Approaches To Managing Communication Overload

8 ways to follow up after your pitch without being a pain. You’ve had the pitch meeting. You said what you wanted to say. Now what? This is where some founders come unstuck. Too pushy and you look desperate. Too passive and you disappear. Here’s how to follow up like a professional: 1. Send a short thank-you note the same day Brief, polite and to the point. No hard sell. Just a nod of appreciation and a reminder of the conversation. 2. Include the deck and a clear summary Attach the materials, but don’t just resend what you presented. Include a short summary that highlights the key points, your ask and your timeline. 3. Tidy up any loose ends If there were questions you couldn’t answer or documents you promised to share, do it now. Quickly and neatly. 4. Share a new proof point Even a small win - a new customer, a press mention, a product update - can make a difference. It shows momentum and discipline. 5. Time your follow-up carefully If you haven’t heard back in a week, it’s fine to check in. But make sure you’re adding something useful, not just asking for a decision. 6. Be clear on timelines without creating false urgency If you have a genuine deadline, say so. If not, don’t manufacture one. Most investors can smell a contrived “closing soon” line a mile off. 7. Know when to move on Silence doesn’t always mean no. But after two or three polite nudges with no reply, take the hint. Investors remember the graceful exits. 8. Leave the door open Even if the answer is no, leave them thinking well of you. A thoughtful sign-off now can open a door later. Your pitch might impress me. But your follow-up tells me what it would be like to work with you. That’s what I remember. P.S. That’s a wrap on Pitch Week. If you’ve found it useful, give it a share or save. And if you’re a founder raising now - good luck, and go prepared.

It drives me mad when tons of messages break my focus! I can also miss an important message in a flood of office spam. Here are 6 ways you can stay focused and on top of messages worth replying to: 1) Book time for reading and replying to messages This requires much self-control, but if you can make it so that you only reply to messages and comments for 30 minutes 2-3 times a day, you will have much less context switching and will be able to focus the remaining 7h of your day 2) Gather all the comments in a single tool See if you can collect all the comments in a single place, so you don't have to log in to 20 different products to do the same! My partner’s system for this post, General Collaboration can help with that. You can clear all the comments from multiple different tools in one swoop and so far I feel I saved hours with them. 3) Don’t have your email, slack, teams, etc always open Even if you dedicate time to answer messages and focus, those notifications will distract and tempt you anyway! Why do it to yourself if you can simply close everything you shouldn't be doing at any given moment? 4) Color code priority of your emails, messages, and comments This way you can triage them, and mark the ones that need urgent attention (red), any attention (blue), and no attention (delete those emails). I also have a green status for messages I await a reply from and purple for self-improvement threads (training) to pursue when I am free. 5) Change a chat into a call if it drags on While some meetings could have been an email, some chains of 300 emails could be resolved way quicker on a meeting! You need experience to decide which is more efficient, but don't worry - it will come in time! 6) Put your phone in airplane mode and away Finally, to make sure that the notifications from products you keep closed don't creep their way to your phone buzzing, make sure to take charge of the notifications. The best would be to simply put it in airplane mode and hide it in the drawer. However, if you need to take calls and texts, at least disable notifications for all the apps that could needlessly distract you (that includes your mobile games!). There we go! Do you agree with these pieces of advice? How do you stay focused and on top of important messages? Sound off in the comments! #productmanagement #productmanager #focus  

How to following up without following up. Following up sounds like this: “Just following up to see if you’ve had a chance to review the proposal?” Translation: “I need to close this to hit quota.” Try this instead. Instead of following up, follow through on something meaningful from your last conversation. Examples: “Was thinking about you, how’d the triathlon in Mexico go?” “Last time we talked, you mentioned [specific topic]. Thought you might find this post/article/tool interesting.” These types of follow-throughs do two things: 1. Show you’re paying attention. People like being remembered—especially for things that matter to them. 2. Keep the door open. You’re reminding them of your presence without being pushy. You’ll stand out as someone who cares, not just someone trying to close a deal. The switch? Following up → Following through

