Probably not.
Let's take a few seconds to review the ways we contact one another:
1. In person
2. Via email
3. Facebook Message
4. LinkedIn Message
5. Twitter
6. ____________ social media platform of choice
7. Letter
8. Blog Comment
9. Phone call
10. Text Message
The list goes on and on. Now I'm one of those people who does my absolute best to keep up on all the messages, but recently even I have been falling short due to the number of places people reach out. Many folks are out there trying to find jobs, make connections, build relationships, and sell products. If you are part of that group, I would like to make a few recommendations:
1. If you have direct access to someone, ask them the best way to get in touch with them. - I have discussed this before, but personally I'm a pain to get on the phone unless we schedule it in advance. I also do not keep on top of my Facebook messages as much as my email or my LinkedIn. Anyone who asks me knows this and they can usually get in touch with me and get a timely response. For those who don't, now you do :)
2. If you hear nothing, then follow up.- You may have landed in spam, chosen the wrong platform to communicate, or you may have emailed at the exact same time someone is working on getting to inbox zero. If you follow up respectfully and in a reasonable amount of time (3-5 days is the norm) then most of the time you'll get a response. If you don't hear from me within 3 days, follow up. I won't be mad.
3. Blessed are the brief- If you've never met the person you're reaching out to or if you have met them once or twice, that is not the time to send an email the length of a novel. If you want someone to read your email and respond in a timely fashion, the best method is to keep it short and to the point. If you ramble, it usually goes into the "read later" pile. If you ask me something quick, I can usually get back to you as quickly.
And keeping with the brevity rules, I will stop there. We all are busy and now Zuck's making a buck off of it and we will see pay for access services continuing to grow, so take advantage now of the free platforms that are left and respect those you want to connect with.
Ok, time to respond to some emails...
Excelsior!
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