{"id":6594,"date":"2020-10-01T16:10:22","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expio.marketing\/?p=6594"},"modified":"2020-10-01T16:10:22","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T21:10:22","slug":"how-to-get-people-to-answer-emails-make-decisions-and-be-responsive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/how-to-get-people-to-answer-emails-make-decisions-and-be-responsive\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get People to Answer Emails, Make Decisions and Be Responsive"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expio Founder and CEO Andy Roller explains how to win the war for attention, follow up and responsiveness.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excerpts from Andy Roller at American Advertising Federation-Amarillo speaking engagement:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have five kids, and three of them have iPhones. In the event I need to get in touch with someone, I\u2019ll text and call them, and nobody responds within a reasonable amount of time. I\u2019m thinking, \u201cI am paying over $300 a month to provide everybody a phone. Somebody answer the phone! What\u2019s going on here!\u201d It&#8217;s frustrating, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How could it be that they&#8217;re on their phones 24 hours a day, and the one time I need a clear answer from one of them, none of them are looking at their phones or want to respond?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your personal relationships are the same thing. If you\u2019re dating, if it\u2019s your wife or your kid, your parents trying to make dinner reservations, whatever line of communication it might be, not getting a reply can be frustrating.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think we\u2019re all familiar with those scenarios. Let\u2019s talk about some things that definitely do <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Andy Roller Speaks on How to Get People to Answer Emails, Make Decisions and Be Responsive\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dHtncBEuC9U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No ASAP<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expio Digital Marketing has three core values: No A-holes, No BS and no ASAP. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNo ASAP\u201d doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not fast. Actually, we\u2019re very fast. As a matter of fact, minutes before I got up here, the team handled a website crash. We\u2019re very fast and responsive, but the no ASAP part of that (and I\u2019ll explain how that gets into responsiveness) is understanding that ASAP is a type of poison to your company. If everything is always ASAP, nothing really is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are true emergencies, but a lot of times, clients will say, \u201cI need this ASAP!\u201d At Expio, we are all trained and have taught ourselves and each other that when that happens, we just ask the simple question: \u201cExactly by when do you need this?\u201d They\u2019ll usually respond something like, \u201cOh, next Thursday would be good.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alright\u2026 So let me get this straight, you just about threw our entire workflow off for the day (keep in mind in the service business our time is everything, that\u2019s the asset, that\u2019s the goal. We\u2019re not a product company.) So you just about threw our entire workflow off for the day from everything else that we\u2019re doing, because you wanted something <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">next Thursday<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While we can\u2019t necessarily correct the client on their use of language, we can ask questions that get to the essence of what\u2019s needed. Sometimes it\u2019s needed in the next five minutes, but that hardly ever happens. True ASAP is actually a very rare thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even as the boss, I\u201dm not allowed to do it. I think I\u2019ve used the term ASAP one time in the last 8 \u00bd years, and Josh (Expio\u2019s Chief Content Officer) called me on it immediately. So I\u2019ve never done it again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason I\u2019m bringing that up is this: as a philosophy or as an approach, you need to get that straight so you\u2019re a good example when it comes to responding. There\u2019s a trust component when you\u2019re dealing with people. When you\u2019re really clear about what you need, you make it easy for the person to respond. It\u2019s almost like giving multiple choice sometimes. \u201cDo you want me to A, B, or C?\u201d There are all kinds of creative responses, and we\u2019ll talk about some of those tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just Say No to Passive Aggressiveness<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another thing that doesn\u2019t work is being passive-aggressive. You guys all probably have at least one of these people in your life. Maybe you are that person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t create drama or a sense of emergency all the time around something you need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I got an email one time from a person who needed something, and they needed it <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">right now<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (they didn\u2019t really, but they thought they did), and they conveniently added into the email that \u201cwhenever someone doesn\u2019t get back to me immediately, it causes me great anxiety.\u201d I read that and I thought, \u201cWell gosh, you know, I don\u2019t want to cause anyone great anxiety\u2026 this is BS! What are you talking about?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So there\u2019s the passive-aggressive thing\u2026\u201cIf you don\u2019t get back to me I\u2019m going to commit suicide.