Much of the content that I use for my blogs comes from the daily grind of selling hardware and software. There will be days when I hear something unique, have a conversation with a client, or a spark of imagination that will compel me to write.
Yesterday was one of those days. Our VP of Major Accounts came over to my humble abode of 24 square feet and asked me about an email he had received from a potential new client. The email basically went like this:
“Sorry, been out for a couple of days, however I wanted to reach out to you. What would be the timeline that we could get installation of the systems once we sign the documents?”
Trying to read between the lines, our VP explained that it seemed the client was ready to move forward (or maybe they were not) with that email, and he was now in a quandary whether to offer some additional funds from the manufacturer. In a nutshell, he wasn’t sure if he should he withhold the funds and save them for a rainy day or use the funds to move to closure.
I offered that if it were me and I had been able to garner anything additional for a client, I would pass it along with a covenant to move the order to closure. Not only would I be able to deliver the answer to question that was asked, but I would also be able to put the icing on the cake with the additional funds.
Back in the day, we had two basic methods of communication, the phone conversation and the in-person conversation. Tone of voice and the occasional mannerism helped both parties in communicating their stance and point of view.
Now more than ever, I find myself trying to read between the lines of voicemails and emails. With voice mails, I can hear the tone of the message, which will offer some help. But with email, there’s basically nothing but a bunch of words that are begging you to decipher what they really mean.
I find myself thinking about those received emails, “Okay, this sentence means one thing, but the next sentence contradicts the first and the last sentence leads me back to my first thought.” It would not be as bad if clients and/or prospects would communicate the old-fashioned way with in-person appointments or by phone.
One of my fears in the not-too-distant future is that many of those phone conversations and in-person conversations will go away. I have this bad feeling that more and more people only want to communicate via email, text, and social media. Why is that? Do they really want to hide? Is that just a Generation Y thing because they were raised on computers, Xboxes and cell phones? Is that the way they want to communicate with others? Could it be I’m a Baby Boomer in a Gen Y world and I just don’t get it?
My point is that I think we all tend to try and read through the lines too much. There’s nothing better that a tried and true phone conversation or an in-person conversation. So when it doubt, make that phone call, but maybe think twice about leaving a voicemail or sending another email.
