Coffee, Tea or Red Bull?

Whenever I start working with a new client I ask: are you an email, voice mail or face to face kind of communicator?

Fascinating set of cameos by Fortune on how some of our most successful business and public leaders handle their intense days. Profiles how Howard Shultz of Starbucks, Senator John McCain, Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center, Jane Friedman at Harper Collins and several others balance email, voicemail, travel, kids' homework.

In contrast, BusinessWeek profiles a significant segment of our population who wants nothing to do with email or the web. "Of the survey respondents who say they don't use the Web, 24% make more than $50,000. Some 39% of the Netphobes attended or graduated college or have at least some associate degree training. And 29% are 44 years old or younger."

I will keep asking my clients my question above.

Update: A reader, Sukumar , points out a fourth way of communicating - by regular, snail mail. Sorry, USPS - that's what you get for raising the stamp price to 39c! Seriously, though it is becoming a forgotten art in corporate communications - a nicely written letter is a joy for a long time.

Comments

[Zoli Erdos]

Vinnie, I suppose you present 3 different rate -structures corresponding to the answers :-)

[viinnie mirchandani]

Zoli: you learned well at KPMG!

[Zoli Erdos]

Oh, please, Sukumar, does snail mail still exist in business? Last time I had an "inbox" on my desk was in the mid nighties...

[Sukumar]

Zoli,
Maybe not everyone has eliminated their in-tray. As I mentioned in my post, i have had a lot of success with snail mail. In fact, in my case, i do read most of the printed matter that hits my desk, especially if it is creative. Another thing I have tried is, sending the letters by FedEx or UPS to executives. This tends to accentuate the importance of the letter. This technique has a better than 60-70% success rate. The only rational explanation I can give is, maybe everyone has given up on writing letters, and the few that do hit pay dirt. You can always give this idea a try and then tell us.
Thanks
Sukumar