Chris Murphy · 18 January, 2021

One of the most important lessons I've learned on Propel is the need to get to 'The Ask' quickly and stop wasting others' time with lengthy emails.

• Keep your first point of contact – email, social, face-to-face – short and sharp.
• Stop focusing on you, focus on them.
• Be clear about what you're asking for, don't beat around the bush. ¹

I've found this a difficult lesson to learn. In the past my emails were lengthy, biblical'esque epistles, encompassing all manner of content, often useless and utterly irrelevant to the task at hand.

I never stopped to put myself in the position of the receiver being inundated with what – in retrospect – was often totally useless information. I was far too focused on me and not focused enough on the recipient. (Looking back, I'm embarrassed.) ²

Get to the point.

I've learned now to tighten up my emails considerably, getting to the point quickly. I learned this from Jon Bradford – former MD of Techstars, London – during one of Propel's excellent Founder Firesides.

If I can't read an email when I'm out of the office, reading on my phone, I'll file it away to 'read later' (and I'll forget it). Put simply: Your email needs to fit on a single screen of a phone. —Jon Bradford

This applies to anyone you're trying to connect with, for example:

• Asking a distant mentor for some advice.
• Asking an investor for some money.
• Asking a respected designer you'd like to interview.

Keep your email short and sharp, focus on the recipient and ask directly. ³

Notes

(1) They will either: 1. Say yes; 2. Say no; 3. Equivocate; or 4. They won't reply. If they don't reply, don't give up. A short – much shorter – follow up might get you a response. Perhaps they are just busy. Read this for advice on your follow up.

(2) Here are some practical examples of edits I've made.