12 hours.
That's the maximum amount of time it should take to respond to email inquiries. Great marketing companies,the kind that realize that people actually EXPECT two-way conversation, do it much faster than that. Some almost instantly. And when they do, it's a real person on the other end of the email line.
So why is it that when you email a politician, you almost never hear any response?
Yesterday was a vacation day -- so, as it seems with all my days off recently, I spent the time to write my local politicians. The kind folks in Lees Summit got a follow-up message regarding their dangerous dog ordinance and their meeting regarding a potential Pit Bull ban (which I don't think most on the committee favor, but there is one strong proponent of a ban). The Kansas City, MO officials got a letter, and a powerpoint presentation with pictures of the homes in my neighborhood that are violating codes and driving down home prices (most are by slumlord rental owners).
I didn't expect a response yesterday. It was a holiday afterall.
But it's 4:00 on Wednesday. No one has responded. Any marketer or salesperson who responded this slowly would, or at least should, expect their customers to go elsewhere. Why would politicians not expect the same. We live in a world of instant gratification, and instant communication. If you aren't willing to have a dialogue with me, I'll send my business, or my vote, elsewhere. Not sure why anyone would expect anything different.
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