I treat my inbox like my house. If I find a stranger sitting in my living room I’m kicking them out. If my friend shows up at my door introducing me to someone I don’t know I’ll gladly let them in my house. I trust my friend. They’re vouching for them.

Every day my inbox is full of strangers sitting in my living room. They’re scraping email addresses or buying them in hopes that they’ll find their way into some sucker's living room to sell them something. 

The chances of an uninvited person in my house selling me something is slim. Really slim. Pretty much impossible.

If you contact leads via email be wary of showing up uninvited in their living room. Treat their inbox like their house and find an appropriate way to be introduced before barging in.

I originally heard the inbox as a house analogy explained by author Liz Gilbert on the Tim Ferriss podcast. It’s a good listen.