On any given day, how many emails would you say that you receive? What percentage of those do you respond to? What is your average response time? How do you choose which to respond to?
With marketing, I believe it has never been easier to raise our own visibility and credibility to those in our circle of influence. Much too often, business professionals overlook the obvious, thinking that if it’s too easy it could never have much of an impact. I couldn’t disagree more.
When it comes to your inbox – whether it’s email, voice mail, or social media, choosing to respond can be a simple yet effective way to differentiate yourself. I am certainly not saying that everything in your inbox is worthy of a response, but I would venture to guess that there is a high percentage of emails that are disregarded that really should be responded to, if for nothing but shear courtesy.
If we prescribe to the philosophy of referral marketing and believe that sales is truly relational, shouldn’t we also treat our various inboxes the same way? For example,
- Do you accept connections with those who reach out to you on LinkedIn?
- Do you respond to those who comment on your social media posts?
- Do you return all calls that you receive, even if it’s from a vendor you don’t know?
- Do you accept invitations to join others at events?
- When part of a group message, do you respond when appropriate?
Each means of contact represents an opportunity for you. While cannot determine the size or probability, it is an opportunity nonetheless. Acknowledging the individual who initiated contact says a lot about you. And if that simple act of responding says a lot about you, then it’s safe to say it says a lot about your company and how it is perceived by those who’s opinion may just matter the most.
Keep it simple.