\u201d No one\u2019s ever said that to me, but they act like it\u2019s this big emotional deal, when it\u2019s not. What happens with a person like that is, if you play any level of that game, it decreases my desire and my response time. I\u2019ll get to it when I get to it. You wanted it immediately, and you just got it pushed back for doing that; so that\u2019s not going to work, and it just creates long-term problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clarity is Everything in Business<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not being clear is a HUGE problem when it comes to getting people to get back to you. Sometimes people type out an email, and it\u2019s not exactly clear what you need and when you need it. The receiver thinks,\u00a0 \u201cOh, I didn\u2019t realize you needed an answer, I didn\u2019t realize I needed to get back to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you start finding yourself putting a bunch of adverbs in the email: \u201cI think maybe just very possibly, might want to\u2026\u201d Get rid of all of that and just ask the question, and get to what it is you need, especially in business relationships and business emails. Voicemails? The philosophy is the same. You can leave a five-minute-long voicemail, and the poor person listening is thinking, \u201cI\u2019m going to have to listen to this like three times to figure out exactly what it is this person needs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Building Trust<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Example From the Audience:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have a company that calls us daily sometimes. The answer is no, it\u2019s going to be no, it\u2019s always been no.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don\u2019t have the budget, we\u2019re not interested. I\u2019m going to start saying it in French, German\u2026<br \/>\nIt\u2019s a different sales person every time, so I guess they don\u2019t note it in the file, or they have such<br \/>\nturnover that they\u2019re not making notes on the clients. We just don\u2019t answer the phone anymore, because<br \/>\nthey won\u2019t take no for an answer, and it\u2019s just frustrating.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s talk about that for a second. Is what they are doing building trust, or eroding trust with that brand?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eroding it.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obviously. As marketers, we all have to do some type of outreach. But is the approach building trust in the long run? So what they\u2019re doing is spamming, they\u2019re not paying attention to what you\u2019ve said. They\u2019re not giving you any space. I mean, daily? That\u2019s a lot of follow up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s my favorite. You get an email from someone you\u2019ve never met in your life. And it says, \u201cAbout that thing we were talking about..\u201d or \u201cFollowing up on our conversation\u2026\u201d What conversation are you talking about? I don\u2019t even know who you are!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remove \u201cJust\u201d From Your Vocabulary<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This one is simple, but important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t ever need to use the word \u2018just\u2019. \u201cJUST checking on you\u2026\u201d \u201cI\u2019m JUST trying to see\u2026\u201d Get rid of all of that \u201cjust this\u201d and \u201cjust that\u201d and say what you need to say.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to people not getting back to you, I would say, always give the most generous explanation for a delay until proven otherwise. In my opinion, what people crave and want is clarity. Just tell me what you want, and if it\u2019s worth my time I\u2019ll be glad to sit down and give you the time and talk to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it\u2019s stupid, I need to be able to tell you that now. That would save us both a bunch of time, if you tell me what you want, then I can tell you if I think that\u2019s a good idea or not. But if you\u2019re trying to sell me some new brand of something, like soap, I\u2019m good. I\u2019ve got Dove Men\u2019s Care that I buy in bulk at Costco. So, I\u2019m not interested.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We think people are more fragile than they really are.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> So, we\u2019re afraid to say what we need to say directly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What Does Work<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s talk about things that do work. Let\u2019s assume we\u2019re all on the same page; we want to build trust with people so we don\u2019t want to spam people. We don\u2019t want to take the passive-aggressive, guilt-trip approach because that\u2019s manipulating people. We\u2019re all good people here. We\u2019re trying to do a good job at our jobs. We\u2019re trying to get an answer and get things done. I think that\u2019s where most of us live most of the time. We are trying to take the next step; get a clear answer; move it forward.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Active Status In Email:\u00a0 We use Google for pretty much everything. We\u2019re Google mail-based, and we use Google docs and sheets. In the Google mailbox, you can see when a person is active. There is a little green thing that says \u201cActive\u201d, so you can see when people are active or not. If you see that green dot, they are obviously in their email.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mail Trackers: There are lots of mail trackers out there, allowing you to find out if the email got there, if they read it, if they forwarded it or not.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snooze: My favorite feature in Google is \u201cSnooze.\u201d This helps me follow people up. I can send an email, snooze it for next week and remind that person about the conversation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow-Up CC: If you don\u2019t have google, you can do exactly the same thing with \u201cFollow up CC\u201d. I will send scheduled emails to myself and create myself a to-do list.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snooze for Connection Opportunities<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I use snooze all the time with business development. One of the things you can\u2019t do in sales and business development is follow up every single day. People will have reasons that they need to wait, or get in touch with me next month or whatever. Hit snooze and time the emails out to remind yourself to follow up creatively. And never say \u201cjust checking in.\u201d Please don\u2019t ever send that in an email. Come up with something like, \u201cI saw you in the news\u201d or, \u201cthere\u2019s some new information I saw\u201d or, \u201cI saw a friend of yours\u201d etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are thousands of things you can think of for why you need to get back in touch with somebody other than, \u201chey, just checking in.