Can I Get an Answer?

As an author, I routinely get messages--in my email, at my various Facebook pages, at instagram, at LinkedIn, and probably places I've forgotten--offering me services. I easily get a dozen or more a week and some authors get far more than that--dozens a day.

Let me talk about my day.  In addition to my writing work, I am currently writing for someone else, and also responsible for the day-to-day management of our farm and the care of a large garden and approximately 70 animals. These are living beings--sheep, chickens, rabbits and a big dog named Boo--and their welfare will always come first.

I'm usually up around 6:30 to make sure things are ready for our farm hand to get started when he arrives around 7 a.m. As soon as the door is open, some days coffee made, I try to give the first part of my day to God, to prayer. That's non-negotiable. I'm not answering cold calls during that time.

Often enough, this quickly gives way to Part 2 of my day: Dealing with Emergencies and Putting Out the Biggest Fire. Has a sheep been found sick in the field? A 150-pound ewe must somehow be carried up a steep hill to the sheep shed to be cared for, the vet called, a trip to the store for supplies, and a quick education in giving injections to save a ewe's life. That incident took most of a week of my life.

Maybe a little ram's horn has been broken off by the big rams and he has blood streaming down his face and needs to be cared for. That took two of us to isolate the ram, hold him down, and care for him. Several times.

Has a chicken been found dead in the hen house, attacked by another predator? We need to drop everything to figure out where the predator is getting in and seal up even more. We're not going to just let a chicken be killed every night because, hey, I have a few cold calls that day who want a response. I'm down in the hen house saving my chickens. 

The most recent predator turned out to be getting in through the roof of the barn and from there down into the hen house. We lost five hens and our favorite rooster, day by day until we figured it out. Don't send me messages demanding I answer you until you have looked at yet another dead animal that you still haven't figured out how to protect. When my chicken is lying dead in front of me, its guts eaten out, that is my priority, not your demand that I answer your unsolicited email. 

It required building a frame to hold more poultry netting to prevent the raccoon getting out of the attic space. It was a time-consuming job. Yes, Marshell did most of the actual building, but when we're losing a chicken every night, I'm dropping everything to be down there doing everything I can to help him work faster. Because another chicken may die tonight if we don't get it right. I'm down there with him working out solutions, figuring out where the predator might be getting in, running up and down the hill for necessary tools because Marshell is up in the rafters, and much more. Because chickens are dying every night. Their welfare comes ahead of cold calls from strangers.

The barrier Marshell built to keep predators from getting from the attic space down to our chickens.

On one occasion, Boo Bear got out and was running around the neighborhood. He's a big dog and, fair or not, people with little dogs or children don't know him and are scared to see such a big dog. I'm going to put getting him home at the top of the list, over answering cold calls. I value trying to be a good neighbor, not letting a big dog run loose and scare people, over answering cold calls. 

Another day, I got between two big dogs fighting over food and ended up in urgent care. I still have scars on either side of my right forearm from that day. The one on top is never going away. Yeah, I wasn't answering cold calls while I was sitting in urgent care with blood and ooze seeping out of my arm.

I'd say I'm really sorry I didn't take time to answer cold calls that day--but that would be complete sarcasm. I'm actually trying to avoid sarcasm but rather to hopefully give helpful advice to those trying to start a business, who are doing it by demanding answers from authors or other entrepreneurs. I'm trying to help you by explaining what else might be going on in our lives and why it might not help your new business to demand that we answer your cold calls. In that same time frame I was severely injured by fighting dogs, I was also nearly run over by the UTV (it would have been closed casket) and was trampled by a ram who outweighed me. Answering cold calls was not on the list at all on those days. Sorry, not sorry.

Sometimes the biggest fire is that a new sheep shelter is going up to keep the sheep's feed dry. Or I need to process herbs for sale. Or we fell behind in the weeding in dealing with animal emergencies and the garden must finally be tended so the plants can grow, so I can sell my herbs. We might need to go look at a livestock trailer. Or spend two hours re-locating the new bunnies to safety in the new livestock trailer because a predator is getting at them in the rabbit house. Or dealing with a snake curled around the chicken eggs that I just stuck my hand in. Heck, one day I got locked in the rabbit house when my husband was out of town and had to wait for a friend to come and rescue me! Yeah, I wasn't able to answer cold calls while locked in with the rabbits.

All these things need to be done. They take precedence over answering multiple cold calls every day. 

Some days, I'm visiting friends and children. This summer has been and will continue to be particularly busy with cross-country visits for one son's wedding; a grandson's First Communion; daughter's college graduation; best friend's son's graduation party; and a big life event for another of my sons. This travel and my family relationships take precedence over answering a dozen or more cold calls every week, emails I didn't ask for. That some stranger chose to contact me does not obligate me to take time from my son's wedding to answer their message. 

Some days are taken up with health issues. My husband and I have been dealing with a few things over the past year which have required multiple doctor's visits, some of them to a specialist a six-hour round trip from home, requiring an overnight stay. Yes, I didn't answer cold calls while dealing with health issues. I'd say I'm sorry but that would be sarcastic. This is about actually helping people trying to start their business to understand how to approach people--in part by understanding that they are people with lives who don't have time to answer a dozen or three dozen enquiries a week...or a day.

