I realise it’s a bit rich for me to talk about over-emailing, given that I send out around 60,000 each and every month through our Flying Solo ezine, but that’s precisely what I’m about to do.
What I see all too often is a failure to effectively develop relationships through an avoidance of verbal conversation. And we all know what’s causing this: yep, a strong preference towards electronic communication.
Don’t get me wrong. Email is wonderful. I cannot imagine operating in business without it. The trouble is, it’s the very immediacy and simplicity of email that is its potential downfall. Well in the world of relationship building at any rate.
Just imagine if email were taken away from you. What would you do? Would you type 20, 30, 40 letters a day? Fold them, pop them in envelopes and trundle up to the letterbox? Not a chance.
You’d pick up the phone and make conversation. Conversation, dialogue as opposed to monologue, builds relationships and it builds them well.
I’m not suggesting we all stop sending emails. What I do recommend though is that we pause for a second before hitting “reply” and consider whether picking up the phone may just be a better move.
Successful businesses respect and acknowledge key relationships and make full use of all forms of communication. Let’s make sure we all do the same.
What say you? Leave a comment. Er, don’t call just at the minute.
