You've Dropped The Ball, Now What?

You might not be American if you’ve never scraped the bottom of your inbox only to realize, oh *&%#, I never wrote her back!

You probably have a few of these haunting your in-box right now. Whether it’s answering questions from a prospective client or responding to a friend of a friend who is seeking a connection in your field, you know when you’ve officially been silent too long.

It’s not uncommon to hear a voice that says,” It’s been so long, what’s another day?”

Isn’t it funny though how one more day turns into weeks, and it’s never just one email that has slipped? Ultimately, all of us have collections of these emails that have fallen to the bottom of our proverbial sea of information. Perhaps you pound out the email of shame right then and there, the words flow, and the relationship is salvaged on the spot. If damage control doesn’t come naturally to you though, I introduce . . .

The Ball Droppers Cheat sheet:

1. Ask yourself if the email or call to make is indeed still relevant. Is it a relationship worth salvaging? If I deleted the email now without responding, could I sleep well at night? If yes, then let it go and make peace with it.

2. Acknowledge the delay with words such as:
- “It’s been a long time but I haven’t forgotten . . .”
- “Now that I have time to properly answer your question . . .”
- “I’m cleaning out my emails and just noticed that I never got back to you.”

3. Admit that you’ve dropped the ball. The following is excerpted from an actual ball-dropper’s response. The guilty party’s eloquence in the face of shame inspired the article. You have full rights to cut and paste the following attempt at reconciliation: n“Yes it’s true, responding to your lovely, gently pleading, hand-written letter two weeks after the actual event has passed is beyond poor form. Indeed, it might just be rude.”

4. Make fun on how long it’s been.
- “As you can see, you’re the latest victim of my poor time management skills.”
Or better yet,n- Forward them a copy of this article, along with accolades of how it has changed your life, along with everyone you know.

5. Find the very next opportunity you can to connect with the person.
- For a personal contact, call them, or forward a funny email or article with a short personal note. A handwritten card any other time of year earns you bonus points – yes men, a handwritten card – you can do it!
- For a professional matter that has slipped (assuming it was not urgent), admit you have been busy and offer to meet in person to catch up.

For some, these might be lies,and for others, the truth. Either way, you’re still rude, but it’s time to move on. These suggestions can hopefully take the sting off of the situation. Redeeming yourself usually takes a fraction of the estimated time. Checking things off a list is always gratifying. Delayed actions involving another human, an established or potential relationship, and your image make for some of the sweetest release you’ll ever experience when clicking “send.”