from an interview, long-term relationship), but I end with a simple close (say yes or no to the interview). I don't want to make them choose a time or venue for the interview or do anything else before they can respond.
A couple of other tips I would add are grammar and capitalization. Basically, anything that makes me worried makes me less likely to answer. All lower case letters or really obvious grammar problems make it look like the email wasn't important to you.
Deb Ng
· 2 months ago
Thanks for addressing email, Chris. It's the bane of my existence.This is something I struggle with - every time I travel or step away from the laptop for a few days I end up with thousands of emails to wade through. Yes, there are plenty of people who want me to post about their non-relevant ebook or service on my blog network, but the majority are from advertisers or freelance writers with interesting or important questions. I can't let them slide, but I also can't get to everything. I'm doing my best to handle the most important stuff first. I also take the most asked questions and turn them into a blog post in order to address all at the same time.
The other day I received an email from a V.A. who wondered if I wanted to hire her to handle my email. I may have to lean that way very sooon.
I'm going to take your advice regarding a form/Google spreadsheet approach.I'll also be linking to this post today as I feel it's one of your best.
Cindy
· 2 months ago
Thanks for the tip about your contact form.
What I have noticed is that I can spend as much time as I give myself to answer the day's emails within certain limits. There's also a question of mentally freeing yourself for the task...
Tara Repucci
· 2 months ago
Twitter has made me a better e-mail writer. I find myself applying the editing techniques I use to accommodate the site's character limit to the rest of my writing. The result: only the most critical information makes the cut.
linda m lopeke
· 2 months ago
With anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 emails in my inbox on any given day, I'm seriously wondering what the heck I did with my workday before email. I do get through them, and some I even enjoy receiving but, to be honest, I've recently been considering declaring email bankruptcy. A return to the simple life -- know what I mean? (Bet you do.)
I'm definitely going to make some changes for 2010! Taking this on as a creative challenge.
Linda M. Lopeke The SMARTSTART Coach
Robin Mallery
· 2 months ago
It's what you need from me Chris, that I expressed in an email to you. Sounds like I presented as a "really nice people". I will email again today and get straight to what I can do for you. Be brave, track me down, let me explain.
Conrad Hall
· 2 months ago
Hi Chris,
I can testify to how well your suggestions work - and that they work with you.
We were introduced on LinkedIn. When I use LinkedIn, I try to keep my first message short enough to fit in the message box. That's about 10 lines.
You responded the same day, and gave me permission to send more information.
Now here's an important point: When I sent more information, I left out an important point about scheduling. You liked the project , but believed it would require more time than you could give.
Naturally, I'm sending you a follow-up e-mail to clarify. There's also a tip in there for everyone. It's the simplest thing in the world - read your messages through a second time before sending them.
When approaching people for a project, I have a point form outline for the e-mails. Then I write each one around that outline. That I left out the sentence about scheduling shows my mistake. (Slight Edge - small things matter)
Thank you, Chris. I'm glad to know you.
cgrymala
· 2 months ago
Another item to add to number six would be, if you are trying to schedule a meeting, provide me with a handful of times that work for you, and get me to choose one of them.
Rather than saying "I'd like to meet with you, when might you be free?" say something like "I'd like to meet with you. Please see the three dates and times below and let me know if any of them are not convenient for you" and provide three options for the meeting time.
Of course, if this is the first time you're contacting me, you probably ought to word the meeting request a little differently, but you should still provide the optional times. That way, I just have to check my calendar and see if I'm free.
Also, to go with number one, if you're performing a task or doing a job and you e-mail me to let me know you're finished, it's perfectly acceptable (and preferable) for you to simply reply with "Done" rather than giving me some long, drawn-out explanation of how you did the job.
One more thing: If you're responding to me, please, for the love of all that's holy, don't change the subject line of the e-mail message.
Dave Doolin
· 2 months ago
(Subject) Long, benefit-driven title alerting reader driving to need to read
(Subtitle) The first line(s) on the email contains what won't fit into the title, that is, more benefits.
(Call to Action) Make it easy to make a decision
Closing
ps: Features feature features
pps: Upcoming news
benjaminstrong
· 2 months ago
Chris, I don't get the same amount of email you do. I have found my best approach to the volume I do receive is to shoot a quick "Hey, I got your email" reply stating I will follow up when I can. It's not an auto response and I think people believe it's sincere. The key for me is actually following up! I am interested in the Google spreadsheet you have developed. Perhaps a topic for another blogpost or newsletter?
