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Behind The Firm List Blog
Where to Draw the Line
I am really almost at wits end at this particular moment. After a few good days, getting
a chance to spend a lot of time on updating and expanding this site, all it takes is one email to throw everything into
a different light.
I was following up on some incomplete firm submissions, inquiring whether they still wanted to be listed on The Firm List
and whether it was the imposition of the listing fee which had them change their mind. This was a second follow-up email
in the cases where no response had been made. I wanted to clear out that particular to do pile so I could focus on other
things.
Now granted, it's always good to write and write any message being sent out, and it doesn't hurt to have a test audience
read it to make sure you didn't say things in the wrong way. But I don't really have the luxury of a test audience or
time, usually.
I worded the email in a way I would change if I were to do over. All but one of the recipients of the email either responded
in the intended manner (to tell me whether they were still interested) or did not answer at all. That one recipient took
offense at how my email was worded and proceeded to point out how unprofessional they felt it was.
I sent a letter of apology, explaining the situation, but it still affected me. I can say with all honest that 99% of
all email interactions I've had through this site (and we're talking tens of thousands of emails with more than 9,000 firms)
have all gone smoothly and if you ask most of them, they would say I am more than polite, and more than accomodating.
But the bad experiences cut through all that. Those experiences make you wonder why you just spend 4 whole days working
on a site that brings in almost no revenue. Makes you wonder whether you want to bother with it at all.
Who knows. Makes you re-evaluate things. Tomorrow there could be no more Firm List.
