a business tip.

How many times have we all said 'it's a small world' or 'don't burn any bridges' or 'you never know where that meeting will go or who that person knows.' I'd like to add a new phrase to that list and line of thinking, 'don't ignore an email.'

Easier said than done, I know. But really, how hard is it to hit reply and even if you just briefly acknowledge it or say you're not interested, it's better than just flat out ignoring it. I'm not talking about SPAM emails or mass emails, I mean the ones where someone has taken the time to personally reach out to you, with a unique and specific email written to you, based on your shared connection. And no, I don't mean in the dating world, we're talking business people. Business 101. Is it that hard of a concept? I don't think it is, it just takes a tiny bit of your time -- which believe me I get is precious. But if you follow the line of thinking outlined above, then you must agree it is not wise to just ignore business associates. Even if you agree, it doesn't mean you haven't done it -- we all fall victim to these things, I mean email truly has become the devil. But next time you go to ignore an email, consider what type of message that could send to the other person. While it might not be your intent, they could take it the wrong way and while that's on them to manage the "stories" in their mind, wouldn't it be better to just respond and then not worry about it at all?

So with that said, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you can hold me to it. I know I already live by this principle but I'll go ahead and say now, to each of my readers, that I will not just never ignore your business email (or personal for that matter but sticking to the subject here), I will also look to help you in any way that I can. Because I also believe what goes around comes around.