When people express an interest in my services, tell me about a challenge they face, or ask me to call them, I follow up. I totally understand if they change their minds later or decide the concern we discussed is a lower priority than others and put our conversation on hold. I also understand that an email sent is not an email received and that things can get buried pretty quickly in the daily rush. I am patient, probably too patient. Nonetheless, I do not understand when someone repeatedly ignores my email or doesn’t call back. How hard is it to say you’ve changed your mind? Why do you want to leave me trying to guess whether you are disorganized, busy, uninterested, or unable to express yourself constructively? 

Even less understandable is the person who fails to respond, but then sends a request for money. These requests come from Executive Directors promoting their non-profit fundraiser as well as from individuals wanting sponsorship in something like Relay for Life, something that has happened to me twice in as many days. OK, so you’ve lost track of those you’ve dissed and it is easier to blast an email to all than to filter your list. Understandable? Perhaps. But why do you put yourself in this situation? Think about the image you present.

The busiest, most accomplished people I talk with, which thankfully is the vast majority, are always responsive. When they say they will call, they call. When they change their minds, they say so. When they need to reschedule, they do it. When they make a mistake, they apologize. As a result, they come across as professional, competent, respectful and organized. They don’t waste my time and I don’t waste theirs. Not only do they seem successful, they are. And it isn’t a coincidence.

If you want to seem, and become, successful, start acting as if you are. Get organized, be responsive, treat others with respect, and get to the point so all parties can move on.