Are You Taking The Easy Way???

For 50 years I’ve been searching for the easy way to make a lot of money in sales. Some of you who are old enough may remember a TV the show called The Honeymooners. It was about a Brooklyn bus driver who was always going to make millions, while living in a beat up apartment and not making much money. He was always looking for the easy way to hit it big! Me too. Haven’t found it yet. I have found a way to make a lot of money in sales, but it’s almost never easy. And from direct observation I see a lot of sellers taking the easy way, which may be what’s keeping them from success.

In the hierarchy of sales, nothing beats a face-to-face meeting. I love videoconferencing. It saves me a lot of time as well as wear and tear and miles on my car. But I can’t shake your hand via Zoom. I can read the expression on your face, but I can’t really read your body language over Teams. I can share my screen to show you a deck, but it’s not the same as when I’m  in person, writing/drawing on a legal pad or using a whiteboard to show you what I do. Do I jump on a plane and fly to the West Coast to take a first meeting? Nope! I’m gonna do some qualifying first, but if a prospect is withing 90 minutes or so going to meet them in person gives me a much better chance of developing rapport and having a great first meeting.

Can’t meet in person? Yes, videoconferencing makes sense. Not as good, but still lots of positives. Videoconferencing DOES save me time. I can still see your face and get some nuances of body language. I can share my screen and on most platforms can use their whiteboard to draw, although my hand drawings looking much better than my mouse drawings. Not as good as in person but second best.

Phone is next. Can’t meet in person or via video? Use the phone.

And while I’m speaking about the phone let’s talk about follow-up. I love email. And texting. And DM-ing using WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. Emails and messaging are great time savers, and I use them all, but for nurturing a relationship, the phone is a better choice. You can’t judge tone via email. But the phone gives you an idea of not only what the prospect is saying, but their tone gives you an idea of what they really mean.

Are you taking the easy way? Doing everything via email? Consider going “old school.” Go meet with people. Pick up the phone and make a call.

The easy way isn’t always the best way.