Using E-Mail - Especially for Business

Let me start by discussing e-mail. For the past fifteen to twenty years, electronic mail has increased our ability to correspond across cities, states, countries and even continents, instantaneously. I know that for me personally it has been an invaluable tool for doing international business.

I also recognize that many of us are overwhelmed by the amount of e-mail we receive on a daily basis. We receive e-newsletters, business correspondence, notes from friends, family updates and even loads of junk e-mail, commonly referred to as spam.

It can be quite a task just getting away from our e-mail in the morning. It doesn’t need to be though. Some simple forethought and planning can help us move forward much more quickly through our day. Generally, one can tell what needs to be read immediately and what can be pushed off until another time.

It is important to read and reply to e-mails that require a response. Projects and deals are slowed down waiting for others. I find that often when people reply to my e-mails, they don’t even take the time to read the questions that I ask and respond to them. This creates more work for both parties, as I need to resend my questions and it is one more e-mail for the other party to read (and hopefully reply to that time).

Time is not the most important thing in life. However, we all have busy lives and our time is important to each of us. I find it disrespectful when someone else believes his time is more important than my own. Just pay attention to the e-mail you read and reply to the questions asked. This will save a lot of time for you and the sender.

I believe all e-mail should be acknowledged within twenty-four hours. Even if it is a simple reply stating they received it and will get back to me in the near future. I don’t want to have to chase after them a week later to make sure they received my e-mail. I want to handle my end and I expect that anyone I do business with can handle his own end.