The phone is my friend. The phone is my friend.
The phone is my friend. Say it with me salespeople – the phone is my friend. I
have encountered a sales person who believes that cold calling is dead. He
doesn’t want to do it. Doesn’t believe it is a worthwhile use of his time.
Feels email is a stronger method to obtaining new business leads. And, the most
irritating part, he refuses to consider any other way of targeting new
prospects.
I am here to tell him and tell you: you
are dead wrong. The phone is my friend. The phone has been my friend for nearly
25 years in sales. The phone will continue to be my friend. You either don’t
know how to use the phone (anymore) or you’re just plain scared. Either way, I
will bet you $100 that I can land a prospect meeting faster than you, more
qualified than your lead, and all by using the telephone while you peck away at
email.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-email.
In fact, I use email every single day from my laptop and my phone. Email is a
terrific means of communication. But, email cannot convey the tone of my voice
when I am being sincere in asking for a meeting. Email cannot immediately
qualify or disqualify a lead based on the tone of the person on the other side.
Email takes longer to use than a phone. Human beings, being human, want to feel
important, and there is no better way than calling them on the telephone and
greeting them as the most important person to you in that moment.
The sales person I referenced above
simply doesn’t believe me. Of course, he also wouldn’t take my $100 bet, so
what does that say. And, here’s the interesting part, I’ve not made a big deal
about it openly, instead I’ve let my actions speak volumes. I’ve been making
cold calls for the past month and have averaged 4-1 new meetings scheduled.
Additionally, I’ve spent a fraction of the time making my calls versus his
emailing approach. And, most importantly, my leads are more qualified.
Please, I beg of you, make the phone
your friend. Do not be so foolish as to go down the path of my colleague and
shrug at the idea of using the phone. Please do not make excuses that it doesn’t
work. And, whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of believing email saves
more time than using the phone. It doesn’t.
The phone is my friend…and my success
proves it.