Pick up the Phone
Recently I was emailing with USC Entrepreneurship Professor Patrick Henry to confirm the date that I would be guest lecturing in his class…
“The 22nd is confirmed. Thank you.” I wrote after we selected a mutually agreeable date.
“No, thank you!” He replied to express his gratitude.
But what I read, as I reviewed the text message quickly was: “No thank you!” Was Patrick telling me he now didn’t want me to speak to his class? It was an opportunity I was looking forward to. What had changed his mind?
I called Patrick’s cell at 7:30 that evening when I read the message and he quickly explained to me the impact that the comma had on his 3-word email. In this instance, I was at fault, as I mis-read the message and completely misunderstood its meaning. As we laughed about it, Patrick admitted, he could have been more specific with: “No, I should be thanking you!” Confirming a date like this is a very appropriate use for email. This example does demonstrate, however, how email can not always be the best form of communication.
In many corporate cultures email is very overused internally to coworkers and externally to clients and prospects. Remember, relationships form face to face or at least by phone; not over email. Most of us use email every day and it can be a great tool when used effectively. For example, email is often best when you need to get a short message out to a large group quickly, when documentation or a record of correspondence is critical, or if you need to address an issue late at night when it’s inappropriate to call.
Too often, email is overused. Top performers tell us they prefer the phone over email for the following reasons:
- Expand the conversation. Over the phone, when both parties are present, there’s opportunity to expand beyond the business issue (that you called about) to other business issues or non business issues. Think about your best client relationships. You probably know things about them outside the scope of typical business issues. Did you learn about their non-business life and form that strong connection over email? Probably not.
- Use tone to your advantage. The misunderstanding above would have been totally avoided had I called Patrick to confirm the date. Remember tone works both ways. Over the phone, you can gauge the client’s tone to pick up on sensitive issues and buying signals. You can also convey your enthusiasm, empathy, or sincerity more effectively over the phone vs. email. These areas can all have a major impact on relationships and buying decisions.
- Meet other influential players. Someone else may answer the phone instead of your intended recipient, which can often be a good thing. An assistant or associate may pick up the phone at work or a spouse could pick up the phone if you’re calling a home. These people can be influential in decision-making processes, so it can only help you to start to build some rapport there too.
Email is an effective tool. Just try not to use it instead of the phone, especially when there are opportunities to expand the conversation, use tone, and meet other influential players.
Now that you’ve finished this message, pick up the phone and call a client or prospect so you continue to exceed your goals!