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I've been intrigued by all of the LinkedIn posts lately from sales professionals, leaders, and experts proclaiming the phone is back! Even the “phone-is-dead” evangelists seem to have had a change of heart and are encouraging salespeople to “phone a customer.”
My favorite posts are from salespeople who took this advice, called a customer, and were surprised—even stunned—to discover that their customer actually wanted to talk. It’s more proof that buyers are starving for real, authentic, human-to-human conversations with their sales reps and account managers.
When Sellers Make Their First Call in Years
I saw one post yesterday from an account manager who said that, for the first time in years, he had picked up the phone and called a customer. In his post, he described how rewarding it was to have a real, live conversation—as if this was some new revelation. He said that even though the phone was “old school,” he had given it a try because his customers weren’t responding to his emails anymore.
Although I'm super pleased to see that salespeople are rediscovering the power of the humble phone, I was bothered by this particular post because it is an indictment of just how far the sales profession has fallen over the past few years.
It also exposes the malpractice of this guy’s leadership team. Seriously, how is it possible that his leaders and company allowed him to avoid having actual conversations with his customers for years?
Pick Up the Phone and Talk to Your Customers
Account managers who are not talking with their customers, the ones who keep their customers at digital arm's length and send random “just checking in emails,” are swinging the door open and inviting competitors in.
When you fail to proactively manage relationships—when you don’t talk with your customers—those customers end up talking to your competitors and considering other options.
Nearly 70 percent of customers are lost due to neglect. Not prices, not products, not the economy, not aggressive competitors.
Neglect! They feel the sting of being taken for granted. If you've ever been taken for granted (and I bet you have), you know that it makes you feel unimportant, small, and resentful, which can lead to the feeling of contempt.
Resentment and contempt are the two most powerful negative emotions in the pantheon of human emotions. They are the gangrene of relationships, festering below the surface, slowly rotting away the connections that bind people together until the relationship is destroyed.
The good news is the secret to defending accounts is completely in your control. It’s simple. Pay attention to your customers.
And guess what? A simple, regular phone call can make all the difference. Just pick up the phone, dial their number, and ask or say:
How are you doing?
What can I do to help you?
I have an idea for you.
Have a great weekend.
Thank you for your business.
Regular telephone contact ensures that you are top of mind with customers. Hearing your voice lets them know that you care. It doesn’t need to be anything particularly special. You don’t need to schedule it on their calendar. You don’t need a reason to tell your customers that you appreciate them.
Pick up the phone and say “hello” because it doesn’t cost a thing to pay attention to your customers.
A “How AI Will Replace You” Reality Check
But it’s not just that account manager and his company. Rather than picking up the phone and talking with people, sales professionals everywhere have replaced this beautiful, synchronous sales communication tool with email.
This aversion to talking with people by phone has become so acute that at least half of Sales Gravy’s training and consulting engagements have focused on one thing: Teaching and compelling salespeople to pick up the damn phone and just have real-time human conversations.
So, let’s start with a reality check:
The telephone is not old school.
Talking in real time with your prospects and customers on the phone is not old school.
Pay attention: Talking with people is THE School with a capital THE.
That’s what you get paid to do. The more people you talk with, the more you will sell. And the easiest, fastest, lowest-friction means of talking with people is by phone.
Last Monday, I discussed the reasons why AI will not be displacing sales professionals any time soon. I made the argument that sales is the most human-centric career choice in the age of AI.
But there is a caveat. If you choose to keep your customers and prospects and digital arm's length or if you avoid engaging in synchronous conversations by phone, in-person, or video, AI can and will replace you.
The Workhorse of Selling
Ever since Alexander Graham Bell uttered the first words on the first phone over 140 years ago (Mr. Watson, com here, I want to see you.) the telephone has been the workhorse of selling. The telephone has always been and will continue to be your most powerful sales tool.
I’ll bet my next book royalty check that there is a phone near you right now. People sleep with their phones, eat with their phones, and are more likely to lose their car keys and wallet than their phone. Though it is probably used more for texting, posting selfies, and watching cat videos, if you dial a number, in an instant, you can be in a sales conversation.
So, I’m going to say this one more time, slowly, for the folks in the back of the room who are still not tracking. You get paid to talk with people. There is no other tool that will connect you to people faster, deliver better results, fill your pipe more effectively, and help you cover more accounts and ground in less time than the humble telephone.
The Lazy Excuse for Not Using the Phone
If you are one of the many salespeople who are quick to say, “My customers like it better when I use email,” I’ve got a message for you. The “My customers like it better when I use email” trope is primarily a BS story that YOU keep telling yourself to justify why YOU are not talking with people.
This lazy excuse is why so many salespeople have devolved into asynchronous sellers. Trust me, if you keep this behavior up, the robots are coming for you.
I'm not downplaying email as a sales channel. There are plenty of situations when email is the most appropriate communication tool.
What I’m trying to get through to you is that when you consistently default to an asynchronous communication channel like email—because emotionally it’s easier for you to keep people at arm's length—human connections begin breaking.
How the Phone Improves Productivity
What’s beautiful is that the phone can make you more productive. In so many cases, one short phone conversation can replace five or more emails and the frustrating back and forth that comes with them.
When there is a misunderstanding, before you reach for your keyboard to blindly send another email, stop and pick up the phone.
Over my many years in business, I’ve found that the phone is the quickest and most effective way to easily solve problems and handle sales tasks that require human-to-human connection.
When in Doubt, Pick Up the Phone
I live by a simple sales mantra: When in doubt, pick up the phone.
Got a customer service issue? Pick up the phone.
Have a misunderstanding? Pick up the phone.
Want to stay in touch and keep your relationships anchored? Pick up the phone.
Need a reference or a referral? Pick up the phone.
Have a question? Pick up the phone.
Need to follow up? Pick up the phone.
Deal stalled? Pick up the phone.
Need to qualify an opportunity or identify a buying window? Pick up the phone.
Before you schedule yet another excruciating Teams or Zoom meeting? Try giving your customer a call. I’m positive that they’ll appreciate not needing to schedule time on their calendar and be on camera when you can both just jump on the phone.
Empty pipeline? Put the cat video down and pick up the damn phone!
And when it’s the end of the day and you’re tired and ready to go home, always stop and will yourself to pick up the phone and make one more call.
If you haven’t ordered my book The LinkedIn Edge yet, stop now and take action. This instant bestseller will transform your relationship with LinkedIn, give you new tools and techniques for using LinkedIn for prospecting, and make you a lot of money.
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If you don’t have The LinkedIn Edge, go now and get your copy at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.