Email management sweet spots for brokers

Is your day being dictated by your email? Does it feel like you’re just keeping your head above a sea of replies to banks, BDMs, customers and general enquiries? Beginning to sound familiar? I’ve been on the same page don’t worry.

I know what it’s like going into battle with your inbox each day but there is a sweet spot to this. As brokers our emails are an incredible tool to help us communicate with our clients instantaneously and critical to our business with stacks of potential in lead generation and marketing so I’ve put together 3 ways to find that sweet spot to help you better manage your email and make sure your email isn’t managing you!

Get your inbox to zero – Keep it clean and cut double handling. 
One of the simplest yet most effective ways to reduce time wastage is to clean your inbox to zero. I was guilty of hoarding emails in my inbox, spending time deciding which email to read and which to reply back to. I also found I was double checking if I’d read or replied to emails and it was hard to keep track on where messages were up to.

To deal with this I found three ways to reduce double handling almost overnight, I’d either: reply if it was critical, file for later in a follow up folder/add to to-do list or delete. Since clearing my inbox and moving things onto a to-do task list I’ve found myself much more effective during the day.

Make it snap, crackle and pop!
It’s amazing the trash you get in your inbox these days – and I’m not talking about spam – this is emails from other organisations or individuals that are long, boring and don’t really have a point. Years ago a mentor of mine would often say ‘an email sent isn’t necessarily an email received’.

Every time I send an email I make sure it will be read by keeping it sharp and to the point. Most people tend to scan emails so keep your emails to a max of 2-3 short paragraphs, or use bullet points to keep it coincide with clear action points if you are wanting a response. Any longer then you should be picking up the phone!

Also in an attempt to stop email ping pong try to send closed emails when you are booking appointments – for example specify the exact dates & times you are available, the location and topics you’re covering rather than going back and forth to clarify this across multiple emails.

Turn off notifications – This is the sweet spot!! Do this right now.
Bing! You’ve got mail! Pop-up notifications, argh! A study conducted by Michigan State University found that interruptions as short as 3 seconds are enough to double your chance of making a mistake – so you can be working on a new application or researching loan options for a prospective client and an email notification will popup and destroy your focus!

Do yourself a favour right now turn off your email notifications on your phone, computer and tablet! I’ve even removed the mail icon from the bottom tray of my phone and hid it in a folder to stop me from constantly checking (did you know the average person checks their phone over 110 times PER DAY!!) and found myself to be much more effective and focused.

Like I said emails are an awesome tool and can be used in all aspects of our businesses from lead generation, to client management and general communication but if you aren’t using it effectively then it could be costing you time and potentially more business!