Chris Brogan
· 2 months ago
I'll show it. It's not that tricky, but it works for me. : )
Bobster
· 2 months ago
Can you actually answer your emails in the spreadsheet? I just built a form/sheet as a test, but didnt get further.
Promod Sharma
· 2 months ago
Thanks for this timely post, Chris. You're expecting an email from me that I've yet to send. Why? Two reasons. The content is not concise enough and the benefits to you are not clear enough. In short, a lucrative niche yearns for your help but doesn't yet know what they need it. The explanation is taking too much back story.
Your post confirms that what you want is close to what I thought you'd want :)
There's just one discrepancy. Since you're so busy these days, I figured a response time of two months would fit your schedule best. And appear more gracious. Who doesn't want things now! You point out the peril of too much lead time.
Voicemail and phone calls are even worse than email. Now you've got to make notes from the message yourself. That takes extra time and can lead to more errors.
frank barry
· 2 months ago
#9 - Write clearly. Use short sentences and easy to understand words. Break things up by headings if needed. Use a list format for quick points. (Sort of like writing good blog posts).
This makes it easier for the reader to scan and understand quickly.
Oh, and I LOVE the "lead with what you want" ... that really is the key.
So many people miss out on the brevity point. Its true that I really dont want a pitch or extra info. Keep things very quick. I'll either see the value or I won't. Having a long rambling email that I will probably skim or stop reading anyway is not going to help convince me of anything.
Julie Fogg
· 2 months ago
Chris - fantastic post. It's really why Twitter is a star. Brevity is King. I'll think of you at Long Beach Comicon today. :)
Julie Fogg @juliefogg
mddelphis
· 2 months ago
You are famous! You have a consulting practice that allows you to perform a wide range of services, including delivering speeches. You may want to look at various ways to scale your business and hire an assistant (or a second or third one). After all, thanking people, responding to all sorts of requests (be they valid or not), might be part of a sort of "customer service." I like your idea of your "contact form," and it is actually well thought-out. Yet, it may also come across as one of these forms (or barricades) offered by companies for people to fill in order to deserve to be looked at as prospects or leads. In all cases, you raise a very interesting set of questions and you could also write a great story about the cost of doing business for a great writer/speaker!
Chris Brogan
· 2 months ago
Thanks. I have staff, actually, but communication is a personal thing. : ) I try to answer as much as I can.
scottcarpenter
· 2 months ago
Two additional points: 1. consider your audience (this ties to your point 5): who is your audience, what are they interested in? 2. subject line: make it both compelling and relevant to the purpose of your email.
Scott
Christina
· 2 months ago
I don't receive the volume of email that you get, Chris, but as a professor at four different colleges, I get a lot of emails from scared freshmen. These typically require in-depth responses (even though I've probably given them the information they need in class).
Much of what you say in this post would go a long way in helping them, but I think the essential issue of email (and communication) boils down to 1) being as clear as possible, and 2) having a strategy that makes the other person *want* to respond. Everything else is just tailoring the message to the specific audience.
suzemuse
· 2 months ago
I'm with you, Christina - I have over 80 students and the influx of email from them at this time of year gets a bit overwhelming. I tell the students at the beginning of the semester that I only check email on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I also ask that if it's something that can wait till the next class, to come talk to me before the next class in person.
It's all about setting expectations.
What I find kind of ironic is, that the more one shares things online (i.e. Chris shares a LOT), the more people have the expectation that he's got even more to give away (hence the 50% of emails from people who want something). Personally I find that number incomprehensible - I find that people tend to take advantage of others' generosity online - and that doesn't sit right with me.
Perhaps the writers of these blatant "solicitation" emails should think twice about what they're asking for and why.
jlangford
· 2 months ago
This is all on point. I run a music blog and get tons of emails every day from bands and publicists wanting to showcase their music. I only need the facts instead of long drawn out emails.
Adam Boettiger
· 2 months ago
Great article, Chris!
I'm going to have to try the contact form thing you describe, though I'm not sure whether that comes to you by email or is written to an Excel file that you have to access.
