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Do you really want to get business via the Internet?

Written by: Kathie Thomas

Article Overview: The use of email for business is a topic that frequents my writing.

Do you really want to get business via the Internet?

It was purported that the introduction of email would mean less paperwork, but I doubt that has happened. What it has done is increase the amount of reading we all need to do – even if it’s quickly scanning what comes in our inboxes daily.

The thing that is of concern is that people either don’t check their emails daily, or if they have gone away on holiday or business that they haven’t set up a system to prevent these kind of messages. Most ISPs have webmail facilities available now so it would mean that many could access their email even when away from their primary computer. Or you could set up an online email account such as hotmail, yahoo or similar and get your email forwarded to that address so you can check into an Internet café or similar.

It is possible on occasion that your email box may become full but I have noticed that some people I contact regularly seem to have this message more often than should be the case – particularly if they are people seeking to do business on the Internet. How do they know when a client is trying to contact them? They should be dialing in to check their email on a daily basis, at the very least. Perhaps the answer is to set up two or three different email addresses – one for general newsletters and discussion forums, another that is specifically for business, and so on.

Registering for a spam filter (if your ISP doesn’t provide one that is sufficient) may also be an answer to stop your mailbox from becoming full. I’m told there are many good ones out there and a couple I’ve heard of are Mailwasher and Spamarrest. I only have experience of Spamarrest and have found that to be effective. Instead of receiving over 100 emails overnight to go through each morning I now have around 20 or so genuine email. Some of that will be forum discussions; others will be enquiries or responses to emails I’ve sent. If you’ve been using a Spam filter that you believe is really worth knowing about, please let me know and I’ll add it as a link on the newsletter pages of this site.

Sending email is a convenient form of communication – at least for me it is, and I know it is for others. I can sit and write an email late at night and think about what I want to say. I certainly couldn’t phone anyone at the hours I often write my email.

Responding to email is usually quick and doesn’t take the time a telephone conversation will often take – no need for small talk or going off on a tangent! But it is disappointing to send an email to someone and then get a reply like the one above. Especially if it is because I’ve been doing business with that person and there is the prospect of them getting more business – you have to wonder ‘do they really want it?’ Are they even aware this message is going out to those trying to contact them?

A note to ponder: If, on the other hand, you send an email, don’t get a bounce back but no reply after a reasonable period of time, then perhaps it’s time to pick up the phone. I’ve known people who haven’t followed up because they thought the person they emailed wasn’t interested in the matter at hand only to find out, when it was much too late, that the intended recipient never received the email in the first place – it’s not 100% reliable (yet) and we need to remember that.

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