Return Your Messages

"Thank you so much Brian,  I truly appreciate it!"

That was the email I got from someone I did not know asking a request I was not able to help with.  You would think, though, judging by her reply that I had helped solved her problem.  I didn't.  I simply took the time to reply to her email.  I wonder how many emails she had sent with her request and how many went unreturned- not even bothering to give her the courtesy of a reply.

The lesson is simple- return your messages- whether it's email, text, or Facebook.

And while my email inflow is relatively small compared to others, the reason people send you email (outside of spam or reply all is for a response).  So if you're so big or busy to respond, you either need to outsource responding or not receive messages.