If you are in sales, take a look at your email inbox now. How many emails do you have?
What is your process for dealing with email?
I'll share some ideas, but first, please take this 3 minute survey on how you deal with email. I will post the results AND will be sharing aggregated responses when I talk about sales productivity at Dreamforce on October 14th (9AM at the Marriott Marquis if you are going to Dreamforce) There are no names attached to this survey - so please be honest.
For many of us, Inbox Zero - the idea of totally emptying out your inbox daily is not possible - I am included in this group. What many of us need are MANAGEMENT strategies - for one simple reason:
If you don't manage your inbox well, and have an email management system of some type - you'll miss out on an opportunity that never gets followed up on - or that you drop the ball on.
You can't afford to lose important emails. It has happened to me, and I still remember the specifics surrounding a couple of glaring situations. It feels unprofessional and lame.
The first tip in email productivity I'd share is to use a tool like Sidekick, Yesware, Toutapp or Vision. These will help you stay on top of email and know when your buyer or customer has opened the email you have sent. You can now see an activity stream in at least some of them, if not all - so in real time you'll see what is opened - and what isn't.
Next it comes down to handling email methodically - read at certain times, and handle. Try not to revisit the same email over and over - it is such a poor use of your time.
If you use Gmail, take a look at The Best Way to Organize your Gmail Inbox by Jesse Chapman
If you use Outlook go here.
More on to-do lists and next actions as we journey down the path to increased effectiveness and efficiency. Please post your tips as a comment - they are sure to help others.
Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the "Top 30 Social Sales Influencers" worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the "Sales Ideas In A Minute" newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips in selling. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.
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