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How to Email Busy People

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Re: How to Email Busy People

#41

Post by ErrantX »

dasil003 wrote: post #40
ErrantX wrote: post #34

Here's something I learned: don't be wishy washy. Avoid pandering to the person you're emailing - it takes up words and sounds pathetic. I've done this in the past and been the recipient. It just goes bad. Busy people work on short terse communication, unless they are actively in a conversation with you. And, in general, they will appreciate the first few emails you send them being of the same - condensed and full of…

I doubt Conway is that stupid to correlate email responsiveness with entrepreneurial ability, but on the other hand he probably appreciates prompt responses so he lets people believe that. Also, there's a pecking order. If you are some unknown founder who really needs Conway you should respond as fast as humanly possible. On the other hand, if Conway wants something from Steve Jobs he probably should respond quickly.

It was a copy/paste error to include the reference to Conway; from what I have read about him I very much doubt he expects instant, the next second, replies. Just reasonably prompt replies.

Which is not really what that point was saying.

I just think that the time between sending and email and a reply is not a good measure of how important you are to that person. Certainly, if someone replied within a few seconds of my email to them I'd have to pause and question why they responded so fast. Are they literally desperate for my input? Why? (of course, usually being desperate for that input is fine, and part of being excited to have a chance with someone who can really help you - but occasionally it is a marker of someone dodgy).

Basically: it seems something of a shallow way to judge things.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#42

Post by lsc »

puredanger wrote: post #14

I've had some success with sending email that has a short and long version (or if you include the subject itself, 3 levels). Ask your main question in the first sentence or two, enough to provide context, detail, and what you want. At the end say "[more detail below if needed]". Draw a line in the email ===== and include more detail below that they can dip into if necessary.

I do this too, especially when emailing people who I believe are unable or unwilling to read a long email. It feels weird and unnatural. I'm not sure if the people I'm sending to appreciate it, but I know I can very easily become very verbose, and which details are important is very context sensitive and sometimes non-obvious.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#43

Post by lsc »

silverbax88 wrote: post #6
angdis wrote: post #5

I agree this advice does not only apply to emailing VC's. It applies to emailing ANYONE in the course of doing your job: interns to CEO's. 5 sentences often is too much. If you can get it down to 3 sentences (or even 1 or 2 with judicious subject line) that is better. Just state the situation and what action you request. For christ's sake, above all, don't resort to voicemail.

I agree on the voice mail, although I've come to realize that some people avoid email and online communication altogether and if you don't call them, you won't talk to them.

and some people avoid phone communication entirely; For me, the phone is essentially a pager; If you call me and nothing is on fire, generally speaking, I won't be particularly happy.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#44

Post by kenjackson »

Question, relating to email etiquette.

Do people send "thanks" emails at the end of a discussion? Sometimes I'll have a discussion with someone online. Sometimes there's no more to say, and I always wonder if I should send a "thanks" email. No content, but just something to close the loop and a minor show of gratitude. But it seems wasteful. In a verbal converation it's a no-brainer to just say, "thanks for the time", but in email its not clear if its better to do it or to just end the convo by not sending another.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#47

Post by petercooper »

Here's my tip: give me something actionable. The e-mails that sit around unanswered are those with wishy-washy requests that require me to think about what the person really wants. The ones that get fast, useful answers are direct and obvious. The "five sentences or fewer" item will get you most of the way there.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#48

Post by hunvreus »

I actually almost invariably use the same template for all my communications; 3 straight to the point paragraphs, leaving the details to further discussion (if need there is). Start with the context, followed by the matter at hand and finally the expose the solution, proposal or action required by the recipient. Work in most cases.

I also use the Boomerang plugin for Gmail to schedule my emails to be sent at 9:30 AM, local time of the recipient (you want to be at the top of the inbox when he grabbed his coffee and starts going through his emails).

Re: How to Email Busy People

#49

Post by Psyonic »

SeoxyS wrote: post #15
pg wrote: post #8

Be brief and say what you want.

I think this should apply for any kind of email, not just for busy people. Actually, this applies to most kinds of writing too. It'll come off much better if it's well-worded but simple and to-the-point. The more fluffy sentences you add to your email, blog post, internet comment or product copy, the less professional it starts to sound.

True, but long copy sales letters have been shown to be effective. It all depends on the audience.

Re: How to Email Busy People

#50

Post by vaksel »

Psyonic wrote: post #49
SeoxyS wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this should apply for any kind of email, not just for busy people. Actually, this applies to most kinds of writing too. It'll come off much better if it's well-worded but simple and to-the-point. The more fluffy sentences you add to your email, blog post, internet comment or product copy, the less professional it starts to sound.

True, but long copy sales letters have been shown to be effective. It all depends on the audience.

long copy sales letters tend to be aimed at the bottom 1 percent.
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