We keep getting emails and pitches from everyone we’ve ever done business with. And they all start the same way . . . “In these unprecedented times . . . “ “I hope you are well . . . “ We can do better. I can do better. So, in the interests of variety, I’m…
The Trump Administration published a set of guidelines for restarting economic activity after the global pandemic. They’re so squishy that they’re meaningless. This set of guidelines follows a dizzying set of stances from the President, starting with Trump’s statement Tuesday that he had the absolute authority to order states to “reopen.” That flew in the…
Are you helping your customers right now, or screwing them? Like so many other companies, Navient, a student loan servicer, sent a vacuous, unhelpful email about the COVID-19 pandemic. You could easily ignore it, or just give it a cursory read. But because of changes passed by Congress, many borrowers don’t have to pay anything…
Have you been good to your customers? They will stand by you now. Have you been mean? Then don’t be surprised when they desert you in your time of need. That’s the schmuck deficit. Payback is a bitch. Many of the companies, large and small, that I deal with regularly are hurting right now. I’m…
It’s hard to think long-term right now, with everything changing rapidly. But you don’t have to react — and communicate — as if your time horizon is measured in hours. Think a few weeks ahead, and your messaging will look a lot smarter. I thought of this because of the string of messages I got…
Of course your inbox is full of virus-driven emails. And of course they mostly suck. By now, most companies have sent their stupid email and then learned to shut up. But not all of them. If you have nothing to say in this difficult time, say nothing. It’s rare that I see an email that…
My son Ray was disabled and confined to his bed for an extended period a few years ago. He figured out how to deal with it. And, bless him, he has now created a guide, based on that experience, to help all of us. It’s called “Curbing Cabin Fever: How to Spend Weeks in One…
My inbox is full of irrelevant messaging. There are the messages from everyone from my eye doctor to the bike shop about COVID-19. And then there are marketing pitches that were clearly created months ago and are totally irrelevant now. There’s only one thing on people’s minds: surviving the pandemic. If that’s all people are…
Every corporation you’ve ever done business with is now filling your inbox with “reassuring” messages. Most of them are companies you’ll never work with again, so they’re just an annoying background buzz. But some of them are actively dopey. Things are bad enough — this is no time for more self-inflicted brand damage. And now,…