\u201d They get those all day long. Snooze those emails to regularly check in with people until you get a clear answer about what they want to do. \u201cYes we will\u201d or \u201cNo we won\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve had deals come through where I faithfully followed up until I got some kind of answer. They might say, \u201cCall me in a year\u201d. Okay, I will. So I snooze the email for a year, it pops up in a year, and I call them. I\u2019ve landed plenty of deals that way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A sales cycle is typically not that long, but it happens all the time. It\u2019s the same way with getting other things done. But in sales, we\u2019re the ones who want something, so it\u2019s really on us to continue to follow up. The snooze feature on Google, and the scheduled send feature on Google are fantastic for that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find Tools For What You Need<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of tools out there to choose from. Some tools do way too much, and you don\u2019t need a lot of what they do. Try to simplify your own workflow in a way that you are comfortable with&gt; Then, only use the features and tools that work for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an example: We use \u201cPipedrive\u201d as our CRM. Pipedrive has a lot of great features, and I could do all the emailing I\u2019m talking about &#8211; the snoozing, the scheduling &#8211; inside the CRM, but for me, it\u2019s a lot more effective to use only a couple of features of Pipedrive and handle all of the other responses inside Google. I keep track of deals and activities inside Pipedrive because that will generate reports for me and gives us meaningful data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Piece tools together and use them in the simplest way possible that makes sense to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make an Office Visit<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I can\u2019t get a hold of someone whom I really need to talk to, and I\u2019ve tried email, calls, texts, and I can\u2019t get them, I show up. Here\u2019s the thing, I only need a couple of minutes. I don\u2019t need an hour. So if I really need to get a hold of somebody, I will just show up at their office. I\u2019ll say, \u201cHey, you haven\u2019t answered any calls or texts, so I thought I\u2019d come by.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know Your Audience<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I send the Expio team a quick text, that form of communication has a particular cadence and language appropriate to the context. But, I don\u2019t have that same relationship with new clients or people I don\u2019t know very well. So, I\u2019m going to use proper channels to approach them and excellent grammar and form. My message is going to look professional and nice, and it\u2019s going to be tailored and geared toward that audience. As marketers, we all know that the No. 1 rule is \u201cKnow your audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are lots of differences these days in what\u2019s considered appropriate or inappropriate, professional or unprofessional. You have to be cautious that you don\u2019t offend people. You\u2019ve got to know the different generations. It\u2019s a little extra work. For a lot of younger people, a phone call can be considered strange. \u201cCan I call you at 3 o\u2019clock? We can set up an appointment\u2026\u201d We live in a much more egalitarian world. The reality is that human beings are still human beings. First impressions, while they don\u2019t have to be perfect,do still matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a Good Listener<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good, professional person might be offering a good product or service, but if they left a bad impression, we have a way of pigeonholing that person. You have to work hard to avoid that, because the impression you create may be a negative one It\u2019s going to put you into a box in that person\u2019s mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And for us, the key is listening. Listening is a place of mutual understanding. Proactively, if we listen well to you, hopefully you reciprocate and listen well to us, and we can build a \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you know that I know that you know that I know that this is what it is,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d and we\u2019re talking the same language, products, service development, etf. It matches our understanding. That takes place largely through listening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Book Andy Roller<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andy is happy to speak on a variety of topics. Email us at info@expioconsulting to learn more.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Program Options<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Option A: Personal Character and Leadership Development:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integrity | The Well Ordered Life<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Responsibility | The Nature of True Freedom<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humility | The Path of Service and Security<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empathetic Communication | The Heart of Leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coactive Vision | The Priority of Leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courageous Action | The Catalyst of Leadership<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Option B: Culture and Team:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Team and Culture Dynamics |The Ecology of Great Groups<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Structuring for Growth<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social Leadership | From Job to Mission<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Option C: Productivity and Learning:<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Art of Follow-Through | Maximizing Your Personal Productivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two Are Better Than One | Cultivating Successful Relationships<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Critical Element of Personal Growth | The Process of Paying Attention<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">View From the Top | The Use and Abuse of Authority and Power<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making the Most of Your Moment | Developing the Spirit of Courage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sustaining Success | Skills for Life-long Learning<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be Prepared | Leveraging Your Opportunities<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Winning the War for Attention, Follow up, and Responsiveness<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Expio Founder and CEO Andy Roller explains how to win the war for attention, follow up and responsiveness. Excerpts from Andy Roller at American Advertising Federation-Amarillo speaking engagement: I have five kids, and three of them have iPhones. In the event I need to get in touch with someone, I\u2019ll text and call them, and nobody responds within a reasonable amount of time. I\u2019m thinking, \u201cI am paying over $300 a month to provide everybody a phone. Somebody answer the phone! What\u2019s going on here!