Many people in the USA have stopped watching the news. It’s non-stop, never-ending, 24×7 reporting on all things Trump. Regardless of whether you are Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, or a never-Trumper, lean to the left or lean to the right, I’m sure you’ll agree that there is hardly any other news than Trump news.
If Trump rates his success on media saturation, then he and his presidency are a huge success. Critics say he’s the worst president in history while supporters claim that he has done more to help America than any other president in history.
IT’S ALL NOISE. It doesn’t enrich your life, make you feel better, or change anything. It’s just non-stop noise that makes it impossible for other news stories to get much attention or time.
Salespeople face the same problem reaching their prospects. In addition to the non-stop news noise, your prospects are also facing a barrage of email solicitations and newsletters, LinkedIn mentions and invite requests, and if they venture online, a never-ending stream of new posts and messages seeking their attention. Like the news, the marketing and selling is ALL NOISE too.
How do I know?
I find myself on both sides of this story. On the sales and marketing side, I post my share of Blog articles, post updates on LinkedIn and Twitter, tag people to call attention to a post, leave comments when invited to do so, and share other relevant content. Apparently, I create my share of noise. In addition to that, as the CEO of two companies – Objective Management Group (OMG) and Kurlan & Associates – I’m on the receiving end of twice as much noise as other CEO’s.
With the conditions as they are, how does a motivated salesperson get the attention of their prospects?
Easy. Go where there isn’t as much noise!
Where would you find such a place?
The phone is a good start. Hardly anyone uses it to reach prospects anymore so there isn’t much noise. And we are years past the time when prospects didn’t give out their cell phone numbers. Most secretaries and gate keepers have been reassigned. The availability of cell phone numbers and lack of competition to reach those cell phones make the phone an ideal choice for salespeople who know who they want to reach and don’t want to waste their time.
Would you like to know how easy it is to use the phone?
In the old days, the number one request of salespeople being trained was, “How do we get past the secretary?” I can’t remember the last time anyone asked for help getting through to their contact. You just call! They may not pick up their landline and it probably isn’t a landline anymore, but they do answer their personal mobile devices.
You don’t have to agree, you don’t have to change, and you don’t have to touch your phone. But if you want to build your pipeline, reach more decision makers, close more business and be more successful, the phone is the key to all that and more.
There’s another reason to use the phone. You simply can’t have a conversation via email or text. Doesn’t work. Sure, you can exchange information, confirm dates, times and numbers, and send attachments and samples. But you can’t have a meaningful conversation that way and if you want to effectively differentiate, the phone is the ideal tool to help you do that.
Need help making this transition? Reach out for help, but use the phone.