The Key to Establishing Clarity Through Email Communication

Have you ever gotten an email from a client and you’re not exactly sure what they are trying to say or asking for? On episode 155 of Journey to $100 Million, listen in as Erik shares how he responds to these types of emails, and how these tactics can save you a great amount of time. This happens to us a decent amount at Array Digital where a client (or really anybody) will ask us a question, but in a vague way. When this happens, it is easy to be unsure about what is being asked of you, and more importantly, you do not know what answer this individual is looking for. Erik used to try to decipher these emails, and then would answer the question he thought was being asked. If he could not figure out what the specific question was, he would reply with answers to more than one question that they could have meant to ask. Erik used to try to anticipate or interpret what these individuals were asking.

What Erik found was, a majority of the time he tried to do this, he was incorrect in his interpretation. The question he thought was being asked was not the question at all, and in trying to figure this out, he was wasting a lot of time and energy to answer the wrong question. Now, Erik found it was helpful to reply back asking for confirmation of what the email meant, while also giving an explanation for why he did not understand the email. When you communicate through email, it is crucial to understand what the question is - so nothing is left unsaid, and problems can be taken care of in a better manner. Erik used to write these long (multiple paragraph) emails, and came to the realization that he would not want to read an email like that himself. Because of this, he started to ensure his emails were short, and quick to the point - and that led to him getting the answers he wanted! Streamlining your email process can help reduce miscommunication, and problems can be solved - faster!

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Erik J. Olson is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. The Founder & CEO of Array Digital, he is also the host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups.

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Kevin Daisey is an award-winning digital marketer & entrepreneur. He started his first company when he was just 23, and is the Founder & CMO of Array Digital. Kevin is the also the co-host of the Journey to $100 Million Flash Briefing and daily podcast, and the co-organizer of the Marketers Anonymous monthly meetups.