{!date dayname+0}, {!date long+0} Dear {!firstname_fix} Did you miss me...? Probably not - you've probably been on your hols just like me. I went to Jersey, had a lovely time - and that's why you've missed a couple of newsletters. Where did you go - if you went away? Or perhaps you haven't taken a break just yet? If you haven't - make sure you get one soon....the way the economic news has been going in the past few days we're all likely to be facing more gloom and doom for years to come. Take a break - not because you might not get one in the future, but because your brain needs it. You'll come back refreshed ready to face the world no matter what the economic indicators are like. Rest and recuperation - few people I know value them as much as they should. I don't either.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: How quickly should you reply to emails? Bing bong - there's another email in your inbox. Go on, have a look, why don't you? Answer it straight away...! Yes, email can be distracting and can take you away from what you should be focusing on. But at the same time we also know the annoyance and frustration if we don't get a relatively rapid reply to our emails. For businesses this can be a real issue. Years ago, when we only had phones, I recall some research from the fledgling BT which showed that most phone callers gave up if the call was not answered within 16 seconds - the space of four rings. That meant that business people had to go on training courses about answering the phone quickly; new departments had to be set up so that calls could be answered rapidly. Now, with email, people also expect a speedy response. But how quick is quick? Research shows us there is a mis-match in the definition of speedy between the sender and the recipient. On average, the studies show that when people email a business most expect a reply sometime during the same day. Only around 15% of people actually expect a response within two hours. However, when you ask business recipients of email, they tell a different story. Some 45% of them claim that the sender would want a reply inside two hours - that's three times greater than the actual requirement. Indeed, studies suggest that about 5% of senders of emails to businesses are happy if they get a reply within the week. But all businesses appear to believe that replies must be provided at worst within the same day. It appears that businesses are putting themselves under more pressure than is necessary. It is rather like trying to answer the phone in one ring, instead of the acceptable four. So, don't put yourself under pressure to answer emails too quickly. The best way to avoid this is to accept that the vast majority of your emailers will be happy if you get back to them the same day. That means you do not need to have your email constantly being checked every 30 minutes. Just manually checking your emails two or three times each day is enough. If it is really urgent, you'll get a phone call. Plus if you only check your emails three times a day, you won't be so distracted, allowing you to focus on your real work. It is just a reminder that you do not need to let technology rule you...!
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK: Act now - tomorrow may not arrive Two days ago I was shocked and saddened to hear that my friend, Ian Hendry, had died. He was the founder of the highly successful business lead system, WeCanDoBiz and we had spoken on the same platform at several conferences and events. He contracted meningitis just a short while ago and did not recover. Ian was a few years younger than me, had a contagious sense of humour, was extremely bright and engaged his audiences with his breadth and depth of knowledge and his charm. I, for one, will miss him. His death reminded me of the fragility of our existence - we never believe "it will happen to us". But, inevitably it will. My mother says there is no point in being "the richest person in the graveyard". And, like mothers generally are, she is right. We must enjoy life to the full, whether that means offline or online, and we should do our utmost to do what we want now - for tomorrow for many people will not actually arrive. I very much hope that on my deathbed I won't be saying "I wish I'd saved more for a rainy day" or "I wish I'd done all the things I really wanted to rather than waiting until the time was right". I want to be saying "I had a fantastic time and I'm glad I've spent the lot".
THIS WEEK'S "MUST BUY": Do It! Or Ditch It  
Lack of action is actually what holds back many businesses. I see this online a great deal - indeed I know of people who have been "going to start their blog soon" for at least the past 18 months. Oh come on..! How long does it take you to get organised...? The problem is largely lack of decision making. There are so many conflicting ideas and suggestions that people naturally want to get the next bit of the jigsaw before they make their final decision. And when they have that jigsaw piece, guess what? The jigsaw has got bigger or changed shape, so they need just another piece. And so on. Thankfully this new book from Bev James (who helped found The Entrepreneur's Business Academy with former Dragon James Caan) should put a stop to all that. In a practical, no-nonsense way, this book provides you with eight simple steps that allow you to focus on what matters so you can make the right decisions and take your business forward. I suspect that I know a couple of would-be bloggers who ought to read it...! To find out more please visit: http://uklik.me/doitorditchit
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Kind Regards
Graham Jones Web:
grahamjones.co.uk Tel: +44 118 336 9710 If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter than you can delete your name from the mailing list by clicking this link: {!remove_web} Affiliate Links: Some of the links in this newsletter are affiliate links providing me with a small commission when you purchase the item. However, I only use affiliate links for products which I personally value. |
