If you’re working with our team, whether as a teammate, vendor, contractor, or collaborator, this is for you.
The temptation to DM
I get it. It’s easy to shoot me a quick message. I usually reply fast. It feels like the shortest path to an answer. But what seems efficient in the moment often ends up breaking the system we’ve worked hard to build.
We’ve structured things so that communication flows through the right people, not just through me.
I’m not the switchboard
It’s not that I don’t care or don’t want to help. I do. But I get 800+ messages a day, and if everyone treats me like the team’s shortcut, everything slows down.
It’s better, for you and the team, if you go directly to the person responsible. That’s who can actually get it done. You don’t need me as the middleman.
Think like a team
Imagine a hospital where every patient tries to talk directly to the top surgeon for every appointment, follow-up, or billing question. That system breaks immediately. Not because the surgeon doesn’t want to help, but because the whole operation collapses when one person is overloaded.
Same goes here. We built a team for a reason. Everyone has a role, and we need to respect that if we want to move fast and stay sane.
We created the Level 1 Guide to make this easier for new folks, virtual assistants, and anyone unfamiliar with how a high-functioning team operates.
Clients are the exception
Of course, clients can reach out directly. They’re not expected to navigate our internal structure. But internally, we have to hold the line.
We can’t afford to spend time coaching teammates one-on-one when the answers already exist in our training or belong with someone else on the team.
Use RACI
We follow the RACI framework:
- Responsible – Person doing the task.
- Accountable – Person answerable for the result.
- Consulted – People giving input.
- Informed – People who just need to know.
Most direct messages to me fall into the “I” bucket. That means I don’t need to be asked; I just need to be looped in. And if I’m not the “R” or “A” in the situation, you’re better off messaging someone else.
When people default to messaging me, it creates confusion about who’s actually responsible. It also creates delays, since I’m often not the one doing the work.
How to email like a pro
Need to keep me in the loop? Great. Cc me. That’s all.
But if you need a decision, update, or action, send it to the right person. I’m not ignoring you; I’m making sure the team functions without me needing to play firefighter on every task.
Don’t do this:
- Email me only, asking for updates or input.
Do this instead:
- Send the message to the person doing the work. Loop me in as “Informed” only if needed.
Kill the “Reply All” monster
The other common mistake? Hitting reply all like it’s a team sport.
Copying everyone on every message doesn’t help. It muddies the waters and makes it harder to track who’s actually responsible. If everyone’s on the thread, no one’s owning the task.
Before you hit send, ask:
- Who needs to take action?
- Who just needs to know?
- Who doesn’t need to be included?
That’s how high-performing teams communicate on purpose, not on autopilot.
Bottom line
If you’ve been DM’ing me by default, don’t worry, lots of folks start that way. But now you know.
Follow the process. Respect the roles. Use the systems we’ve built. That’s how we scale.
We built the Level 1 VA course to make this easy. Read it. Use it. Become the teammate others want to work with.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations.
He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications.
Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries.
Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.