It Doesn’t Have to Be Boring (Featuring an Exciting Announcement)

Let's spice up some things that are traditionally boring: LinkedIn requests and out-of-office emails. Why? Because doing so surprises and delights people, and it raises your cool factor (trust me, I'm an expert in cool factor...).

LinkedIn Requests 
Every time you request to connect with someone on LinkedIn, the same default email will be sent on your behalf if you don't change it: "I'd like to add you to my professional network." Boring!

 Why not spend five seconds and change it up? Here are three that I've sent recently to friends of mine:
  • "Oh please, oh please, oh please!"
  • "Let's be frienemies" — I sent this to a friend who is going to work at Yahoo.
  • "Pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!"
Each one of these emails elicited a response email to me, with a little joke in return. When was the last time someone replied to your default LinkedIn email?

Out-of-Office Emails
"I'm currently out of the office and will return on XYZ date. Please contact so-and-so if this is an emergency." Sound familiar? What a bore, but we all do it. Here are two out of office emails I've used in the past. Use them as inspiration for yours. I always receive a few great responses when using these:
  • "I wish I could write you back right now, but I'm in space! No, not really, but recently an Android went to space and we caught its journey on YouTube. Check it out. I'm actually out of the office until Friday and I'll write you back when I return."
  • "Did you know that it took 14 years to build Mount Rushmore? You did? Great! Try some awesome trivia questions at www.agoogleaday.com. That ought to keep you busy until I return from being out of the office. I'll be back on XYZ date and I'll get back to you then. Thanks for your message."
An Exciting Announcement
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I didn't want to know the baby's sex ahead of time because I thought that great surprise should come when the baby was born. Well, my wife is pregnant again — that's the big announcement! For baby #2, we ordered a reveal cake and when we cut into it, the inside of the cake was blue (that's us cutting the cake in the picture). We're having another boy! The reveal party was a great way to spice up the traditional way of finding out the sex of the baby at the ultrasound appointment.

Add This To Your To-Do List
Take a good look at your business practices and you are sure to find something you do every day that's a little boring. Spice it up! Look at what's on the receipts you issue. Can you add a knock knock joke? Listen to your voicemail message. Can you sing a little song instead? It doesn't take a lot of time to make something mundane into something a little out of the ordinary. And please, if you're going to send me a LinkedIn request, don't send me the generic email. It's just so boring.

There's never a lack of ideas.

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