Here are a few tips not mentioned in the article or in the comments thus far that have helped me:
Why: Best spam filtering hands-down, powerful searching capabilities, ability to easily use more than one machine to do email, full archiving and backup built in. Best $50/year I've spent in a while.
Lately I've been trying to limit myself to saying what I need to say in five sentences or less. More than five sentences and my rule is that I must pick up the phone and call or do a short face to face.
4. There was mention in the comments of an app for the blackberry that allows one to schedule followups to email. I think in the age of clutter and noise, followups play an especially important role. That's why I use and love an inexpensive service called HitMeLater http://www.hitmelater.com/.
In the BCC field of email I send, I can put friday@hitmelater.com and on Friday, the email I sent will be sent back to me as a reminder. Generally if I haven't heard a reply yet when the reminder comes in I might pick up the phone or shoot a second email.
Alternatively you can go into your Sent Items folder after sending and forward the message to any timed address in the service and include a note to yourself at the top of the message as to what to do with it, such as: "If I haven't heard back yet, need to call Bob at 555.1212."
This is particularly useful for those of us using iPhones and blackberrys as the phone number in the email will appear as a hyperlink that, when clicked on, will immediately call the person from your mobile device. Very convenient and a great timesaver.
I cannot recommend this service more highly. There is a free trial available with no credit card required and the exec service (which is what you want if you are a power email user) runs $30 per year. It is indispensable and has helped me remember birthdays, anniversaries, followups on deals and more.
Hope these contributions help!
Adam adam at adamboettiger dot com
Tom Gable
· 2 months ago
Brevity should include a brilliant subject line for starters. For pitching the media or bloggers, I'd suggest adding creativity and exclusivity as categories. The former means getting attention by providing new information, trends and ideas for future topics to cover, including those with no benefit to the sender. Related to your book, PR professionals try to become trusted resources by providing ideas that go beyond their clients' activities. So when future email arrives, some level of trust may exist. On exclusivity, that could relate to offering something mutually beneficial, such as suggesting an idea exclusively to one writer/blogger.
Timberland shoes
· 2 months ago
I can't agree more.
Charles Lau
· 2 months ago
This email thingy reminds me of how some of my vendors write email to me with no solution! Basically, they are writing a situation where I have to help them to think of a solution! What a vendor I have where they are supposed to be solution-oriented...
Aaron B. Hockley
· 2 months ago
One thing you didn't mention (so maybe it's not a big deal for you, but it is for me) is that I prefer subject lines that clearly state what is expected. I'll often begin a subject line with "Reply requested" or "FYI" to help the recipient triage and prioritize my message.
Paul Duplantis
· 2 months ago
Great insight on email overload. Brief and to the point is always a great MO.
Leslie
· 2 months ago
oohh... Tell more about how your contact form resolves in a Google Spreadsheet?
Leslie
· 2 months ago
Ooh... Please tell more about how you respond to messages left on your contact form through Google Spreadsheet!
Chris Brogan
· 2 months ago
I share the form with my executive assistant. I answer some of the mails right away, and many of them, I pass to her to manage. Some of the messages go to New Marketing Labs. It's just a really fast way to route things.
I'll cover it more shortly.
Colleen Swanger
· 2 months ago
As someone who averages 300+ emails a day and has to respond to almost every one of them in addition to doing actual work, I highly recommend ceasing the use of "reply to all." It's a huge time suck. I can probably throw out 10% of my emails, perhaps more, simply because I'm just on the reply to all list.
I particularly like how zappos handles reply to all and have threatened to do the same with my team.
loved "200 words of throat-clearing." It made me think of those commercials with the green mucus germ guys, who move in and take over your throat and life.
I'll never again look at my inbox the same way.
Christine Taylor
· 2 months ago
Chris, in a post a while ago you also advised putting questions/needs in bulleted form. I've been doing that ever since, & it's awesome. :-)
Thanks for this!
doncopperman
· 2 months ago
Thanks I use some of the tips you mentioned here and will adopt some new ones. If I want an answer, the subject heading of my email gets them to open it. I also use a lot of audio and or video in my emails. If I have to add test, I keep it very brief.
When was the last time you got a video email that would play on your smart phone and on your PC or Mac? The video and audio are also tracked so I know when you opened it and how long you watched it for and who you forwarded it to.
Suzanne Vara
· 2 months ago
Chris
Hi, my name is Suzanne Vara and I can be a rambler.
