like social media and email.
In this chapter, let's look at what makes the phone such a powerful tool for selling more.
And in the next chapter, we examine the reasons we avoid phone selling. Because once we understand that psychology, it becomes much easier to overcome.
REASONS THE PHONE IS THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE SELLING TOOL
Phone Calls Feed the Machine
Proactive calls to customers and prospects feed your whole sales machine.
They build relationships.
They fill your calendar with appointments and meetings.
They create opportunities.
They build your pipeline.
They generate quotes and proposals.
They add on additional products and services for existing customers.
Phone calls get you the yeses very quickly. They also get you to the rejections in a hurry – which is a good thing, because we have to walk through a lot of them to get to the wins. (More on this Chapter 12.)
Proactive calls feed the machine.
Proactive calls feed your family.
You and Your Customers Have a Phone within Arm's Reach Almost Always
As you read this, your phone is probably within arm's reach. You probably don't even have to stand up to get it.
Because it's on your desk.
Or in your pocket.
Or in your purse.
Or maybe it's in your hand right now.
It's a tool all of us salespeople have.
There's something else, and this is kind of incredible: all of our customers have a phone within their reach, too.
At all waking, much less working, hours.
No matter what they're doing, at work or at home, this tool is with them.
Our prospects, too.
All the people who can buy from us have a phone within reach.
All the people we can help have a phone.
And almost nobody is calling it.
You Will Stand Out from the Crowd
Most salespeople assume that our customers' phones are ringing off the hook.
This is informed by our own discomfort with the phone (see the next chapter and Part 2).
The truth is, most people's phones are silent when it comes to proactive calls.
Think about your experience:
When is the last time you got a call from a supplier you know, when nothing was wrong?
When is the last time somebody called you and said, “How are you? I was thinking about you. How is your family? And listen, I was wondering, what are you working on these days that I might be able to help you with? Because I'd like to help.”
Can you remember the last call you got like this?
Most people say they cannot remember the last one.
But those who did receive one got it weeks or months ago.
And guess what?
They remember every single aspect of that call: who called, what they wanted, how long the call lasted, and what each party said – sometimes word-for-word. They even remember what the caller's voice sounded like.
That's amazing, but why is this so?
Because it's the only call they've received like this in the last weeks or months.
The only one.
And they remember everything about it.
The vast majority of salespeople simply don't make proactive calls.
Which means your competition is not showing up like this.
Their customers don't get to hear their names, because they don't call.
But your customers will hear your name.
And you'll stand out from the crowd in your customers' and prospects' eyes.
Want to be totally memorable?
Make proactive phone calls to customers and prospects.
PICK UP THE PHONE SUCCESS STORY
“On at least half of the proactive calls I make, my customers tell me they are not hearing from anybody else on the phone. They tell me I am the only one doing this. It sets me apart, they say. This makes me feel good. I'm doing something others are not, and it shows in my results. My sales are up 45% this year.”
—Chris O.; inside sales, manufacturer
PHONE CALLS MAKE US SINGULARLY MEMORABLE, BUT EMAIL MAKES US FORGETTABLE
If you want to be utterly forgettable, send emails instead of making calls.
If you send an email, there is a good chance you'll end up in the junk folder.
Think about that.
Your communication will be with the trash emails.
And even if your email gets into your recipient's inbox, you probably won't ever know it.
This is because the most common response to an email is silence.
Did your customer or prospect get your email?
You don't know.
Did they see it with their eyes?
You don't know.
Did they read it and process it with their brain?
No idea.
Did they make any kind of decision regarding what you emailed about?
Again, you don't know, because there was probably no response.
Interestingly, if you don't send the email,
