Even when you know the outcome.
Sorry, a quick little something on my mind that I couldn’t quite fit into 140 characters…
You know those times you need to send that email knowing what the future outcome is most likely to be? Especially knowing that the potential for the outcome to be positive is relatively low? Yeah? Send it.
Example: Today I sent an email finalizing some work done in January that didn’t get paid until late April letting the client know that it was a great opportunity to work with them and to let them know if they needed any help in the future to keep me in mind. After a number of missteps on both of our ends, I’m fairly certain that the client will be deleting my contact info in short order. Do I enjoy knowing this fact? Not really. Was sending the email the right thing to do knowing that neither I or the client probably care too much about giving it another go? I think so.
There’s enough burned bridges in my past to afford me some amount of experience in the fact that in most cases, it’s your turn to call. So whether you’re hovering over the send button, staring at the phone in your hand or sitting in a parked car down the street, the shortest route to closure is to take the first step.