Thank you for pointing this out as so many times we try and be courteous, friendly apologize for not being in contact when really we should just say: Hi, free for lunch on X date at X place? There are times that emails need to be longer but straight and to the point always works.
600 emails - I do not suppose that it includes blog comments. Ok, on that part, I do not want to be you.
Senderok Allen
· 2 months ago
Hi Chris,
Ironically, I sent an Email to you over the summer asking you to review our plug-in that, among other functions, sorts Emails by priority according to how you've treated specific senders in the past (and you can manually set certain people to be VIP, Important, Routine or No Priority). The plug-in will also check for authentication and give you an Unread Mail Map that tells you if you have really high priority Emails on various webmail accounts + Outlook simultaneously even if you have no browser opened and Outlook is closed. Your executive assistant, Kathryn, wrote back saying "Chris won't have the time to review your product next week".
That is really ironic. You must have had too many Emails that day. :-) Please try SenderOK and you'll be able to answer the most important stuff first, followed by the regular important stuff, etc. If you've already corresponded with someone before or their website is in your browser cache, they get a higher priority over someone totally unknown, unless you mark them No Priority.
This is like Plaxo but with the smarts to process incoming Email and prioritize.
By testing you could hopefully solve your problem and do a review for us at the same time.
BTW, Kathryn seemed very talented, having done a Sarcastic Wednesday video with the blogger Orli.
Leader4hire
· 2 months ago
nealschaffer
· 2 months ago
Chris,
I am starting to get upwards of 100 emails a day and I'm in the midst of trying to figure out a system to not drown in social media myself... and with the announcement of Google Wave, I am beginning to view Twitter as another type of real-time email, thus doubling the amount of "email" communication I get everyday. With that in mind, I cannot imagine what you go through everyday looking at your Inbox and Twitter @Replies when you wake up in the morning...
More and more, as we all get much better connected on social networking sites and six degrees of separation becomes more like three or four, we are ALL going to be hitting the wall of having to manage volumes of emails sooner or later. The earlier we all recognize this and work hard to streamline our communications as you suggest, the better off we will all be.
With all of this in mind, just wanted to send you a "Thank You!" for these guidelines and the timeliness of your blog post.
Joachim Schulz
· 2 months ago
Great tips, thanks for posting!
Joachim Schulz
· 2 months ago
Great tips, thanks for posting!
Leader4hire
· 2 months ago
1) Subject lines that identify purpose of email. Ex: Chris Brogan Book Pitch 2) Bold or underline the few meaningful points so a power scan will still connect the points and the reader can go back and read the surrounding text for context. 3) Emails get read like websites in the "F" pattern, be mindful of this http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html 4) Use a short (10 words or less) sentence as a stand alone paragraph at the end of your email that states the need: Ex: Confrence09 NYC needs keynote speaker, can you do it? 5) Not sure any of these points matter if they are being read in a spreadsheet, but they are important for "real email viewing".
Just because you get a lot of email doesn't mean they are less important (especially in the senders mind). With popularity comes attention and admiration. The best figure out how to give something back to every contact to keep the 'feel good' train rolling. You never know when a fan will reveal himself to be a publisher or CEO with an offer. Don't turn into a robot responder, you'll loose the love.
Regards, Justin McCullough
Marian Schembari
· 2 months ago
Agreed. A note on emails that are "secretly" press releases: read the damn blog! I'm in PR and my dad's a journalist and he forwards me (really hilarious) emails he gets from publicists pitching a book, story, interview etc. Many are actually addressed to "New York Journalist". Seriously? It doesn't take that long to personalize. Get a name. READ a post or two to double check what you want to pitch is relevant and then TIE IT BACK. When I first started in my current position I'm ashamed to admit I just cut an pasted our pitch letter - which, of course, resulted in zero responses. As soon as I started tailoring my emails to the actual person (gasp!), that's when I started hearing back. Yes, it takes longer, but the response rate is significantly higher. That being said, I can obviously work on my brevity ;-)
nthomas00
· 2 months ago
600 emails a day? Wow! That's hard to manage on a daily basis.
Samantha Ettus
· 2 months ago
Brilliant. Love it. Thanks Chris.
Liz
· 2 months ago
My problems is that I subscribe to far too many email newsletters than is healthy for my Inbox. The ones that I receive monthly or twice/month I read while other sites send you several a day. It's hard to weed through them because they "might" contain useful information. It really helps if there is an appropriate subject line that describes the main topic.
