Special delivery

Good delivery depends upon many things. Two of the most important elements are attention to detail, and good communication. Neither of these essentials is difficult to understand or implement, so, naturally, they’re the first things we forget.

Don’t waste your precious time. Phone calls and emails can eat your day. Don’t let them. No one will think less of you for getting to the point. Because there are so many calls to make every day, I generally keep them very brief. And a short note to somebody is often quicker than a phone call. As the business has got bigger and spread across the globe, a lot is dealt with by short notes. However, I’m always willing to pick up the phone and talk directly to people if an issue needs resolving that way. There’s no question that if you are trying to persuade someone to join you, invest with you, or make some changes, then it’s important to speak to them directly and take the time so that they know what they need to do. Face-to-face conversations are more efficient, and videoconferencing will always come a poor second to a shared pot of tea.

11 Responses to “Special delivery”

  1. Debra Jenkins - November 8th, 2008  

    Sir Richard:

    You are amazing! Such wise words.

    Deb

  2. Sital - November 8th, 2008  

    Richard,

    Thank you, you’re right, despite the advances in technology, nothing beats relationships built through face to face meeting. Every time I have had great success with winning new clients, hiring great people or securing finance - it has come on the back of a strong bond formed built from meeting up. Just need to minimize the time i spend on those emails and voicemails…!

    S

  3. Jo - November 8th, 2008  

    Sage advice…with so many changes taking place in the world and so quickly, we need to come up with some shared plans for the future. Direct communication and conversation among all countries, at multiple levels, which crosses borders, cultures and languages is something we need more of.

  4. Andrew Galasetti - November 9th, 2008  

    Email can definitely eat up your day if you constantly check it. It’s best to wait until a certain time then respond to each right then, don’t wait.

    As a blogger, email is my main form of communication, but I can’t live with it and I can’t live without it. :)

    -Andrew

  5. Albert Hallado - November 9th, 2008  

    Hi Sir Richard,

    You’re very right and I will take your advice about phone call and email >> “keep them very brief” it make sense do something more productive. thanks and just sayin’ HI from Vegas!

    Thanks’
    Albert Hallado

  6. Aziz Abu Hassan - November 10th, 2008  

    Dear Sir Richard Branson,

    Your book is one of the few books I can hardly wait to finish reading. You’re the only billionaire who’s motto is to come up with ideas and do them. Your dream of getting the US$500 b may get there since President Elect Obama has committed US$150 b for climate change. I’ve not read Losing My Virginity and wondered if you had touched on your dyslexia experience in your youthful days. My son is dyslexic and have told him about you and your achievements. I hope you will make dyslexia educational programs another of your big ideas!

  7. Matt - November 12th, 2008  

    Richard, couldn’t agree you you more. However, I’ve just spent a couple of hours trying to find a contact address for you to send you a letter let alone try to speak to you directly! If only it were that easy eh? :-)

  8. Viktoria - November 12th, 2008  

    Hi Matt

    Thanks for your comment, it’s really valid - thank you! We’re going to work on making it clearer on how you can get in touch with Richard’s team.

    I’m sure you’ll understand that publishing an email address or telephone number for Richard isn’t something we would be able to do!

    That said, I’m always more than happy to have any comments or ideas for Richard to be sent to me. I’ll always make sure it’s passed to the right people in our teams to deal with.

    I won’t make false promises that letters,emails etc will get to Richard directly. That’s why we’re here at Virgin Management. He trusts us to make sure his correspondence gets the attention it deserves.

    Our address is

    Virgin Management Ltd
    The School House
    50 Brook Green
    London
    W6 7RR

    and we look forward to hearing from you Matt.

    Have a great day.

    Viktoria Sumner
    Customer Correspondent to Richard Branson

  9. Matt - November 12th, 2008  

    Thanks Viktoria for your swift response. And there was me looking forward to my shared pot of tea. Matt

  10. Richard Lamb - November 26th, 2008  

    Hi Viktoria,

    Just following Matt’s thread, I have a couple of ideas to float by Richard and hs team. One is a business idea which spans the IT and telecoms sectors (dovetailing somewhat with Virgin Media), while the other focuses on a flash of inspiration while reading a BBC science & tech article.

    Back in April, the story described how the US military is expanding Internet capabilities ‘into the final frontier’. When this capability turns civilian, as the early Internet did in the 1960s, Virgin Galactic customers could surf the Web while on their visit to orbit!

    Food for thought.

    Have a great evening,

    Richard

  11. Craig - December 7th, 2008  

    Sir Richard,

    Very well put, ,my business mentor now has me “out of the seat” and into the visitors chairs… also networking is now the most important part of building business. However sometimes getting in front of a selected individual can be near on impossible… how do you go about meeting new contacts that you value? Given that some contacts may not want to be found or simply do not have the time to mee, even if it is just for a cuppa?

    Regards

    Craig Stevens
    CCASA

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