I watched a talented professional send 127 follow-up emails after interviews. Got replies from 3 companies. 2.3% response rate. Then she showed me what she was writing. I immediately knew why recruiters ignored her. Here's the truth about follow-ups: Most people remind recruiters they're desperate. Not that they're valuable. The typical follow-up: "Just checking in on my application..." "Any updates on the timeline?" Translation: "Please don't forget I exist." Recruiters read anxiety, not confidence. After years of coaching professionals, I've noticed: The follow-ups that get responses don't ASK for updates. They DELIVER value. Stop following up on YOUR need. Start following up with THEIR solution. Think: → What problem did they mention? → What insight can I share? → How can I make their decision easier? One client rewrote her follow-up: Instead of: "Any updates on the position?" She wrote "Hi [HR Manager Name ], been thinking about the bandwidth challenge you mentioned. Found an approach that might help—similar to what I used before. Would love to share if useful. Recruiter replied within hours. She shifted from "remember me?" to "I'm already solving your problems." The difference between ignored and responded follow-ups? One reminds them you're waiting. The other reminds them why they need you. Your follow-up isn't about checking their timeline. It's about them seeing you as the solution they can't ignore. People who add value get calls back. People who add pressure get silence. Stop checking in. Start showing up as the answer. PS: For more such content subscribe to my newsletter. Check out my feature section.

📩 You sent in your application… and now, silence. No response. No updates. Just waiting. But here’s the truth: No response doesn’t always mean rejection. Sometimes, your application just needs a little nudge to get noticed. 🚀 Here’s how to follow up strategically (without being annoying): 1️⃣ Wait the Right Amount of Time ⏳ Give it 7-10 days before following up. Hiring teams are busy, and an immediate follow-up can come off as impatient. 📅 Pro Tip: If the job posting has a deadline, follow up a few days after it closes—this is when hiring managers usually start reviewing applications. 2️⃣ Find the Right Person to Contact ❌ Don’t send a generic message to “Hiring Manager.” 🔹 Find the Right Person to Follow Up With: ✅ Search for "[Department] Manager at [Company]" on LinkedIn (e.g., “Marketing Manager at Google”) to identify potential hiring managers. ✅ Look for recruiters at the company—they often list the roles they hire for in their headline. ✅ Check the company’s careers page or mutual connections to see if you can find the right contact. 3️⃣ Craft a Short & Impactful Message Your follow-up should be polite, professional, and to the point. Avoid sounding desperate or demanding. 📩 Email or LinkedIn Example: Subject: Following Up on [Job Title] Application Hi [Name], I recently applied for the [Job Title] position at [Company] and wanted to follow up on my application status. I’m very excited about the role, especially given [mention a specific reason—company mission, project, or alignment with your skills]. If there’s any additional information I can provide, I’d be happy to share. Looking forward to hearing about the next steps! Best, [Your Name] 🔹 Why this works: ✅ Shows enthusiasm without being pushy ✅ Mentions alignment with the role ✅ Opens the door for further conversation 4️⃣ Use a Second Follow-Up If Needed If you still don’t hear back after another 7-10 days, send one more message. 5️⃣ Know When to Move On If you’ve followed up twice with no response, don’t take it personally. Companies ghost candidates for many reasons—internal delays, changing priorities, or sheer volume of applicants. Instead of waiting, keep applying and networking. Your energy is better spent moving forward than fixating on one opportunity. 🔹 Final Thought: Following up isn’t about pestering—it’s about showing interest and professionalism. A well-timed, well-crafted message can be the difference between being overlooked and landing an interview. 💬 Have you followed up on a job application before? What worked for you? Drop your experience in the comments! 👇

