Please Just Tell Me What You Want!

The web industry moves really fast and there is always a lot to do – time is precious. Many of us get dozens – sometimes even hundreds – of emails a day.

As such it can be quite frustrating to get emails from people who introduce themselves and say they want to talk to you – and then don’t tell me what they want.

Recently I have been contacted by two independent companies – both wanting to talk about one of my old video games (Bubble Blitz). In both cases they have introduced themselves and said they want to talk about it, I replied with “hello, how can I help” and they have gone on to try to set up phone calls to explain.

So this is at least three emails sent and I still don’t know what they want.

Below are some rules I think these business people should follow to ensure their email gets the best possible response.

1. Tailor the communication method to the person you are contacting. As a web geek I am quite introverted and so the phone is not my favoured method of communication.
2. Show benefits. Neither of the people who have contacted me have explained what I will gain from their proposition. If you’re going to cold contact with a business proposition then make sure the first contact shows some form of benefit – else I probably won’t reply.
3. Remember we’re not all business people. I sometimes call myself a ‘part time entrepreneur’ but really I am just a person who enjoys creating things.
4. Remember that we’re probably not in the same time zone. The first person who contacted me about Bubble Blitz emailed me, I replied, and then I went to bed (since it was past midnight GMT). They then replied again – and when I didn’t reply (since I was asleep) they proceeded to phone my place of work. This was totally inappropriate.
5. Be brief and respect my time. Please, just tell me what you want.