A short interview clip (YouTube) where Jim Penman explains how he manages email: he processes messages from the top in Gmail, deals with each item immediately, unsubscribes/filters/blocks spam, keeps replies very brief, forwards queries to the correct person instead of prolonged back-and-forth, and checks email multiple times per day to respond quickly (ideally within an hour).
Now, the first one is very relevant. It's from Vanessa Stanley, who is a franchisor in Jim's building inspections and. Hi, Jim, I would love to know how on earth do you keep on top of all your emails daily? Any tips? Yours sincerely, Vanessa Stanley, AKA Slave to her email inbox.
Yes, that's why I was talking to Hayter about that the other day. You start from the top, which I use Gmail, which is really nests things together. So you start from the top, you look at what it is and you deal with it. You don't go back and think, I'll do this and this and this. You start from the top, you deal with it, you go to the next one. If it's a spam, which of course we get a lot of, then you work out, you unsubscribe, you filter, you block it, you do whatever you need to say so it doesn't come back. A lot of people waste so much time with spam and you just go through and deal with it efficiently. Most of my emails are just things like, okay or yes, good idea, Jim. That's it. So very, very fast. And I do that regularly. I try to do it multiply through the day. I go into sessions. It's actually incredibly valuable because it keeps me in touch with what's going on. People can get decisions fast, but franchisees got a problem, franchise has got a problem. I can get back to them very, very quickly with a proper response. And sometimes the answer is, you know, I'll refer them to somebody else. Like, if it's an issue for it, I'll just give it to it, but I'll also let the franchisee or even know that's what I've done. So I copied him in the response.
Yeah, Jim's very efficient. If you watch the Day in the Life, we can actually break that clip up where Jim talks about emails, we've got the micro clips to release. But Jim does go into massive depth about it. You can actually see on his screen how he deals with it. And you're very short, aren't you? You're never not one for a big. You don't write that much.
You don't write essays.
You don't write essays at all. So never write Jim an essay because you. Now, when someone actually. This is my question. When someone actually sends you a big essay, do you tend to read it all? Do you get the gist of it and then reply straight away, well, I.
Start reading it and I'll see what's. What's going on. Sometimes I'll skim it a bit if it's. If it's overly long. But yeah, emails should be kept brief and to the point, away from the discussion. But, you know, it's possible to. I think people don't use emails very well. It's amazing how many people in my position don't, are not contacted. But I get some great stuff off emails. I get to hear about problems with franchisees or with divisions that are going on. I get to hear about new ideas for new divisions, you know, new marketing initiatives that might be of interest. Most of them get deleted very quick, but sometimes you get a great idea.
And we've actually got your email address on the actual website itself. So when you meet Jim, there's actually ims.net is the email. We say it every week.
So I give that to anybody. I don't mind who has that. If you start pestering me, I'll block you. That's all.
But.
The people I want to hear from, particularly my franchisees and my franchisors, can get through to me very quickly.
And you're also very efficient in terms of. You don't go back and forth and go and get stories and go and do a separate email. You just forward the person who's emailed you to the person directly. You done that to me just before we come on. You know, sometimes it's all right, but that's the way Jim deals with it. You get really direct, right? Massively direct.
Very direct, very fast. I always feel too, if you're going to respond to anything, whether it's a frank. Whether it's a client call or whether it's a prospect for a franchise or whether it's a problem franchisee or franchisor. The quicker you can get back, the better. The difference between doing a thing now within an hour and doing it two days later is dramatic. It's the same time you just do.
Not procrastinate, don't you?
But it's dramatic in terms of the actual effect. Person gets an answer straight away.
I need to learn from you, James. I remember you come over my shoulder once and said, you need to work on clearing your inbox. That's what you said and walked away. I'm shocking for it.
Rising mental illness and falling birth rates have the same cause, it is this.....
