Successful eMail Conversations

Have you noticed a lack of email "responses" lately? I know you probably send "forget-me-not" and "here's some info you might like to see" messages and you may be thinking that no one likes you. Just kidding. But you may be questioning the quality of your marketing or the value of the information you're sending. While it's possible that all three of the things I just mentioned, and yes it is "possible" that you send things too often and people have set up auto deletes or worse yet put a spam filter on you, my guess is that isn't the case. My guess is that you haven't taken the time to see why you're not connecting. You're not having conversations. And conversations are a must.

Picture it if you were at a business event and all you did was walk up to people and hand them a brochure? Even if you were passing out some really interesting market information or valuable advice, think how you'd be received. That's essentially what many folks do with email. They think because they have the recipient's permission to send them something, they actually make it to the In Box, that they're golden and a response of some type will be forthcoming. Nope. Not going to happen. But there is something you can do and it's actually the same way I and most people train for a sporting event, like a race.

It's simple. But like a short race, a marathon, or a casual pick-up game of basketball or football, it takes determination and a willingness to do what it takes to be successful. If you want to boost your results, think like an athlete, even if you're only a weekend warrior.

1. Have a Plan
No shooting from the hip. Always have a plan. Proactive behavior allows you to know what's coming up, how to prepare more specifically and reduce stress. Consistency in messaging is imperative. Don't blast people with a lot of communication and then drop off the planet for months only to pop up again. Be sincere, honest and caring. And if you really want/need a response, ask for it. And ask for it with clarity. Sometimes people just don't know if they need to respond back or not. And who wants their email box full of one word responses like "thanks" from people who feel obligated to respond, but don't have any need to have a "conversation".

2. Sweat the Details
Don't take a lax approach to the process. Being detail oriented will help to insure that you are prepared to handle responses and satisfy needs that may arise from your "conversations". By the way, this is different than the "Don't Over-think It" rule that follows.

3. Rest as Hard as You Train
It takes as much discipline to make yourself rest as it does to take strong action. Many communicators are guilty of not resting enough. Don't always be "talking". Be careful how much social media communication you participate in. Think like PR managers do. Don't over expose yourself.

4. Don't Over-think It
While the 3-steps above are part of the key to success, be careful not to over-think and get overly mired down in the details. It can drive you insane. Like an athlete keeping a training journal, track your emails and the results as simply as possible and keep the data in an easy to look at place so it doesn't stay spinning around it your head. And rather than thinking of it as a game of chess where you're trained to look several moves into the future, take it one conversation at a time. My husband who is a martial arts guy likes to follow the wisdom of the last and most successful of the Samurai warrior culture, Miyamoto Musashi who said one of the keys to his success was that he didn't think two moves ahead; he lived in the moment of the battle. Try not to focus as much on the outcome; instead look to the process itself and when it comes to email, think "conversation".

If you have any tips for being more successful with email communication and response rates send them to me or post to the blog. It'll make for good "conversation" and position you as someone worth having a conversation with.