I Get 20 Sales Emails a Day. Here's What I Do About It.

I get 20 sales email management (source)s a day. TWENTY. You know what that feels like? It's like being on a treadmill that never stops, only instead of burning calories, you're burning precious time. And let's be honest, most of these emails are as useful as a chocolate teapot. They're generic, impersonal, and they scream "delete me." So what do I do about it? I fight back—aggressively. Research shows that email management is critical. Research shows that email management is critical. ## Why Most Sales Emails Should Go Straight to Trash Let's cut to the chase. Cold emails are spam. Period. They're the digital equivalent of junk mail but with the added offense of ending up right in your workspace. Yesterday, I opened my inbox to find an email that started with, "Dear Sir/Madam." Really? It's 2023, folks. If you're not even bothering to know my name, why should I care about your pitch? Here's the deal: You're losing 2 hours a week to this garbage. That's two hours you could spend on actual work, or, God forbid, living your life. According to industry research, the average worker spends 28% of their workweek managing email. If a chunk of that is spam, you’re bleeding productivity. ## The Real Impact on Your Day Every time you stop to check an email, your brain has to switch gears. It's called context switching, and it's a time killer. You think you're multitasking, but you're really just doing multiple things poorly. The more you engage with these emails, the more you're training your brain to be distracted. And let's not forget the emotional toll. There's a certain rage that builds up when you see your inbox flooded with unsolicited pitches. It's like a constant reminder that your time is not your own. Tools like Sledgehammer can help, acting as a bouncer at the door of your digital life. ## Sledgehammer: Your Inbox Guardian I founded Sledgehammer to tackle this problem head-on. It's an AI solution that filters out the nonsense before it even hits your inbox. Imagine having a personal assistant that throws out the junk and only lets the good stuff through. That's what Sledgehammer does. It's not about being mean; it's about being efficient. Think of it like this: If you're not filtering sales spam, you're basically inviting chaos into your life. And who needs more chaos? ## Why You Shouldn't Feel Guilty Here's the truth everyone’s too polite to say: You don't owe cold emailers anything. You didn't ask for these emails, and you certainly didn't invite them to clutter your mental space. If you're still on the fence about whether it's "rude" to ignore these emails, let me clear it up for you—it's not. According to a post on why you don't owe cold emailers anything, being polite to spam is like apologizing to a mosquito for swatting it. You deserve an inbox that serves you, not the other way around. ## How to Take Back Control It's time to reclaim your inbox. Start by setting up filters. Use tools like Sledgehammer to automate the process. Be ruthless. If an email doesn't add value, it doesn't deserve a place in your inbox. - Set rules for automatic deletion - Use Sledgehammer to flag repeat offenders - Spend set times on email, not whenever a notification pops up The goal? Make sure your inbox is working for you, not against you. ## Conclusion: Make Your Inbox Work for You At the end of the day, your inbox is your space. It's your command center, your digital home base. Don't let it be a landfill for other people's pitches. Take action, filter ruthlessly, and use tools like Sledgehammer to keep the garbage out. Because every minute you spend on cold outreach is a minute you're not building the life or business you want. Research shows that email management is critical.