How To Get Anyone To Answer Your Emails
This picture says a lot.
I want you to concentrate on that peak at 9am EST.
People are addicted to opening email first thing in the morning
Let me explain.
People aren’t like you and I.
They are tethered to their emails.
Look at that response rate at 9am.
Get into the office.
Check email.
Pavlovian.
You can ‘exploit’ that.
In his book, “Never Eat Alone”, Keith Ferrazzi recommends contacting people right before their workday starts or right before you know they will be heading for lunch (or heading for home).
That email chart suggests the best time to send an email is about 8:50am, so it’s at the top of their inbox for 9am.
But that’s just a start…here’s a more detailed article on how to get your emails returned. – Craig
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How to Get People to Reply to Your Emails
By Adam Grant, author, “Give and Take”
1. Perfect the subject line.
People are more likely to read emails with subject lines that create curiosity or provide utility. When people aren’t busy, they’re drawn in by subject lines that intrigue them. But when they’re busy, curiosity fades in importance; the emails that get read are the ones with practical subject lines. When you want to grab the attention of someone important, scrap the entertaining subject lines and focus on utility.
2. Tell them why you chose them.
It’s worth devoting a sentence or two to what you know about the person’s work, and how it has influenced your life.
3. Show that you’ve done your homework.
The psychologist Bernard Weiner has found that people are more motivated to help those who try to help themselves. When you reach out to someone busy, Tim Ferriss advises, “Explicitly state what you’ve done to get answers or help yourself.”
4. Highlight uncommon commonalities.
I felt a stronger connection to strangers who emphasized something unusual that we had in common. As the psychologist Robert Cialdini sums up the evidence from Influence, “Similarity literally draws people together.”
In my book, “Give and Take“, I elaborate on this principle to point out that similarities matter most when they’re rare. We bond when we share uncommon commonalities, which allow us to feel that we fit in and stand out at the same time. Think of the last time you traveled abroad and met someone from your hometown. If you met at home, the connection wouldn’t stand out as unique, but on foreign soil, you’re the only two people from there, so you feel a sense of closeness.
When I cold-emailed Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, my first instinct was to mention that we attended the same college. After realizing that thousands of people share that connection with him, I looked for uncommon commonalities. I ended up writing that I first learned about him when my college roommate followed in his footsteps to run the Quincy Grille.
5. Make your request specific, and keep it short and sweet.
The longer the message, the longer it took me to read and respond, and the more overloaded my inbox, the less patient I was in reading them. Tim Ferriss suggests that the best approach is to “send a two- to three-paragraph e-mail which explains that you are familiar with their work, and ask one simple-to-answer but thought-provoking question in that e-mail related to their work or life philosophies. The goal is to start a dialogue so they take the time to answer future e-mails–not to ask for help. That can only come after at least three or four genuine e-mail exchanges.”
6. Express gratitude.
People provide more extensive and useful help when it’s an enjoyable choice than when it’s driven by perceived pressure or obligation. I was excited to help when I felt I could make a difference, not when someone was attempting to coerce me or create a sense of obligation. Gratitude is more powerful than we realize.
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Great advice.
Keep it short, make a connection, and be thankful.
Take advantage of your opportunities,
Craig Ballantyne
“Stand out. You must stand for something and attract the right people while not being afraid to repel the wrong people. You need to over deliver, give faster results than promised, and become the go-to leader for your market.” – Bedros Keuilian