Here's a step-by-step to drastically reduce the deluge of emails between you and your clients/internal team. An absolute GAMECHANGER 👇 Enter: The Collaboration Doc 👏 I’ve stolen this idea from Cal Newport’s podcast Deep Questions. I immediately implemented it with my own clients and they LOVE it. Fundamentally, most people don’t need a response *right now* – they just need to be safe in the knowledge that everything is being taken care of. So all the Collaborative Doc is is a very clean, clearly outlined document that you and your clients and/or your internal teams can use asynchronously to reduce overhead tax. Overhead tax is all the unnecessary (and exhausting) meetings and emails flying back and forth that surround a project. Here’s how to drastically reduce your overhead tax immediately: Step 1: Create a shared document This could be in Notion, Google Docs, Word or whatever works best for you and your client. Make sure your privacy settings are all correct. Step 2: Make it incredibly easy to navigate I have mine split into: 📆 Key Details 📝 Meeting Notes 🧠 Brain Dump Within Brain Dump I’ve further split that into all the key stakeholders so they know exactly where to put their notes. Break this down however you want. They key is that it's all clear and formatted, it looks nice, but it's not overworked. This should be as bare bones as possible. Step 3: Agree a cadence The point here is to reassure your client that you will absolutely refer to their notes. If you have a weekly Wednesday meeting for example, say that you will check all notes first thing on a Tuesday. They can be confident that nothing will go un-reviewed and anything that needs to be actioned before the meeting will be. Meanwhile, you get to be clearer on when you work on each client/project, as everyone has a set cadence. Step 4: Be religious about your collaborative documents This only works if your client has absolute trust that you will keep the document updated and reviewed. Do not let anything slip! WHY THIS WORKS Instead of emailing back and forth, clients put any questions, ideas, notes etc into this one, living document. It helps you to whittle communication down to the essential, increasing the value of your work, your time and the experience your client has (remember it's reducing overhead tax for them, too!) I've done the above example for working with a client, but it works just as well for internal teams, too. It gives everyone more time as people know that things are documented and will be picked up, so there's no need to just fire little things off on slack unless they're actually needed there and then. For both groups, streamlining like this means that you can save time and energy for when a response really is needed right away. Simple, I know, but honestly SUCH a winner. Do you do this already? What problems do you foresee and how would you tweak it?

As someone who has received over 100 emails a day for over 20 years, I thought I would share some top tips on how to manage a very full inbox while also getting on with all your meetings and the day job. 📧🗂️ Tip 1: Not all emails are equal - compartmentalize based on who is sending it and what they are asking. 📥🔍 Tip 2: You don't need to read the full email - especially if you are in a chain of emails. 📨📑 Tip 3: Often, you don't need to respond. People just want to show you an activity is going on so you can monitor progress. 📊👀 Tip 4: Build a file library system for storing emails. I use one for marketing, internal, finance, ops, and clients, with subfolders in each category. 🗄️📁 Tip 5: Use the filing system as soon as the action is taken. Move it out of your inbox and use your main inbox for items that need your action. ✅📤 Tip 6: The best time to tackle email management and reduce your inbox is first thing in the morning or later at night. That's because your email won't get topped up. To prevent being antisocial, you can mark items in your outbox to be sent at a more reasonable time for the receiver. ⏰📬 Tip 7: Don't live in your inbox. Get your head into the important things, especially projects that need to be delivered, so turn your email off when doing this. 🚫📵 Managing your inbox effectively can transform your productivity. What tips do you have for managing email overload? 💡📈

Founder-Led Sales Bootcamp #18: The anti-follow-up follow-up Let’s face it - most follow-ups are awful You know the one: “Just checking in to see if you had a chance to review…” It’s lazy, adds no value, and gets ignored. And yet, we all do it. Here’s the truth: deals don’t die because of price or competition nearly as often as they die because… people just don’t follow up well. Not consistently, not creatively, and definitely not with empathy. Your follow-up should remind them of the value, not just remind them you exist: 5 Follow-Up Tactics That Actually Work: 1️⃣ The Insight Drop Send something actually useful. "Thought of you when I read this piece on X - lines up with what you mentioned re: [pain]. Let me know if you'd like me to break down how this applies to your team." 2️⃣ The Reverse Close “Happy to pause here if priorities have shifted - I know how things move internally. Let me know either way.” By giving them an out, you remove pressure and often get a faster reply. 3️⃣ The Value Tease “Would a short walkthrough focused just on [specific goal] be helpful for you or others internally?” 4️⃣ The Close the Book This one’s powerful when things have dragged out: "I haven’t heard back, so I’m going to assume timing isn’t right and close the book on this for now. If things change, I’m always here.” It’s respectful, confident, and creates positive tension. You’ll be shocked how many replies start with, “No wait, sorry for the delay...” 5️⃣ The Mutual Action Reminder If you’ve got a Mutual Action Plan or shared plan in place: “Circling back on our shared timeline - still makes sense to aim for [milestone]?” Quick Action Plan: 💡Stop saying “just checking in.” Forever. 💡Create a 3-email follow-up flow. One value-add, one soft ask, one Close-the-Book if needed. 💡Add a reminder into your CRM 3, 7, and 14 days post-demo. Most founders give up way too early. Buyers aren’t ignoring you because they hate your product. They’re just busy. Be the one who makes follow-up frictionless.

