I’m sitting in my office and “ding”, the email icon appears, and for one time in my life it’s my only unread email in my inbox, so I quickly scan it and see it’s from a buyer asking something pretty simple. Knowing she had just sent this, I picked up the phone and called her… straight to voicemail.
I answered the mail with my one line answer turned my attention again to the spreadsheet I had been working on. Again … “ding” I hear another email come in. It’s from her again, so I again dial the phone and straight to voicemail. Answering the 2nd mail and again I hear “ding” … she’s sitting at her desk but won’t answer the phone, I say to myself. So, my 3rd answer is a statement, “I’ll answer your question if you pick-up the phone!”
Before there was email, and unlimited nationwide calling, I cherished the moments we could actually have conversations with our clients. The general discussions, not negotiations, but finding out what really makes this buyer tick, or what the objectives of these projects really were. You can’t get that information in email, it’s only safe to talk freely, when you … well … talk!
Before you write your next email, pick up the phone instead. Try the direct approach and strike up a dialogue. Before you start the next long email chain of empty dialogue, find out what you really need to put in writing the old fashioned way – PICK UP THE PHONE. It is always my first inclination of how to contact people.
PICK UP THE PHONE
Why do we have cell phones, if we are only going to use them to write mails? As sales people, we are looking to build relationships with our customers and clients. You can better do this via phone or in person, than email. We should be looking for information that can’t really be put in writing, not stuff that is public knowledge. Are you really going to ask your client the target pricing in email? This way his boss has a record of what the response was! How can you find out what the competition is ‘really’ doing? Think about the value of the unwritten word, it is often priceless.
The impact of each type of communication, or touch is pretty straightforward
- Personal visits – number one and always will be
- Phone call
- Form letter
If you need some coaching on this, give us a call at The Kole Performance Group, we can work with you and help you through this issues in the overall sales process.
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