Pick Up the Phone! Email isn’t Enough - Here’s Why!

One time I had an order that was late. The customer was FURIOUS.

I really, really didn't want to pick up the phone and talk to him, because he was the type who wasn't afraid to really let you have it and it made me uncomfortable, and well...a little scared.

In this case though, it was actually a GOOD thing the order was late. You see, we had slightly changed the design of the rolling cart, and instead of sending him the old design, we were waiting a few weeks so he could get the new design, which really would be much better in the long run.

I drafted an email to explain it all. And then I had this annoying voice in my head saying, "Just call him. It'll go so much better if you can explain it to him."

The voice was coming from a wise former boss who would tell me this, over and over again.

I did end up calling that customer and at first he was furious, and I had to get through the first several minutes where he complained about all kinds of other things that were totally out of my control. After letting him vent a bit, I explained about the order and he completely changed his tune. He still wasn't thrilled, but it made sense and he was ready to move on to the next fire in his life.

Sometimes, actually most of the time, picking up the phone is so much better. Even for prospecting, we can't just rely on sending emails to clients. Research shows it's MUCH more effective to email AND call during a sales process.

The phone is kind of a lost art, but the smart sales reps will keep using it, even if it can be painful at times.

Have you had a similar experience? Let me know!