Personal Messages vs Automated Responses

Yesterday, I answered the phone and a recording of a sales pitch came on. Now, I don't like unsolicited sales calls to my house as it is, but there was something about a recorded unsolicited sales call that really got under my skin.

But a week before, a politician turned news commentator that I really like called me and invited me to do a survey. Well, he didn't call me, a recording of him called me. Guess what I did... I completed the survey and wasn't even angry in the least.

Same thing happens when I get recorded, or automated messages on the net. Twitter and Facebook are bad at this. But, when I get an automated message from a name I recognize, I usually take the time to glance over it. But if I don't recognize the name, I usually am fast on the delete button.

When I get e-mails, it's the same for me. I can usually tell from the "from" address whether the message was sent to me or to me and a thousand other people. If it's a slow day or if the subject line grabbed my interest, I may scan the message. But if the message caught me on the wrong day, it's likely to get deleted without a fair reading on my part.

With the proliferation of unsolicited e-mails and automated messages, it's unfortunate that sometimes good, legitimate messages get caught in the dragnet as we purge our in-boxes. But, that's the risk of communicating in our world.

Am I saying that automated messages are bad? You may disagree with me on this, but no, I don't believe automated messages are bad. But I think they are many times less effective than a personal messages. People are pretty smart. As hard as you try to make your automated messages sound personal, people usually get a feel about whether you are talking to them or at them.

So, here is some advice on how to handle your messages to make sure you get the best chance at being heard:

• If you send a personal message, make sure you personalize it. If you spend time to write someone, don't sound like you are writing a message that could be read by hundreds of other people.
  
  
• Remember that if you send a lot of automated messages, people may learn to assume that the next message you send will be automated, not personal. You may need to contact someone more than once, or via another medium to make sure you catch their attention. (some people deal with hundreds of messages a day, so cut them some slack here.)
  
  
• Consider alternate mediums to communicate personal messages. A phone call or hand-written letter can go a long way to set you apart from the thousands of other people that will communicate with them this year. It may be just the thing that causes them to pause before deleting your next message.
  
  
• In many cases, automated messages are too efficient and convenient not to use. So, if you do use them, make sure you include something of value as a "gift" for them taking time to read your message. If people associate your messages with something of value, it's more likely they will pause before deleting your next message.
  
  
• Finally, always remember that your message is one of thousands someone may be processing. If you have not heard back from someone you contacted, don't get angry or assume they are ignoring you. Give them the benefit of the doubt and follow-up with them. As you have read, they may just be dealing with a lot of noise and it easy for a legitimate message to slip through the cracks.
  

Maybe one day I'll be able to hire someone to handle my messages full-time, but until that day, I'll do my best. I suspect that most people are in the same boat. Remember, the responsibility for someone to read your messages is on you. Give some thought as to how you will get that message to them. Sometimes it takes a little more than simply sending an e-mail. In the end, the person will definitely get the message if you really want them to.