I just had a contractor over; he is someone who has done work before, and I was very satisfied with pricing and workmanship. I will be doing some more work with him; no competitive bidding.
BUT–on his business card he lists his email address. I sent him some questions; he never answered. About a week later I called him; he is coming over to talk because “I really don’t use email much.”
Question: Why put email address or other electronic communication on your card if you don’t use it? I wonder if he has lost business because of unanswered email contacts.
Replies
That would bother me, too. Time for new business cards. He may have thought it was a good idea and he would use it, but if he's not, he needs to drop it.
My office email gets checked constantly, but friends know I only check my home email every three or four days.
Greg
I don't understand that, I love email. I am not very good about getting actual change orders signed, but all conversations, changes, questions,etc I always put in emails.
Having that email chain to verify decisions has saved my butt more than once.
As much as possible for business.
Different folders for subs, suppliers , owners both for incoming and outgoing.
Scan documentation in add as an attachment and request subs/suppliers do the same.
If the e-mail address is on the business card, the business owner should check e-mail at least once every 24 hours, and should reply to all inquiries immediately even if only with an acknowledgement of receipt of the inquiry...with a detailed answer to follow ASAP.
I use e-mail for as much client communication as possible. It saves time, trouble, and long-distance phone bills; plus, I can send a message at midnight or 1am whereas I would not telephone someone at that hour.
E-mail saves an enormous amount of useless talk, too. People babble on endlessly on the phone; they are much more brief and to the point when they have to type out what they want to say.
I send progress photos of the job as well as all my estimates, invoices, and statements by e-mail, too.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
It drives me nuts when anyone or any business lists their email address then ignores a sent message. I've given up on sending emails for product information due to them being routinely ignored. I call instead.
But what happens when you call and leave a message and they never return the call?
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
I am constantly amazed by contractors who treat messages from customers with indifference. Whether it be by email or by phone. When they're busy, they don't need the work and don't return calls or respond to email. When they're not busy, they can't understand why no one is calling.
My email address is on my business card and I check it at least twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening). I return all calls the same day unless they leave a message in the evening or the weekend. Then, the call gets returned the next day.
Like most everyone, I have been slow in this "down" economy, but I still get calls from my regulars and occasional new customers. I'd like to think that my diligence in getting back to people is helping me out.
I'm not going to rise to the defense of those too lazy to return email inquiries.I do want to point out that sometimes email gets stuck in a server due to connection issues or silently rejected as spam either by the end user's mailbox settings or the recipient server's settings. You likely won't know that the email never made it to the person you were hoping to reach. It's possible that you'll get an error message, but I've seen a fair number of cases where it just disappears. So, if you didn't receive a reply, it might be worth sending a follow-up email or phone call.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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annnd, not being the cleverest of keyboard ticklers or mouse clickers, I have "sent" emails that never went anywhere, I guess. Now, I always check my sent box... ok, almost always.http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
True, true. I've been guilty of that myself!'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
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So, if you didn't receive a reply, it might be worth sending a follow-up email or phone call.
Agreed. And when I send a proposal via email, I always ask the recipient to confirm that they received it regardless of their decision. If I don't get a confirmation email, I follow-up with a phone call a few days later. If I don't reach anyone, I leave a voice mail just asking them to confirm that they received my proposal.
About 25% of the time, I never hear anything more. These are the people who deserve the lax contractors I was criticizing.
Thats true FatRoman. I just discovered that I had about 40 emails in my junk folder that should not have been there.
After initial contact, I'd say 75% of our design/build contact is via email. 15-20% of new client initial contact to us is via email. It is a much easier way to communicate much of the time, and you get a record of your conversation.
I wouldn't rely on it though, and follow up with a phone call until someone proves they check their email, or for important messages. Same with faxes. When in doubt, use the phone.
The question is would you sell on email? Or buy from a quote given by email?
I am a bit of a ludite... I just think it is more effective face to face.
Though I am thinking more and more it may be possible to create such an impression by email that folks want you and nobody else.
I have heard that a few times the last week due to the new site...even though it is broken... and the sister site looks like it has been hacked.
The point is though... has anyone mastered the art of selling by email?
