| If you are anything like me, you are bombarded with | | | | It was such a pleasure to meet you at the last |
| email. In Particular, you get messages from clients, | | | | Chamber meeting. I hope that we have a chance to |
| spammers, friends, family and associations or groups | | | | speak again at..." |
| of which you are a member. Without proper | | | | Of course you would have to change details such as |
| preparation for such a massive amount of email, you | | | | the name the email is addressed to, along with other |
| might find yourself swimming in email. Email was | | | | more specific information, but the template will be |
| created to be a tool to save you time, but if you can't | | | | ready within a few clicks of your mouse. |
| find an effective way to organize it, you will most | | | | * Read and respond to email at set intervals |
| definitely be losing time to it instead of gaining time | | | | throughout the day. Checking your email as messages |
| from it. The following are some ideas that will help you | | | | come in is most definitely a common mistake that |
| use your email program to save time: | | | | people make. Stopping the work you are doing to |
| * If your email's spam filter isn't doing a good job | | | | check email is extremely inefficient. Your tasks will |
| catching unwanted emails, check its settings. Usually in | | | | take much longer to complete if they are subject to |
| your email options, there will be junk email settings. Set | | | | constant interruptions. Set a recurring reminder on your |
| the protection to a higher level. This should take care | | | | email calendar to check email 4 times per day. Only |
| of at least a little more of the unwanted spam. If you | | | | check and respond when you are scheduled to do so. |
| have your email set to a high level already and are still | | | | * Separate your email into folders. Just as you |
| receiving lots of spam, consider getting spam blocking | | | | organize your documents into folders on your |
| software. Googling "stop spam" or "spam blocker" will | | | | computer, so should you with your email. A good |
| give you a large list of options from which to choose. | | | | organizational system will make it much easier to find |
| * Consider setting up an autoresponder. An | | | | what you need when you need it. You can also set up |
| autoresponder can handle a great deal of general | | | | rules in some programs so that your email gets |
| questions that you get on a regular basis. All you have | | | | automatically sorted as it arrives. |
| to do is set it up once and your message(s) can go | | | | * Color code your email. Some email programs such |
| out hundreds or even thousands of times. | | | | as MS Outlook allow you to color code your email |
| Autoresponders are also great at sales, so to speak. | | | | based on certain criteria, such as who it's from or the |
| They do all the work for you. When someone opts in | | | | subject of the message. This will allow you to more |
| to your list, you can set up your autoresponder to send | | | | easily differentiate between important and insignificant |
| a series of messages in a specific order at set | | | | emails. For example, if you color code all of your client |
| intervals. | | | | emails in red, then you will easily be able to see them |
| * Save commonly sent email messages as signatures. | | | | within a sea of email. |
| Signatures don't only have to be actual signatures. You | | | | Email is a great tool if it is used properly. When it's not, |
| can save whole email messages as signatures and | | | | it can have a very negative effect on your time |
| name them accordingly. For example, if you commonly | | | | management. By learning to implement even a few of |
| follow-up with individuals you have met at your local | | | | these simple steps, you can become a more efficient |
| Chamber of Commerce meetings, you could title your | | | | email user and stop losing time to a technology that |
| signature "follow-up" and save a message such as: | | | | was meant to help you save it. |
| "Dear Mr. X, | | | | |