HEY! Remember me!?

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Written by David Wilson

We are surely in the digital age, make no mistake about it. There are countless ways to connect with prospects and clients electronically these days. Here are some:

  • Email
  • Text
  • Facebook Message
  • LinkedIn Message
  • Google + Message

Yes, I know there are probably more, but if I list more, the next story won't be as funny!

I was conversing with a colleague of mine about a prospect with whom he was trying to schedule a meeting. He lamented,

"D (that's me!), I just don't understand it. I have been trying to contact Steve ( I talk about Steve whenever I speak on or write about networking; Steve's not real) for months now. He never gets back to me. Woe is me!!"
"Well, Blah Blah (had to protect his identity, too), how have you tried to contact Steve?"
"Well, I have tried everything!"

Everything? We'll see. So, here's that list again with what ACTUALLY happened:

  • Email (Steve actually has 1000 UNREAD emails in his inbox from THIS WEEK ALONE. So, he missed Blah Blah's lonely one email.)
  • Text (Steve still has a Motorola i870 flip phone, so...)
  • Facebook Message (Steve is ON Facebook, but he really doesn't use it much. His 5-year-old daughter set it up for him.)
  • LinkedIn Message (Steve has a presence on LinkedIn like all professionals worldwide, but replying to messages or InMails on LinkedIn is not a priority.)
  • Google + Message (Well, um...)

As you can see, Blah (for short) has made quite an effort to contact Steve in ways we all kind of assume should elicit at least some kind of a response. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. So, I simply asked Blah,

"Did you call him?"

[blank stare]

"You know, call him on the phone?"

I know I am making a broad stroke to say the ol' phone solves all of our prospecting and connection challenges. Alas, it doesn't. It's just that sometimes we forget that at one point, that is all we had. It was the easiest way to get a response, schedule a meeting, etc. In my experience, it still is.

Many who don't make the actual phone call fear one or more of the following:

  • Rejection
  • Success
  • Failure
  • The Unknown

However, just like the late Susan Jeffers used to say, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway! Is it better to just do it or live with the feeling of helplessness stemming from doing nothing?

So, in 2017, I just say INTENTIONALLY make a phone call whenever you are getting ready to craft that masterful message, and see if your prospect touches increase.

And here is an action step you can take right now. What ONE prospect with whom you've not connected can you call TODAY to schedule a next step for doing business? Try it! Let me know how it goes.

Oh, and as for Blah, he called Steve. He spoke to Steve. Steve said "no".

And Blah moved on!

Brei Stevenson