If I got 600 personal email messages, I'd simply have multiple email addresses, one posted on my blog (for people I don't know but might want to), one for business interests (on business cards for people I'd met), and a separate one for close friends & family.
There's always a danger that you'll focus on one account & miss regularly checking on the others but I've found having multiple addresses helps me not miss the email messages from people I really want to stay in touch with.
prosperitygal
· 2 months ago
I am so with you and glad I am not to 600 but 397 is enough to make a girl pull out her beautiful hair.
That's why I tell folks to STOP emailing me. If you want something from me tweet it or send me quick skype message and SHAZAM we are done, capiche.
Love your to the pointness (new word)
Bobster
· 2 months ago
How I am suppose to know your a heavy email recipient. There needs to be a flag or something, that says "Im a heavy receiver, to the point emails only!" or "Im a low email receiver, please elaborate so I can understand everything that your talking about - so I can answer properly"....... I receive maybe 10 emails a day - an I try really hard to get more, but it doesnt work.
Steffan Antonas
· 2 months ago
Chris, #5 is particularly important - I almost wish it was in 48 font and underlined. If you're asking for help from some one, give them an incentive to help you and make it mutually beneficial. I don't know why so many people don't get that. People who want to guest blog fail at this a lot IMO - they start with a request to put a post on your blog that isn't related to your content and effectively acts as advertising for their content/services/products elsewhere. I'd be interested to see a post from you on potential win-win scenarios that people like you could suggest to marketers and guest bloggers etc (people who typically ask for value without providing any of their own) when the value proposition seems out of balance in their favor.
standubin
· 2 months ago
Knowing that most of the people I'm emailing are also dealing with an enormous number of emails, if I don't hear back from them in 3-4 days, I resend the entire message with the following at the top:
(Hi Bob, I'm resending this as I'm not sure it got to you)
95% of the time, a response comes back same day.
I do this with a variety of publics: existing clients, prospective clients, business associates, vendors, etc. I'll even sometimes use this with someone I'm "cold emailing" if I feel it's important to establish a relationship.
mariannesnow
· 2 months ago
Nice to see you at IMS09 this week....
Two thoughts: 1. Use your message greeting wisely, it's the start of the communication and sometimes it drives the decision to open or not open. 2. Tailor your communication so it conveys respect for the person on the other end - to Chris' point, it's never about you.
soup recipes
· 2 months ago
I am a strong believer in brevity when you are trying to get an email answered from someone who probably gets a ton of emails a day. They do not have a ton of time to read your long story and try to figure out where you are going with it.
All Comments
Taking that a step further - and after watching Inbox Zero - I've learned to *process* those emails that need immediate attention or some sort of response. After doing so, I either delete or archive said emails. I've adjusted to this method in the past couple months and has helped relieve a bit of that drowning feeling and stress from the numerous daily emails and requests.
Understandably, it may not be effective for every person (or fellas like you who get 600 a day), but it's been helpful in my own email management.
Inbox Zero video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9731497...
What an important issue and something Rick and I have been discussing often. We are so buried in emails, it's incredibly challenging to manage.
I'd love to see how you use the form and reply efficiently using google docs. If you already posted on this, would you be able to put up a link for those of us that missed it? Thank you.
I'd add just two thoughts for consideration. Not necessarily tips for getting an email answered by a busy guy like you, but rather tips for everyone who gets buried in emails.
One. Track conversations in strings for those you email with frequently. Whenever possible if an email conversation goes past more than a few volleys, I ask the other party to connect with me on skype. It helps me to keep the string all together (instead of fragmented and mixed with other conversations), and we move through the dialogue very quickly. If I could organize my email conversations into strings like skype, I'd be one happy camper. As it stands, the volume of contacts and conversations coming thru email exceeds my ability to organize and keep pace. It's a continual challenge, and IM'ing helps me save time and keep conversations cohesive. (The lack of latency doesn't hurt either.)
Two. If a misunderstanding occurs for more than 2 emails, pick up the phone. Sometimes messages are misread in text, and only a voice, inflection, and dynamic interaction can truly convey what's intended. I've seen business friends completely piss off a contact because they insisted on sticking to email, and their intention failed to convey accurately in text form. Sometimes a quick call brings a personal touch, greater success in resolving issues and complete clarity to an otherwise tedious exchange dragged out over numerous time-wasting emails. It's not always necessary, but when things go wrong in text, nothing compares to a real person.
