Why Inbox zero is important (to me)
For those of you who are far to busy staying on top of your emails to read the full article, I'll put the tldr at the top.
I treat everyone like a customer!
As a heads up this is not an article that's going to explain how to keep your inbox at zero unread. I'm not about to link you to some life changing inbox management tool or tell you that for everyone it should be possible to achieve, this is purely about why this is important for me and hopefully why it'll be important for you.
I've been in sales and sales management my whole adult life but it took me quite a while to understand that the best sales people weren't just smooth talking, charmers with white teeth and a nice tan. The sales people that constantly succeeded, were the ones who could be contacted easily, always delivered on a promise and the ones that customers knew they could rely on.
After applying this for a few years for just customers it got me thinking. What if I adapt this philosophy to the rest of my life? Was it even possible? Would I cause myself to burn out and go mad in a mass of emails, texts and unanswered calls?
Short answers: 1. Good things tend to happen 2. Yes(ish) 3. No.....(ish)
By keeping my inbox(es) clean, I'm able to organise, prioritise and normally respond in a timely manner to everyone. Suppliers, internal teams, prospects, customers, business partners, people who work for me, people I like, people I don't like, my girlfriend, my mum, my dog sitter and even people trying to sell me stuff.
It's important to me that everyone who engages with me, whether my response is positive or negative, understands where they stand and that they in some way are important to me, even if I'm not to them.
What do you think? Is inbox zero important to you?
Isaac, interesting article! I myself always try to attend to my inbox, the same-day I receive an 'inquiry'. Like you, I have also been in sales/sales management roles all my (working) life. I agree entirely with your comment: "The salespeople that constantly succeeded, are the ones who can be contacted easily, always deliver on a promise and the ones that customers knew they could rely on". This, to me, resonates as the 'How to be a successful Account Manager' ideal. However, within sales, you have the 'hunters' & 'farmers' - the AMs & BDMs. The inbox zero approach you detail seems to me to be more on the farmer approach (IMO). I personally see myself more as a 'hunter'. My sales mantra is not ABC (Always Be Closing) but ABA (Always Be Available). So, I do have some traits of the 'farmer', admittedly. ABA does not mean that I sleep with my phone on, next to me every night to answer calls at any time, not by any means - no! It means, like the subject of your post, to be responsive to suppliers, internal teams, prospects, customers, business partners, people who work with me, people I like; my friends, colleagues, girlfriend, my sister or parents, (don't have a dog / sitter) and even people trying to sell me stuff is important. Most importantly, responding in a timely manner; SMART. I believe it also shows good manners & a higher degree of professionalism. Not everyone possesses the willingness to respond, whether it's because they feel they are too busy, so cannot possibly respond to everyone, in either a positive or negative way; to let people know where they stand and that they are in some way important or relevant (or not as the case may be), is a key communication skill. I much prefer honesty to no response at all, I can tell you! Another mantra I follow is not to make assumptions. You mitigate this by being clear and communicating. I see nothing wrong with your approach, but if I always responded to my mother's messages, I'd get no work done, so we all need to prioritize. In conclusion, I truly believe that being available, contacted easily, always deliver on a promise and to be recognized by all to be a person that people can rely on, is a very positive trait indeed.