Are Your Business E-mails Being Ignored?

O.K., first let’s look at the formal definition of “ignore:”

ig·nore (ĭg-nôr’, -nōr’)
tr.v. ig·nored, ig·nor·ing, ig·nores
To refuse to pay attention to; disregard.

Assuming your e-mail are typed properly and include business e-mail best practices, with the above in mind, if someone doesn’t respond to your e-mail, yes, you are being ignored — they are disregarding your communication. If you don’t respond to an e-mail — you are ignoring the Sender. It is sadly that simple.

Week in and week out I get concerned e-mails from site visitors about why they are not receiving responses to their e-mails. They are being ignored. They don’t like it. They think it is rude and they are right.

The other side of the coin says “I’m too busy…”, “I don’t have enough time…” or even “Yes, I choose to ignore some people and don’t care if they like it or not!” Why would any one of us want to be concerned about a person that is too busy for us, doesn’t have enough time for us or doesn’t care if we like being ignored or not? The answer to that is don’t be concerned with people who treat you in this manner.

As I type about all the time, we live in an “all about me” culture. Common courtesies that make one have to take time to consider how their actions (or lack thereof) may affect someone else have gone right out the door off-line. Why should online be any different!?

So to those who don’t like being ignored, move on. Why would you want to do business with someone who doesn’t reply to your communications? For those who ignore, know that by not taking the time to show some courtesy to those who take the time to e-mail you will reflect pm your business and your priorities. And don’t be surprised if those you ignore decide to return the favor.

Business E-mail Receipt Fibs

Funny how I every so often I get an e-mail asking my advice about the acceptability of fibbing about the receipt of an e-mail. Got one of those today. This individual felt it was O.K. to act as though they hadn’t received an e-mail thereby giving them an excuse to not respond. Can’t respond to what you haven’t received, right? Wrong!

Unless there is a typo in an e-mail address or someone’s computer crashes — rare are the e-mails that do not get delivered. Fibbing of any kind is an indication as to what type of person you are, your character and integrity. Important traits in business. Even the smallest fib can lead to larger lies when justified in such a way as to help you avoid doing something unpleasant. Like telling the truth.

If you receive an e-mail that requires an uncomfortable honest response — don’t take the stance that if you pretend you didn’t receive the e-mail that then justifies your lack of honesty. Sometimes the right thing to do simply isn’t the easiest thing to do…

If you are offered a job you are not interested in, made an offer you don’t want to entertain, asked a question that you don’t want to answer, use our wonderful language to choose the verbiage that kindly reflects your honest reply.

Just because an e-mail warrants you respond in a way that may decline an offer or hesitate to answer a question, doesn’t mean you don’t reply at all. Show that you are a reliable professional and respond honestly and in such a way as to not be terse, abrasive or insulting.

Adjectives are a wonderful thing! Choose those that honestly reflect your position and you’ll keep the door open to future opportunities and correspondence while still being able to look yourself in the mirror.

E-mail Etiquette Requires Your Reply

A site visitor writes:

My brother-in-law, who I also work with, never acknowledges messages that I send to him unless I ask him a direct question…and, even then, he sometimes fails to respond…so I have no way of knowing when, or if, he’s received my message…or what he thinks about it. There are times where I need his business direction and input and do not receive it. What’s the etiquette here?

The proper etiquette is to have the courtesy to reply as soon as possible — especially with business e-mails. Sometimes folks have busy schedules, are away from their computers or in some cases did not think a reply was necessary. But if you do ask direct questions that go unanswered that surely is not a way to run a business!

What you want to do is reply as soon as you possibly can. There is an expectation of a speedy reply with business e-mails and this is one of the dilemmas I get e-mailed about quite a bit. If you don’t respond, the other side will assume you are ignoring them as appears to be the case with you and your brother-in-law.

Most times, however, I don’t think onliners are purposely making a decision to ignore those who send them e-mail. But in our rush-rush, never-enough-time culture it is easy for many to do just that.

Reply promptly and professionally to all your business e-mails — that’s simply common courtesy!

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