Definitely talk the talk, walk the walk, do as you preach!

Unfortunately, I must say, it has happened quite often that I personally sent an e-mail to someone in the business world, without ever receiving an answer back. Many of them have been compliments and questions, and none of them have been about pitching services. Ever. The most ironic thing is that the majority of my e-mail recipients have clearly stated "E-mail me anytime! I'm here to answer your questions! Or call me!". None of them were celebrities.

Maybe I should have called, because e-mail didn't work.
Some of the people I am referring to are in a business similar to mine. You would think that at least these people apparently practicing good manners would understand the value of contacting someone back when they receive mail.

Hm.

Sometimes we can't contact someone back as soon as we wished, but to let weeks and even months go by is just a shame. Professionals should know better. There is a sense of urgency that is lost, but that can be recovered.

How can you ensure you don't end up in a person's short-term memory, "leave it for later" folder, mails, calls and ultimately "forgot who you were" junk box?

• Persistence
• Social grace
• Content quality
• Added value
• Understanding

Follow up with an e-mail or call if you don't hear from the person after 48h. If you still don't hear anything and you really need to reach the person, you may want to try calling instead of e-mailing. Don't give up, but never push.
Always be friendly, polite, smile when you speak and write, and mind your word choice.
Be straight to the point. If the person is known to be busy, be short and efficient in your communication style. Remember, people like to be associated to those they feel they have something in common with. Your content has to be appealing and self-explanatory as to why you are contacting them.
Offer value to them. I will talk about VALUE in my next post. (think about what it means to you in the meantime).
Understand circumstances change daily, hourly. Understand how you are approaching them, and re-evaluate it. Understand some people, unfortunately, are not good communicators.