Best Regards,
Dave Cynkin
Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
Drinks on me next time you're in LA, specifically the Burbank area.
Matt Warren
@mattwarren
Generally, I star/flag emails I have to take action on, and unstar when they're responded to. That's the easiest way to track what needs to be replied to. Any email that isn't important and doesn't need a reply I hit delete on (which is configured to send it to Google Mail archive.)
I've started to only handle emails on the BlackBerry now. I use a BlackBerry app called Sensobi www.sensobi.com which allows me to schedule a follow-up time to someone from the Sensobi app (if it's a really important email), which I can choose to also add to my calendar, which is a good way to prevent important follow-ups to get lost in the mix. (It also gives points when you contact or are contacted by someone and ranks your most important contacts, wherein you can see your conversation history.)
The perk of using email on a mobile device is that I can identify an important email and star it when I'm out, and when I'm back on the computer it's not lost in the mix, whereas if I'm gone for a few hours and get back, it's hidden among the barrage of other email.
Otherwise, the mid-importance email does seem to get lost. Thankfully, social things like event invitations are tied up in Facebook and SMS.
Another bug-bear - 'urgent emails'. "I need this today by 2pm".
Really? Well don't email me, ring me. Do you really think I am sitting at my desk just refreshing my emails every 5 minutes. Must admit even if I saw emails like that and I could response by 2pm, I never did (on purpose).
Andrew
BTW, Chris I couldn't get you 'retweet' button to work.
Email has gotten way out of control.
I really agree about being quick and to the point.
Who has the time for Fluff.
That's what I love about Twitter, short sharp and to the point.
On the flight back from Europe I got 1000 emails read and all the pertinent ones addressed either via a response (which went out when I hit wifi at Logan) or trashed because they were spam or idle chit chat.
I must confess, though, as a writer I default to using email instead of Twitter, etc. for my deeper communication. The tide is shifting though.
(I am a creative agent and always have people contact me fishing around for a new rep. 1% of them are really interested in *me*, the rest just want *an* agent. If they're keen, they will email again/call.
- Don't open your message like you know me if you don't. Nothing conjures up my delete button faster than BS coming in any form into my in box.
A couple of other tips I would add are grammar and capitalization. Basically, anything that makes me worried makes me less likely to answer. All lower case letters or really obvious grammar problems make it look like the email wasn't important to you.
The other day I received an email from a V.A. who wondered if I wanted to hire her to handle my email. I may have to lean that way very sooon.
I'm going to take your advice regarding a form/Google spreadsheet approach.I'll also be linking to this post today as I feel it's one of your best.
What I have noticed is that I can spend as much time as I give myself to answer the day's emails within certain limits. There's also a question of mentally freeing yourself for the task...
I'm definitely going to make some changes for 2010! Taking this on as a creative challenge.
Linda M. Lopeke
The SMARTSTART Coach
I can testify to how well your suggestions work - and that they work with you.
We were introduced on LinkedIn. When I use LinkedIn, I try to keep my first message short enough to fit in the message box. That's about 10 lines.
You responded the same day, and gave me permission to send more information.
Now here's an important point: When I sent more information, I left out an important point about scheduling. You liked the project , but believed it would require more time than you could give.
Naturally, I'm sending you a follow-up e-mail to clarify. There's also a tip in there for everyone. It's the simplest thing in the world - read your messages through a second time before sending them.
When approaching people for a project, I have a point form outline for the e-mails. Then I write each one around that outline. That I left out the sentence about scheduling shows my mistake. (Slight Edge - small things matter)
Thank you, Chris. I'm glad to know you.
Rather than saying "I'd like to meet with you, when might you be free?" say something like "I'd like to meet with you. Please see the three dates and times below and let me know if any of them are not convenient for you" and provide three options for the meeting time.
Of course, if this is the first time you're contacting me, you probably ought to word the meeting request a little differently, but you should still provide the optional times. That way, I just have to check my calendar and see if I'm free.
Also, to go with number one, if you're performing a task or doing a job and you e-mail me to let me know you're finished, it's perfectly acceptable (and preferable) for you to simply reply with "Done" rather than giving me some long, drawn-out explanation of how you did the job.
