Controlling Email Overload

[vc_row][vc_column][trx_quote cite="#" title="Mandy Green"]About two years ago I had over 10,000 emails in my inbox. Obnoxious, I know. The worst part about it was that I knew that I was missing out on recruits...[/trx_quote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Controlling Email Overload

Over the last few months, I have been reading everything I can about how to manage my email better. I have also started to interview some of my college coaching friends out there trying to find what they are doing to process, manage, and keep track of all of the emails that we as coaches have to deal with everyday.
I NEEDED to do this.
About two years ago I had over 10,000 emails in my inbox. Obnoxious, I know. The worst part about it was that I knew that I was missing out on recruits, I wasn’t responding quick enough or at all, I was forgetting who I had sent what to, etc. My email inbox owned me.
I got to the point where I was just overwhelmed by it all. I knew that I had to figure out how to use email efficiently because it is an essential part to our job.

1st Step To Email Efficiency: List Makin

I started my quest to use email better by making a list of all of the steps in the recruiting process that involve email in some way. I am a list maker and need to have everything out of my he ad and on paper in front of me so I can analyze and identify where problems may be.
Here is the quick and very general list I created.
1. New emails that come in from prospects who are interested
2. Enter in all new recruits into our database
3. Get the first email out
4. Have a system for processing and storing all emails that are returned from prospects.
5. Creating consistent conversations with recruits
6. Keeping track of who has been sent what amongst our staff

Where are the Problems?

After making this list, I really took a look at the system I had in place to see which part of email the process pertaining to recruiting that I was struggling with..
At the time, I had no full-time assistants and I knew that I couldn’t waste time entering names into a database. I hired a student worker who came in a few times a week and could get every name entered within a day or two. Huge time savor!
Once the names are in, I have a few great first letters that have I gotten great results with. Dan
Tudor has really helped us open the door to getting the recruits we want with all of his advice on how to write effective recruiting letters. But he has also created a problem for me in that now I have too many recruiting emails to deal with :-)
Step 4-6 is where I get overwhelmed.

Solution

To solve the problems I was having, I first started by reading whatever I can get my hands on as it pertains to using email more efficiently. One issue with what is out there is that it is all written for the business world so nothing is recruiting specific.
Recently I have started interviewing my coaching friends to see what they have been doing.
I have been trying and tweaking different methods and techniques. This is still very much a work in progress becausefor me, I still haven’t found a complete system that I absolutely love.
What I am going to start doing on a new Coaching Productivity Newsletter that will start going out at least once a month, is to use it as a way to talk through the problem. I will share methods or techniques that I am trying or anything new that I just learned in an effort to solve this email overload issue I am having. If you are interested in joining in on the conversation or if you have something to share please go to www.mandygreencps.com. Opt in and I will send you my newsletter every week it goes out. I promise, I won’t fill your inbox with more crap.
Also, if you wouldn’t mind, I would love to interview you! I am not interested in who you are recruiting or what you are sending to them. I want to know how you process and manage your email. Please email me at [email protected] if you’re up for it.
FREE Organize Your Recruiting Ebook. For a limited time, receive a free chapter out of my Green Time Management For Coaches Workbook when you visit Coaching Productivity Strategies at www.mandygreencps.com.
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