It's an old cliche that we all know and understand, but to what extent do you reallyapply it in your business? For example, do you make a phone call when an email would do just fine? Sure, there's something to be said for spending a little extra time building rapport with your clients, but phone calls often stretch out into ten, twenty, thirty minutes when taking five minutes to craft an email would have gotten the job done. Remember, your clients and strategic partners are busy too — they may appreciate the efficiency of an email instead of a phone call.On the other hand, are you an "email person", who insists on going back and forth via email, when a phone call is clearly necessary to iron out the issue? If something is going to require a lot of back-and-forth, a phone call may be more efficient. If you're trying to come to an agreement about something and you exchange more than two rounds of email, it's time to just pick up the phone.What about picking up checks from clients? Entrepreneurs are always in a hurry to get paid, it seems, and again, there's something to be said for building rapport with clients. But often, picking up a check may mean the only person you actually speak to is the receptionist at their office. Is it really worth an hour of your time to say hello to their receptionist and get paid 1-2 days sooner? Just ask them to mail it to you.