One more thing: If you're responding to me, please, for the love of all that's holy, don't change the subject line of the e-mail message.
(Subtitle) The first line(s) on the email contains what won't fit into the title,
that is, more benefits.
(Call to Action) Make it easy to make a decision
Closing
ps: Features feature features
pps: Upcoming news
I don't get the same amount of email you do. I have found my best approach to the volume I do receive is to shoot a quick "Hey, I got your email" reply stating I will follow up when I can. It's not an auto response and I think people believe it's sincere. The key for me is actually following up! I am interested in the Google spreadsheet you have developed. Perhaps a topic for another blogpost or newsletter?
Your post confirms that what you want is close to what I thought you'd want :)
There's just one discrepancy. Since you're so busy these days, I figured a response time of two months would fit your schedule best. And appear more gracious. Who doesn't want things now! You point out the peril of too much lead time.
Voicemail and phone calls are even worse than email. Now you've got to make notes from the message yourself. That takes extra time and can lead to more errors.
This makes it easier for the reader to scan and understand quickly.
Oh, and I LOVE the "lead with what you want" ... that really is the key.
http://twitter.com/franswaa
Julie Fogg
@juliefogg
1. consider your audience (this ties to your point 5): who is your audience, what are they interested in?
2. subject line: make it both compelling and relevant to the purpose of your email.
Scott
Much of what you say in this post would go a long way in helping them, but I think the essential issue of email (and communication) boils down to 1) being as clear as possible, and 2) having a strategy that makes the other person *want* to respond. Everything else is just tailoring the message to the specific audience.
It's all about setting expectations.
What I find kind of ironic is, that the more one shares things online (i.e. Chris shares a LOT), the more people have the expectation that he's got even more to give away (hence the 50% of emails from people who want something). Personally I find that number incomprehensible - I find that people tend to take advantage of others' generosity online - and that doesn't sit right with me.
Perhaps the writers of these blatant "solicitation" emails should think twice about what they're asking for and why.
I'm going to have to try the contact form thing you describe, though I'm not sure whether that comes to you by email or is written to an Excel file that you have to access.
Here are a few tips not mentioned in the article or in the comments thus far that have helped me:
1. Use Google Premier Apps if you use email for business
http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/mes...
Why: Best spam filtering hands-down, powerful searching capabilities, ability to easily use more than one machine to do email, full archiving and backup built in. Best $50/year I've spent in a while.
2. If you use the free version of Gmail or the Premier Apps version, here's a superb article on a strategy: http://putthingsoff.com/articles/inbox-heaven/
3. Five sentences or less.
Lately I've been trying to limit myself to saying what I need to say in five sentences or less. More than five sentences and my rule is that I must pick up the phone and call or do a short face to face.
4. There was mention in the comments of an app for the blackberry that allows one to schedule followups to email. I think in the age of clutter and noise, followups play an especially important role. That's why I use and love an inexpensive service called HitMeLater http://www.hitmelater.com/.
In the BCC field of email I send, I can put friday@hitmelater.com and on Friday, the email I sent will be sent back to me as a reminder. Generally if I haven't heard a reply yet when the reminder comes in I might pick up the phone or shoot a second email.
Alternatively you can go into your Sent Items folder after sending and forward the message to any timed address in the service and include a note to yourself at the top of the message as to what to do with it, such as: "If I haven't heard back yet, need to call Bob at 555.1212."
This is particularly useful for those of us using iPhones and blackberrys as the phone number in the email will appear as a hyperlink that, when clicked on, will immediately call the person from your mobile device. Very convenient and a great timesaver.
I cannot recommend this service more highly. There is a free trial available with no credit card required and the exec service (which is what you want if you are a power email user) runs $30 per year. It is indispensable and has helped me remember birthdays, anniversaries, followups on deals and more.
Hope these contributions help!
Adam
adam at adamboettiger dot com
I'll cover it more shortly.
I particularly like how zappos handles reply to all and have threatened to do the same with my team.
http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/inside-zappos/200...
I'll never again look at my inbox the same way.
Thanks for this!
When was the last time you got a video email that would play on your smart phone and on your PC or Mac? The video and audio are also tracked so I know when you opened it and how long you watched it for and who you forwarded it to.
