Be Responsive

When I was doing some background research for this article, I typed into Google “first impressions be responsive” and over 90% of the results talked about web site responsiveness. While that is important and does affect your businesses’ first impression, what I am talking about today is your responsiveness as an individual.

The dictionary says responsiveness is “the quality of reacting quickly and positively.” In business, a lack of responsiveness can mean the difference between thriving and closing the doors. In today’s hyper-paced society of immediate satisfaction and unreal expectations on response to communication, it is critical that we are aware of what I call response expectation.

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Response expectation is the pre-determined response time your clients, prospects or new business connections have in-mind when you have promised to deliver something to them. This can often be dictated by forces outside of your control. For example, when you receive an email request for something, the person sending that request has been influenced by our current business and personal environment that you will respond almost immediately! It is as if you are sitting there waiting for their email so you can drop everything you are doing and respond. Now throw in the immediacy of “texting” and you have all but no chance to meet expectations (if you don’t respond immediately). You and I know this is unrealistic, but there is some truth to it.

So what can we do to help set realistic expectation in the area of response? Here are three quick tips for you:

1. Be proactive in letting people know the time frame in which you plan to respond to them. Your voicemail message could say something like “. . . I will get back to you within 24 hours . . . or by the end of the business day. . .”. Setting an autoresponder with your email program that sends an email back to the person emailing you and stating your email response time will help as well.

2. Remember the old “in box” rule of only handle something one time. If you can respond to something that requires little time or preparation….do it. This helps your image and keeps you productive. Some people will say that being too quick to respond with create expectations that you will always be that quick. Perhaps, but simply waiting to respond for the sake of waiting is frankly ridiculous.

3. When you promise someone you will do something for them, do it. For example, you meet someone at a networking event and tell them that you will send them a document or contact information for a mutual colleague (it doesn’t matter what it is). Providing that information within the next 24 hours will build trust, show that you value their time and create a great first impression. Not getting back to the person in a timely manner or at all will kill their trust in you. Now if you agreed in your conversation that a different time frame is more realistic, great, just make sure you deliver prior to the “deadline” you agreed on.