\u201d It&#8217;s frustrating, right? How could it be that they&#8217;re on their phones 24 hours a day, and the one time I need a clear answer from one of them, none of them are looking at their phones or want to respond? Your personal relationships are the same thing. If you\u2019re dating, if it\u2019s your wife or your kid, your parents trying to make dinner reservations, whatever line of communication it might be, not getting a reply can be frustrating.\u00a0\u00a0 I think we\u2019re all familiar with those scenarios. Let\u2019s talk about some things that definitely do not work.\u00a0 No ASAP Expio Digital Marketing has three core values: No A-holes, No BS and no ASAP. \u201cNo ASAP\u201d doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re not fast. Actually, we\u2019re very fast. As a matter of fact, minutes before I got up here, the team handled a website crash. We\u2019re very fast and responsive, but the no ASAP part of that (and I\u2019ll explain how that gets into responsiveness) is understanding that ASAP is a type of poison to your company. If everything is always ASAP, nothing really is.\u00a0 There are true emergencies, but a lot of times, clients will say, \u201cI need this ASAP!\u201d At Expio, we are all trained and have taught ourselves and each other that when that happens, we just ask the simple question: \u201cExactly by when do you need this?\u201d They\u2019ll usually respond something like, \u201cOh, next Thursday would be good.\u201d\u00a0 Alright\u2026 So let me get this straight, you just about threw our entire workflow off for the day (keep in mind in the service business our time is everything, that\u2019s the asset, that\u2019s the goal. We\u2019re not a product company.) So you just about threw our entire workflow off for the day from everything else that we\u2019re doing, because you wanted something next Thursday?\u00a0 While we can\u2019t necessarily correct the client on their use of language, we can ask questions that get to the essence of what\u2019s needed. Sometimes it\u2019s needed in the next five minutes, but that hardly ever happens. True ASAP is actually a very rare thing.\u00a0 Even as the boss, I\u201dm not allowed to do it. I think I\u2019ve used the term ASAP one time in the last 8 \u00bd years, and Josh (Expio\u2019s Chief Content Officer) called me on it immediately. So I\u2019ve never done it again.\u00a0 The reason I\u2019m bringing that up is this: as a philosophy or as an approach, you need to get that straight so you\u2019re a good example when it comes to responding. There\u2019s a trust component when you\u2019re dealing with people. When you\u2019re really clear about what you need, you make it easy for the person to respond. It\u2019s almost like giving multiple choice sometimes. \u201cDo you want me to A, B, or C?\u201d There are all kinds of creative responses, and we\u2019ll talk about some of those tools. Just Say No to Passive Aggressiveness Another thing that doesn\u2019t work is being passive-aggressive. You guys all probably have at least one of these people in your life. Maybe you are that person.\u00a0 Don\u2019t create drama or a sense of emergency all the time around something you need.\u00a0 I got an email one time from a person who needed something, and they needed it right now (they didn\u2019t really, but they thought they did), and they conveniently added into the email that \u201cwhenever someone doesn\u2019t get back to me immediately, it causes me great anxiety.\u201d I read that and I thought, \u201cWell gosh, you know, I don\u2019t want to cause anyone great anxiety\u2026 this is BS! What are you talking about?\u201d So there\u2019s the passive-aggressive thing\u2026\u201cIf you don\u2019t get back to me I\u2019m going to commit suicide.\u201d No one\u2019s ever said that to me, but they act like it\u2019s this big emotional deal, when it\u2019s not. What happens with a person like that is, if you play any level of that game, it decreases my desire and my response time. I\u2019ll get to it when I get to it. You wanted it immediately, and you just got it pushed back for doing that; so that\u2019s not going to work, and it just creates long-term problems.\u00a0 Clarity is Everything in Business Not being clear is a HUGE problem when it comes to getting people to get back to you. Sometimes people type out an email, and it\u2019s not exactly clear what you need and when you need it. The receiver thinks,\u00a0 \u201cOh, I didn\u2019t realize you needed an answer, I didn\u2019t realize I needed to get back to you.\u201d\u00a0 When you start finding yourself putting a bunch of adverbs in the email: \u201cI think maybe just very possibly, might want to\u2026\u201d Get rid of all of that and just ask the question, and get to what it is you need, especially in business relationships and business emails. Voicemails? The philosophy is the same. You can leave a five-minute-long voicemail, and the poor person listening is thinking, \u201cI\u2019m going to have to listen to this like three times to figure out exactly what it is this person needs.\u201d\u00a0 Building Trust An Example From the Audience: I have a company that calls us daily sometimes. The answer is no, it\u2019s going to be no, it\u2019s always been no. We don\u2019t have the budget, we\u2019re not interested. I\u2019m going to start saying it in French, German\u2026 It\u2019s a different sales person every time, so I guess they don\u2019t note it in the file, or they have such turnover that they\u2019re not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[287,398,330],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-expio-values","category-sales","category-tech"],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/andy-at-aaf-1140x445.jpg",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/andy-at-aaf-463x348.jpg",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/andy-at-aaf-300x173.jpg",300,173,true],"full":["https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/andy-at-aaf.jpg",1200,692,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/expiostaging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}