An Email is an Invitation: Pick up the phone

"I've been talking to my customers"

On Friday morning I ran a success huddle with a small inside sales team in the Northeast. Every two weeks we take 30 minutes to answer one question: what's working?

The first rep, Brian, said, "I'm making an effort to spend more time speaking with my customers."

My first thought was: of course you are. You're in sales.

Then he explained. For years he answered almost everything by email. Now, when an email comes in, he asks himself one question: "Can I turn this into a call?"

He's picking up add-on sales. He's saving time. And the calls are easier than he expected. "It's so much easier than a cold call, because they're already expecting a reply. So they're willing to talk."

We landed on it together. An email from a customer isn't a task. It's an invitation.

Their sales leaders had set the tone in their own sales meeting: find chances to call instead of reply.

The team took it from there. Every person on the call brought an insight. Here are seven reasons they gave for picking up the phone.

Seven reasons to pick up the phone

1. The customer already opened the door

A customer who just emailed you is waiting for an answer. That's the warmest call you'll make all day. Compare that with cold calling an account that hasn't ordered in years. In Brian's words: "This is a much better use of my time."

2. It's faster

Brian now quotes over the phone. No formal document. He just tells them. Another rep said calling beats "back and forth, waiting for that communication." It gets things off her plate.

3. Email is transactional. A call is consultative.

One rep put it best: "Most of these customers don't even know what we carry. They only know what they buy."

In email, you answer the question and you're done. On the phone, you can ask what else they need. One rep did this with a new customer and learned where he was buying product and how much he uses. Another admitted, "I've always been curious, but I never really asked." Now she does. She's pausing, not pouncing, and letting customers talk.

4. People are brave in email

A large customer emailed one rep, angry about a price increase. "Every time I reach out to you, it's a price increase. You better not tell me it's gas."

The rep called him. They chatted for two or three minutes about nothing to do with the order. Then the rep asked questions. How is the warehouse set up? Can you take it all at once?

He learned two things. The customer doesn't have space to stock it all at once. And they buy similar products from four or five other vendors. By the end, the customer understood the price and agreed to send over the rest of what he buys so the rep can quote it.

The angry email would have got a defensive reply. The call opened a door.

5. Tell them where they stand

One rep has a customer waiting on product promised for July. It now arrives in November. She calls him twice a week with an update. He's grateful, and they've built a real relationship. Her advice: "It's just easier than getting an angry email. Let them know where they stand, because that's all people want to know."

Another rep had a customer with a production line down, waiting on material. Instead of trading emails, he called and was "brutally honest." No "typical salesperson dance." The customer thanked him. The problem wasn't solved, but the trust was.

6. Gratitude sounds real out loud

"Thank you for your business" at the bottom of an email is easy to skip. One rep now says it on the phone: "Hey, I appreciate you." His take: it "comes off a little less cheesy when you're actually saying it versus just a line in an email."

7. If you're nervous, ask them

A rep's big customer was close to shutting down a production line over a late order. His manager said, "We need to set up a phone call." The rep was nervous. The last time he spoke with their buyer, they struggled to understand each other.

So he emailed one question: would you rather I type all this out, or talk on a call? They chose the call.

It was the first meeting they'd ever had with the company, despite being a large, long-time customer. They now meet every month. They asked him to forecast their usage, so he's working with the manufacturer to make sure it never happens again. And the other two people on the call spoke English easily. He'd never have known.

What to do on Monday

• Before you reply to the next customer email, ask: "Can I turn this into a call?"

• If it's a question, a complaint, or bad news, call.

• Before you hang up, ask one "what else?" question.

• Say thank you out loud.

• If you're unsure, ask: "Would you rather I write this out, or jump on a quick call?"

• Share one win with your team every two weeks. When one person shares what works, the rest of the team tries it.