Never Forget Another Important Conversation
What if there was a way to write an email, click send, but not have it delivered until a time you specified? Move a message out of your inbox, but have it return at a specific time to remind you to take action?
A new service called Boomerang for Gmail does just that.
Boomerang is a gmail plugin that you can use to supercharge your networking and client relations by automatically being reminded if you haven't heard back from someone you emailed within a set amount of time. Plus, you get the added ability to be sneaky because you can schedule an email to be sent at a later time.
Check out this video on how to install and use Boomerang, and then meet me below to discuss how to really make it powerful for you.
Done watching already? That was easy, I know. So let me share with you two ways that I've been using Boomerang that I think you can also benefit from.
Networking
You don't need me to stress the importance of reaching out to other people in your field. Some people call it networking.Email is usually a great way to reach people, but if they are really successful, they often get a lot of email. Sometimes your first attempt will be ignored, and you need to stay persistent. Here's where Boomerang comes in.
Whenever I send a message to someone I want to network with, I'll set Boomerang to return the message to my inbox if I haven't heard back in a week. That way, I am reminded to follow up with them a second time (which I do). The best people to network with are often busy and need reminders. Boomerang helps me remember to follow up consistently.
Protecting Your Time (No More Email Ping-Pong)
Here's a scenario that I used to experience that I don't anymore: I'm in email and a new message pops in. Since I'm there, I reply to it immediately. Then, that person replies immediately. Then I reply immediately. It becomes like a chat conversation via email and can become a huge time suck. Now that I use boomerang, in this situation I just schedule my reply to be sent a little later. That way, the other person doesn't know I'm available and I don't end up in a game of email ping pong. Done.
Oh yeah, and Boomerang starts with a free unlimited trial. When that runs out, you are limited to how many messages you can Boomerang per month. Even in it's free form, it's a great service.
There are lots of creative ways to use Boomerang to change the way you email. These are just two examples I've worked into my standard flow, and I'd love to hear what you come up with.