Our mothers said it best: “You’ll attract more bees with honey than vinegar.”
About three months ago, I was finally fed up with never receiving responses from people to whom I had sent emails. You know…those people who ask for something and then never respond after you provide it?
Well…it is time to fess up. I’ve been “that” person before so I thought to myself, “What kind of email could someone send to methat would get me to respond as soon as possible?”
As the queen of connecting and building rapport, I thought it would be best NOT to send the oh-so-stern, “I used my valuable time to put this together for you. Did you receive it? Why have you not responded?” email. I call those “Here, let me show you my butt emails.” We’ve all received them, haven’t we?
Instead, I created an email that subtly said, “There must have been an error because I can’t imagine you would not have responded by now.” The other thing I wanted to keep in mind is that people are busy and although I think my email is top priority, in their world it might not be. And, there ARE times when my emails get stuck in spam filters due to my Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter links and I never want to accuse someone of ignoring my emails without first checking to see it is simply a technology glitch.
With all that in mind, I developed the email below, and I have to say it is working brilliantly. Over the last three months, approximately 95% of these email recipients responded within 24-hours! I truly believe it is because I created a safe environment where they could send a delayed response without having to feel badly about it.
This is just another example of how speaking and writing from the recipient’s perspective can be much more beneficial than writing based solely on what you and your company wants. If more of us choose to do this, we will be the honey that attracts people rather than the vinegar that repels them. Enjoy!
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Hello Bill,
I am resending this email because I am not 100% confident it arrived in your inbox. There are times when my emails get stuck in spam filters because of the links in my email signature. I removed those links in hopes this message will arrive safely in your inbox this time. Please let me know when you receive it. Thanks Bill. I am looking forward to speaking with you.
Warmest regards,
Starla West
Excellent post! I would also highlight your use of an “I” statement vs. a “You” statement: “I am resending this email because I am not 100% confident it arrived in your inbox.” In terms of Interpersonal Communication, the “I” states how you feel without shifting emotional emphasis to the other party. “You” statements are often attributed to placing blame even if its unintentional. Ownership of ones feelings and intentions is an excellent plan for effective non-confrontational communication. Obviously, you’ve demonstrated this, and gotten great results!
Great post, Starla!
I’ve been using a modified version of this for years, but your approach may be even better!
My technique has been to include something in the first email which reads:
“Since this email contains attachments, can you please REPLY to confirm you received it? Sometimes spam filters block messages that have links or files, so I just want to make sure this one got through. Thanks!”
This helps a great deal, because if people don’t reply I’ve got an excuse to follow up.
Thanks for sharing a great tip!
Hello,
Congratulations on this very elegant answer, I’ll keep this one definitely in mind!
Absolutely terrific response. It’s like having to call someone when they have not R.S.V.P.
I use ” Just wanted to make sure you received the invitation to our soacial gathering. I wouldn’t want you to be left out.
Fantastic post Starla. You packed great information in a brief article. Your sample email is spot-on but what would you suggest using in the Subject: line of your followup email?
Wayne, I usually leave the subject line alone and keep it the same as in the original email. I thought about using something like “second attempt” or “take two,” but I am not 100% confident it will always be interpreted in a positive way by the receipient.
thanks for sharing this. It makes perfect sense
Dave