I meet 1000s of interesting people every year. But if they don't follow up, they're forgotten. People assume that shaking someone's hand and telling them how great their business is means they're gonna close a deal. But a deal is only a deal if you follow up and actually get ink on paper.  The best follow-ups don’t feel like follow-ups. They just feel like the next natural step. There are ways to add value without looking desperate to sell.  Here's the playbook that actually closes deals 👇 1️⃣ Do your homework See what’s changed since you last spoke (a post, a launch, or a role change). Show you've done your research. 2️⃣ Follow up fast Follow up within 24-48 hours after meeting someone new. The longer you wait, the colder it gets. 3️⃣ Change the message If they didn’t respond once, they won’t respond to the same ask again. Bring a new angle or context. 4️⃣ Lead with value A useful resource, insight, or intro beats a reminder every time. Show what you've got to offer. 5️⃣ Make it easy to reply Set a specific time instead of just asking "When works for you?" Always give an easy out. 6️⃣ Reference what they care about It could be something they shared, or something they’re working on. Personal always beats polished. 7️⃣ Acknowledge the gap If it’s been weeks, say it. Naming it resets the conversation. 8️⃣ Know when to stop Two follow-ups max. After that, it's a no. Pushing further burns trust. 9️⃣ Do what you said you’d do If you promised a resource or intro, send it. Credibility determines how future follow-ups land. 🔟 Use channels intentionally Don't underestimate an email or a LinkedIn DM. Use them wisely. A well-played follow-up adds value and shows respect. They protect the relationship even if the answer is no. If someone still doesn’t reply after two tries, move on. The relationship isn’t dead; it's probably just that the timing isn’t right. And, as cliché as it sounds, you actually do miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So take the damn shot...or get off the court. What’s your go-to tactic to follow up with someone? Drop it in the comments. For more frameworks on building your network the right way,  My weekly newsletter, Network to Net Worth, breaks it all down. Subscribe here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gFp5bEbt ♻️ Repost to help your network build strong relationships,  And follow me, Rohan Sheth, for more on growth and networking.

Client touchpoints shouldn’t feel pushy. They should feel like what they really are: Building real relationships. But many client-facing professionals hesitate to follow  up, worried they’ll seem self-serving. But here’s the shift: When your touchpoints come from generosity, following  up feels: ✅ Natural ✅ Helpful ✅ Human Need to follow up with a client soon? Here are 7 of my favorite trust-building touchpoints that  don’t feel like “selling”: 1. Ask for their perspective → “What shifts are you seeing in your market?” → Let their insights guide your next step → People love being asked what they think 2. Make an introduction → Connect them to someone who can help → Be specific about the value on both sides → Follow up later to see how it went 3. Invite them to something meaningful → A small dinner with peers they’ll enjoy → A virtual panel on a topic they care about → No pitch. Just people they’d want to meet 4. Offer a Give-to-Get → “Want to spend 30 minutes tackling that challenge?” → Share helpful ideas, no strings attached → Let value lead to the next conversation 5. Congratulate and recognize them → Repost their big news with a kind comment → Mail a handwritten note (or flowers!) → Celebrate the personal wins too 6. Send a helpful article → Share something outside your company blog → Add a quick note: “Thought of you when I read this.” → Make it clear you’re thinking of them 7. Send a thoughtful “just because” note → “What you said in that meeting stuck with me.” → Mention their new puppy or kid’s graduation → Yes, snail mail is still magic In the end, it’s not about being remembered. It’s about being helpful. When you show up generously, without pressure, you’re  not just keeping in touch. You’re building something real. Pick one. Try it this week. Let me know how it goes. ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full infographic? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf