How Long Does It Take You To Answer An Email?

Hint: The correct answer is not "It depends".

May 02, 2022

Woman looking stressed at her computer with the caption "Not another email" overlaid.

Howdy amigo,

I speak to a lot of business owners about their marketing. It’s my job, sure, but I’m curious guy. I like to know what makes businesses work and what makes businesses fail.

Here’s something that fascinates me.

So many business owners would rather spend money on marketing to make it seem as though they’re working on their business instead of fixing the parts of their business that cost NO MONEY, but would result in huge ROI.

Let me explain…

A business came to me for email marketing help. The owner wanted to send a twice monthly newsletter to subscribers. One email would provide value, the other email would push sales.

I asked the owner a question about his sales process.

“We don’t really have a sales process.”

Okay, that’s forgivable. Sometimes businesses are so caught up in surviving, they don’t write things down.

I then asked him how long it takes for his team to reach out to a contact who’s reached out via their website.

“It depends. If we’re busy, it can take a week. If we have time, we’ll reply that day.”

I felt like saying, “DUDE! You wanna pay me your HARD EARNED CASH for an email newsletter when you can’t even follow up with the leads that you have in a consistent, timely matter?”

I bit my tongue.

Another, similar situation happened last summer. I had to craft an apology email for a business that neglected to respond to HUNDREDS of email leads the previous year because of how busy they were.

This business spent $30,000 on marketing and couldn’t even respond to their leads.

Do you see how disconnected this is?

No email newsletter, social campaign, SEO strategy, or snazzy new website is going to help you do basic shit right for your business — like answering emails in a consistent and timely manner.

So, dear reader…What is the ETA on an email or a phone call from you (or your client), if I fill out a contact form on your website?

In plain English: How long does it take you to answer an email?

Please, for the love of all things good in this world, figure out an answer to this question before you worry about email marketing.

Do boring reply emails right, then worry about the fancy newsletter emails.

Sound good?

Good.

Adios,Andrew

P.S. I loved this article from Nathan Barry about how he started a local newsletter from scratch and reached 10,000 subscribers in less than 2 years. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check it out!