MARKETING

MMAR k ETING

Fabrizio Pirovano

Some tips to improve the ratio between received and not received feedbacks

Marco Monti

To reply or not to reply? That is the QUESTION!

Do you ever get the feeling that your emails fall on deaf ears? It also happens to you to write to someone and get no reply? If you too are victims of non-responses and experience the prejudicial anxiety of having done something wrong, or that the digital interlocutor is an arrogant and self-referential person - that is, a boor - then we will explain what you can do. During a course on digital communication, a client asked us: “When I send an email, can I know if the recipient is reading it?”. We were sorry to give him a negative answer. In fact some mail systems offer the possibility to ask for the receipt, but leave the recipient the courtesy to confirm. This is also the case on WhatsApp - you will think - but, obviously, WhatsApp makes us less fussy privacy defenders. All this, of course, does not apply to Certified Electronic Mail, which has the purpose of having valid confirmation of receipt. Remember, however, that receiving the email does not mean reading its content. We are aware that it may seem absurd: “If you receive an email, it also means that you will read it ...”. But it’s not always like this. We had, some time ago, a weird conversation with a public office, to which we had sent a document. Not having obtained what we expected, we asked for information on the document we had sent and they did so replied: “Yes, certainly we have received it but we have not registered it. So you send it back to us”. Obviously we were thrilled. Is there a remedy? Maybe yes or maybe no, it depends. Let’s say that there are, however, tricks to encourage the good habits of others.

MAKE MORE ASSUMPTIONS

If they don’t answer you, they are rude, or: ■ they may not have received the email; ■ you may not have received the response they sent you; ■ you may have deleted their answer by mistake; ■ may find their answer in the spam folder. Can you exclude, with absolute certainty, that the absence of a reply cannot fall into one of the options just indicated? Certainly it could already be that the receiver of your email is a rude person, but what about the other hypotheses? Before plotting your revenge, consider that in all these hypotheses the responsibility is not of the receiver, but it is yours. Warning to those who do not respond by choice: if you, who are reading, belong to that population that does not acknowledge receipt and does not give any sign when receiving an email, because it thinks it makes a serious and very busy person to postpone the

moment in which to pay attention to the writer, like leaving, for example, the client in the waiting room before an appointment ... Well, know that it doesn’t work at all! Both from a commercial and personal point of view. Today this behavior is read exactly as we described it at the beginning of this story: the behavior of a boor (even if a really very busy one).

SOME TIPS

Start with a greeting, and finish with a greeting. Writing an email is like starting a speech. Would you ever start a speech without saying hello? Starting with a greeting and, above all, with a few words of interest towards your interlocutor, will put him in a better listening condition. As a result, he will also be more willing to answer you. When you close an email, in the same way, always remember to say goodbye. Have you ever experienced the unpleasant sensation of getting the phone hung up on you? Not saying goodbye at the end of an email would give the same feeling. If you don’t like it, the respondent doesn’t like it either. A consideration: A traditional “Hello Mr. xxx. I hope things go well”, or “Hi xxx. I hope you’re fine” or, again “Hi xxx. How are you?”, and then the continuation of your message, is a good way to start an email. How to close it? Quite simply with a “waiting for your courteous feedback, I wish you a good evening. See you soon” or “Thank you and see you soon”. Don’t forget to add your signature, even if you have already set it automatically in the mailer.

SET A GOOD EXAMPLE, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS ANSWER

We know people who always respond to whatever you send, from the invoice “Thank you, I will send it immediately in payment”, to viruses “Thank you, I received a strange email from your account and my computer exploded. Could it be a virus?”. Unfortunately, these kind people are in the minority, crushed by the numerical superiority of those who do not answer even if you tell them that you have found the wallet they had lost the day before.

IS THERE A QUESTION TO ANSWER?

If you want an answer, make sure you ask a question. It may sound trivial, but without a question, what should your reader answer? Always make sure that there is one at the end of your email, that it is formulated in a simple way and that it is direct: “what do you think?” is better than “I ask you to tell me what you think”.

AVOID DISJUNCTIVES

Disjunctive conjunctions have the function of introducing an alternative between two words or two concepts: “Do you prefer the file in pdf or word format?”. Consequently, answering yes or no is not expected. Yet it happens. Minor dual choice (or scissor) questions, like the one above, assume that the main choice has already been made (in the case mentioned, that the person wants to receive that file). During a face-to-face dialogue they work, because an unclear answer can be remedied immediately with a second question, but this is not possible in the case of emails. Our suggestion is to avoid the problem: “I’ll send you a pdf, okay?”.

ESTABLISH AN ADVANTAGE FOR THE RESPONDENT

The more profitable it is for your reader to reply to your message, the more likely it is for you to get a reply. Why should the reader answer you if what you write is not interesting for him/her too? Without a good reason, your reader will find it more attractive to watch the paint dry than to respond

to you. So, act accordingly. An example? “As soon as I get feedback from you, it will be my care to activate me and I will keep you updated on developments with the right care”.

THESE ARE SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS

We do not assure you that they will generate an incessant flow of replying emails, but try to think: how many of these simple rules do you apply systematically? Starting to apply these rules is very likely to improve the ratio between received and missed responses - it certainly will not worsen it - and will undoubtedly increase your professional image. ■

STRENGHT and reliability

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Vincenzo Poli, CEO

SWEEPER IN TWO TYPES

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PEDESTRIAN SWEEPER

Gioia is a pedestrian sweeper with 50 or 70 cm of main brush, available in two different typologies: battery and petrol with 5,5 HP. Panel filter in horizontal position for easier filter cleaning. Electro-welded 2 mm sheet metal frame, mechanical traction and front flap lift. Electric filter shaker for the battery version. Simple in maintenance and use. With two 6V 240Ah batteries you can reach 3 and a half hours of continuous work.

SMALL AND HANDY SWEEPER

Mia motorsweepers is born as an answer to the constant request of “man on board” machines even in the most limited spaces of business and production areas, deposits and shopping malls without having to give up the high performance that only biggest machines generally give. Mia is a small man on board with a 65 cm central brush, steel self carrying chassis for strength and lasting performances in time; Steel container with a capability of 55 litres, on wheels and extractable. Available in battery version with a work autonomy of over 2 hours. Batteries are accessible from the seat.

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