Hi, my name is Suzanne Vara and I can be a rambler.
Thank you for pointing this out as so many times we try and be courteous, friendly apologize for not being in contact when really we should just say: Hi, free for lunch on X date at X place? There are times that emails need to be longer but straight and to the point always works.
600 emails - I do not suppose that it includes blog comments. Ok, on that part, I do not want to be you.
Ironically, I sent an Email to you over the summer asking you to review our plug-in that, among other functions, sorts Emails by priority according to how you've treated specific senders in the past (and you can manually set certain people to be VIP, Important, Routine or No Priority). The plug-in will also check for authentication and give you an Unread Mail Map that tells you if you have really high priority Emails on various webmail accounts + Outlook simultaneously even if you have no browser opened and Outlook is closed. Your executive assistant, Kathryn, wrote back saying "Chris won't have the time to review your product next week".
That is really ironic. You must have had too many Emails that day. :-) Please try SenderOK and you'll be able to answer the most important stuff first, followed by the regular important stuff, etc. If you've already corresponded with someone before or their website is in your browser cache, they get a higher priority over someone totally unknown, unless you mark them No Priority.
This is like Plaxo but with the smarts to process incoming Email and prioritize.
By testing you could hopefully solve your problem and do a review for us at the same time.
BTW, Kathryn seemed very talented, having done a Sarcastic Wednesday video with the blogger Orli.
I am starting to get upwards of 100 emails a day and I'm in the midst of trying to figure out a system to not drown in social media myself... and with the announcement of Google Wave, I am beginning to view Twitter as another type of real-time email, thus doubling the amount of "email" communication I get everyday. With that in mind, I cannot imagine what you go through everyday looking at your Inbox and Twitter @Replies when you wake up in the morning...
More and more, as we all get much better connected on social networking sites and six degrees of separation becomes more like three or four, we are ALL going to be hitting the wall of having to manage volumes of emails sooner or later. The earlier we all recognize this and work hard to streamline our communications as you suggest, the better off we will all be.
With all of this in mind, just wanted to send you a "Thank You!" for these guidelines and the timeliness of your blog post.
2) Bold or underline the few meaningful points so a power scan will still connect the points and the reader can go back and read the surrounding text for context.
3) Emails get read like websites in the "F" pattern, be mindful of this http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
4) Use a short (10 words or less) sentence as a stand alone paragraph at the end of your email that states the need: Ex: Confrence09 NYC needs keynote speaker, can you do it?
5) Not sure any of these points matter if they are being read in a spreadsheet, but they are important for "real email viewing".
Just because you get a lot of email doesn't mean they are less important (especially in the senders mind). With popularity comes attention and admiration. The best figure out how to give something back to every contact to keep the 'feel good' train rolling. You never know when a fan will reveal himself to be a publisher or CEO with an offer. Don't turn into a robot responder, you'll loose the love.
Regards,
Justin McCullough
It doesn't take that long to personalize. Get a name. READ a post or two to double check what you want to pitch is relevant and then TIE IT BACK. When I first started in my current position I'm ashamed to admit I just cut an pasted our pitch letter - which, of course, resulted in zero responses. As soon as I started tailoring my emails to the actual person (gasp!), that's when I started hearing back. Yes, it takes longer, but the response rate is significantly higher.
That being said, I can obviously work on my brevity ;-)
If I got 600 personal email messages, I'd simply have multiple email addresses, one posted on my blog (for people I don't know but might want to), one for business interests (on business cards for people I'd met), and a separate one for close friends & family.
There's always a danger that you'll focus on one account & miss regularly checking on the others but I've found having multiple addresses helps me not miss the email messages from people I really want to stay in touch with.
That's why I tell folks to STOP emailing me. If you want something from me tweet it or send me quick skype message and SHAZAM we are done, capiche.
Love your to the pointness (new word)
(Hi Bob, I'm resending this as I'm not sure it got to you)
95% of the time, a response comes back same day.
I do this with a variety of publics: existing clients, prospective clients, business associates, vendors, etc. I'll even sometimes use this with someone I'm "cold emailing" if I feel it's important to establish a relationship.
Two thoughts:
1. Use your message greeting wisely, it's the start of the communication and sometimes it drives the decision to open or not open.
2. Tailor your communication so it conveys respect for the person on the other end - to Chris' point, it's never about you.