How Would You Respond to an Email Like This?
By Danny Matharu at 2 March, 2011, 9:57 pm
I recently received this email below and really didn’t know how to respond. My gut reaction/reply is ‘Why should we meet up?’
As you can see in the email, there’s no reason for the meeting, although by the service they provide, I have an idea what they are wanting.
The ‘YM’ reference is The Yorkshire Mafia.I have just copied and pasted it and the names have been changed to protect the innocent!
How would you respond?
Hi Danny
Hope your well!
I have noticed you do a lot with the YM!
Would it be possible for us to meet up for a coffee and a chat at some point next week.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
NAME
COMPANY ETC
I think I’d want to know more before meeting, but we’re all here to network and do business, which must be a two-way street.
I got all over-excited this morning when someone rang, having seen my advert in the Yorkshire Post (and thanks for that opportunity, by the way). Within seconds it became clear that he was trying to sell me something, but I thought well, if I’d been a bit quicker off the mark maybe I should have been phoning him.
I don’t know what to think, I’d be interested to hear what other people say.
There’s two possible ways I would say:
1. If you are aware of the sender, then a chatty reply with “Hi NAME, nice to hear from you, a meet up is possible, what did you have in mind – is it something we can discuss over the phone?” sort of reply or…
2. A more formal. “Sorry, I don’t know you. What is it you’re looking to meet up about?”
J
I’d want to know more before meeting too – your time is precious and this could be a huge waste of it!
Surely if you are the person doing the asking, you’d want to whet the ‘invitees’ appetite to meet? Dangle a carrot, so to speak!
The fact that this person hasn’t leads me to believe that a) They are not very fluent in their own sales/ marketing (everyone wants the ‘what’s in it for me’ question answered) or b) whatever they want to talk about is a load of crap.
Besides, their first comment to you was that they notice you are doing a lot with the YM, so the cogs of their mind are already turning as to how you can help them, I don’t see any evidence in their introduction about how they want to make your life easier / more profitable / more enjoyable!
Personally I’d brush off the request – Jamie’s suggestion of a phone call sounds like a good one. In any case, the writer of the email to you has no attention to detail. “Hope your well” is linguistically wrong. “Hope you’re well” is the correct grammar.
I was viewing your blog post on my BlackBerry screen before and the menu dropdown box hid most of your question! This is what I meant by my reply to you on Twitter. I’m at the laptop now so can see it all properly.
Hope all is well with you and maybe I’ll bump into you at a future event!
Easy Danny,
Thank you for your email, more that happy to have a coffee.
If you have specific areas that you would like to cover off this would structure our time together better so that we get the most from our time together.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Kind regards
Danny, we also provide a PA service here if you want!!!!!
As Nadine says, time is precious, don’t waste it.
Good Luck.
Roger
I think I’d want to know more before meeting, but we’re all here to network and do business, which must be a two-way street. I don’t know what to think, I’d be interested to hear what other people say.