This past week, I picked up a bug on my cross-country visit which knocks me flat on my back every time I push it too hard. Yesterday we rotated the sheep to a new pasture. This meant walking a multi-acre field of steep hills clearing it of pokeweed, which is toxic to sheep, before letting them in--and then herding them down. 

Rather than answering cold calls, I worked with Marshell because the work needed to be done and it was too much for one person. It was hot, exhausting work that left me dripping with sweat even at 9 in the morning. 

Not being over whatever I picked up on my road trip, I paid for Saturday's work. I spent most of Sunday sleeping only to wake from a day of sleeping to see I'd received a message demanding that I give an answer to a message that I hadn't asked for. In responding to that demand that I answer, let me continue with my typical day:

Dealing with Emergencies and Putting Out the Biggest Fire usually takes until at least 1 or 2. By the time I shower and maybe clean up the kitchen or process herbs, it can easily be 3 or later. I then turn to writing or scheduling posts for social media. Currently, I'm writing the next draft of 220 BC. I'm being paid to do this work, so it's going to the front of the line ahead of answering cold calls from people I don't know who have not paid me to do anything. Kendall has paid me and I owe him the work I promised. I'm deep in the world of ancient Egypt and the 'heretic king' Akhenaten who is a fascinating figure and working a race to find magical amulets into the actual history of 220 BC.

I write for an hour or several, depending on the day. Because my husband is often kept in his office until 6 or later, I may make dinner to take the pressure off him (although he loves to cook and often does). Again--this is going to come ahead of answering a dozen or more emails from strangers asking for my money and business, emails I didn't ask to receive. 

By the time we finish dinner, he especially is exhausted with a draining day's mental work. I'm often exhausted with a day of both physical and mental labor. We spend time together. I often then go back to writing and can be at that anywhere from 11:30 pm until 2 in the morning or later. 

Some nights, I hear Boo Bear barking in the field or hear coyotes howling out there and have to face that my sheep may be in danger. I go out with a flashlight at midnight to check on things. Or I stand on the deck and yell at the coyotes until they fall silent. 

I'd say I'm sorry I'm not politely answering cold call emails instead of watching out for my sheep--but that would be sarcastic. And I genuinely intend this as being a helpful suggestion on how to grow your business: by understanding the people you're contacting to ask for their money and business.

So what does this have to do with receiving multiple cold calls a day asking for my business? These 'cold calls' often follow up, asking if I'm interested. Often several times. 

One recently pressed me: Can I get an answer? In other words: Stop what you're doing. You owe me an answer because I sent you an unsolicited message. 

Here's the thing: I get that you're trying to start or grow a business. I appreciate that. I applaud your hard work. But the fact that you want to grow a business and you chose to contact me does not obligate me to answer you. It doesn't obligate me to set aside my foremost obligations to care of my animals who are being killed or endangered by predators, my work to people who have paid me to work for them, my time with a husband who does a lot for me and deserves my care and attention, or my relationships with friends and children, to answer not only you--but the dozen or two dozen other people who have contacted me this week.

Keep in mind, I 

1. don't know you, and 

2. have experience with cold calls. If I answer you, are you going to accept my No, I don't need that service...or are you going to be among those who presses me with reasons why I should or must want and pay for your service? Are you going to repeatedly insist that I answer your reasons why I should want and pay for your service when I'm trying to deal with my sheep and rabbits and possibly with my chickens being killed? Are you the one who's going to demand that I answer yet also refuse to accept no for an answer? I don't know you. 

I don't know the dozen or more other people who have cold-called me wanting my business this week while I'm trying to care for my 70+ animals and get my own work done.

If you ask me to consider your service and I don't answer--that is the answer. 

I get trying to build a business. As an author, podcaster, and farm manager, I'm trying to do it too, three times over. When I write to someone offering them a spot on my program, I understand that harassing them and demanding that they answer me is not going to make them appreciate me. I can write to a podcast introducing myself and asking for an appearance. Demanding that they answer me is not going to endear me to them. I may follow up once in case my email got lost in the shuffle. I am not going to demand that they give me an answer, because if they don't answer a couple of emails...I have my answer. I move on. 

These people who I cold-called--they don't owe me an answer. And I don't owe you an answer. You contacted me. My days are full of caring for 70 or more animals, a large garden, and the writing I do for myself and that others have paid me to do. The fact that you chose to write to me doesn't obligate me to take time away from my animals, my farm, my husband, my writing, my garden, or the people who have paid me to write for them, to answer you and for you to demand that I answer you is not going to get you my business or my money.

I get multiple such requests every day and many authors get far more than I do. Where do you expect us to have the time to personally answer every single such request? Especially not knowing if you're going to accept our No, or continue to press the issue and demand a response every single time as somehow your due? We simply don't have the time.

I genuinely wish you luck building your business. But I also ask that you respect our business and our lives and our time. If we wanted your offer of services, we would have answered.

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