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
Would I sell or buy by email? Not really, but once I had made a contact with someone, it is very useful if you want to clarify something. You can send the message at your convenience, and if it is complex, you can take the time to "spell it out", something that is hard to do with phone messages.I would also be willing to indicate my willingness to buy, but of course there are contracts to be signed in person.(I think some people are uncomfortable with email simply because they are not used to using a keyboard, or they are not sure about their ability to spell. Of course, that latter doesn't seem to stop some of the posters here, but that is a different story.)
It threw me when one of my guys insisted he sells large design and landscape jobs by email...
IN my experience people asked for proposals and breakdowns by email as a tool to negotiate and so that it could be broadcast to find the lowest possible bid...
which is not helpful when trying to make a living at a trade as a professional.
Am I just out of touch? Am I too old to be working in this internet business era?
L
GardenStructure.com~Build for the Art of it! Decks Blog
I do get prices through email. Garage doors, granite counter tops, cabinets, lumber...and I do use those prices to shop around, sort of. I like to know if I'm getting hosed, or not...And, like others have said, it's a great form of record keeping and billing...so, ya, you're just too old<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
I use emails with certian customers and always answer them within a day or two never longer. I use my computer about 10 times a day or about 3 hours a day sometimes more. it saves me tons of time. Sometimes I cant sleep and Ill answer emails then. Emailing customers for there and my benifit only works for some some people still like the phone, another thing I have all my calls go to my cell phone and have that with me 24 - 7 I still have a land phone but dont use that much.
Carpentry and remodeling
Vic Vardamis
Bangor Me
About 6 months ago i got a blackberry so that i could respond to emails at my leisure during the workday instead of having to answer all of them when i got home.
On the plus side is the fact that i can email any one i need too from the job site, which could be a roof, on a scaffold or in a trench underpinning a house, and for that reason it is fantastic and saves me getting the laptop out of the van, plugging in my 3g data card ect.
Down side is a lot of my clients work in the city and in these slow times are keeping themselves occupied sending emails, which often are not about work and are pretty much a chat. The problem is that i cannot ignore the clients as i end up getting emails asking if every thing is ok as i have not answered their emails straight away, but if i reply i end up getting involved in email ping pong.
There is the option to tell the client that i am too busy to reply to there emails all day, but that is not easy when the client may be spending £100,000 on their contract with me.
So regarding email, i have mixed feelings.
Yup....use it all the time and all day long.
Used to check it in the AM before heading out the door...again if/when I stopped home for lunch....at the end of the day....and again at night before turning in.
Made the switch from Nextel this week. Now have a Blackberry and respond to emails as they come in.
Clients couldn't be happier.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
He probably does lose potential business because of that. Personally, I wouldn't have my email address on my card because I don't want to do business with someone who won't pick up the phone and call me. I use email for some communication, like sending documents and such.
~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools! - MyToolbox.net
See my work at TedsCarpentry.com
I don't want to do business with someone who won't pick up the phone and call me
Why not? Do you see email as impersonal? All of my customers became my customers when they called me on the phone. None of them initiated contacted via email, but now many of them contact me by email and ask if I'm available for various jobs. Some have asked me to call them and so I do... when it's convenient.
If a potential new customer contacted me by email and asked about getting some work done, I would probably email them back and tell them that I'd be happy to take a look and they should call me so we can set up an appointment. If they insisted on trying to set up an appointment by email, I would probably pursue it for an iteration or 2, but if it got complicated, I would insist that they call me. Otherwise, I see no problem with email.
It's not just a personal feeling, but my past experience. I've never had a good business relation begin with an email. I always reply with some form of "Call me, let's talk". Most I've never heard from, and a few that wasted my time. I guess others would have different experience, probably due to geographics. I'm sure being in the city, I tend to get emailers from a less personable crowd.
Maybe I should add my email address to my card just to help weed out the PITA customers =). But then, without the email address they won't be bothering me anyway. ~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools! - MyToolbox.netSee my work at TedsCarpentry.com
Keep in mind that people in other occupations couldn't survive (very well) without using email. So they'll tend to expect you to use email too.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Just sayin' is all.. from my experience.~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools! - MyToolbox.netSee my work at TedsCarpentry.com
I am just starting to & think it is a powerful tool, I have a client that is a doctor & her schedule is impossible for her, this is going to prove to be a great tool during the preliminary design period, she can look at & respond to questions & design concepts when her time allows
No one should regard themselve as "God's gift to man." But rather a mere man whos gifts are from God.
I have an attorney client that liked to do her business by email. That became apparent after the job was sold the old fashioned way though.