How often should you check your email inbox?
September 7th, 2018 by Bob Bly
One of my mentors, GN, is one of the top direct response
entrepreneurs.
GN advises us to check our emails only once a day, saying doing
so more often is a waste of time that lowers your productivity.
But GN is a business owner and therefore also a client for people
in service businesses — including freelance copywriters like me.
And while clients can afford to check email just daily, if you
are a vendor, you should do so much more frequently — ideally,
once every hour.
The reason: When your clients or prospects have a need, a prompt
response not only provides superior customer service.
But if you do not reply quickly, they may, if the job is urgent,
email your competitors who, if they answer more quickly than you,
may just get the assignments that you wanted.
In addition, for me, checking my email hourly does not interfere
with my productivity. In fact, it improves it.
I divide my daily writing into one-hour increments, between which
I take a 5-minute break; the great Gene Schwartz worked in
half-hour increments with a 3-minute break between them, though I
am not even close to his level.
During those short breaks is a perfect time for me to take a
quick look at my email inbox.
I quickly delete the irrelevant emails — and respond to the
important ones from clients and prospects on the spot — so they
are never kept waiting too long.
Emails that are less urgent but still important because of their
valuable content, I file for later reading or reference in the
appropriate Outlook folders.
This short break energizes me to get back to copywriting for
another hour.
And if I am worn out on my copywriting project, I switch to
another one, which further refreshes me so I can tackle it with
renewed energy.
So if you are a service provider, I advise you to check and
respond to emails in a timely manner, as it boosts your energy,
productivity, and customer service.
It works well for me and might for you too. Give it a try.
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