Selling by email, that's typing!

2\ s, srnrrs. HAVE BEEN cur and everyone is doing more than they have ever {l'done. I find myself less and less able to speak with customers oi track them down. It is harder than ever to speak live with someone.

You can leave a voice message that promises "your call is important to me, please leave me your name...." You know the one I mean, the one you never hear back from, the one that sends you into therapy, because obviously your call was not important. so then you have the dilemma of how many times oo you call and leave a voice message without sounding like you are stalking or harassing them. Then you move to the email route. But as we ail know, that is-not the answer.

when I was traveling rec_e_ntly,_I read a great article with the headline ..Selling by Email, Thar's Typing." when I thoughtibout ir, thar is absolutely true. yer we are all guilty of it, including me.

we are becoming a business culture of never talking with one another. we are happy to tell the world on Facebook or Twitter even the smallest minutiae about our private lives, but we cannot p-ick up the phone and tell it to friends. Similarly, it has become too easy not to call someone,ispecially in business, including colleagues sitting in the next cubicle. we cannot get up, walk over, and talk with them; we just text or email them.

How many times have you sat listening to others making personal calls on the bus, at the airport, wherwer? But how many times do yo"u iear people actually making business calls and closing a deal? Rarely! Afterill, when^your own tele_ phone company does not want you to call but diiects you instead to their website, it shows you where our culture is going. personal interaction is still the best way to do business-and to have the best chance at maintaining your customers. we are all constanrly fighting the email battle-you knbw, 300 to 400 a day with about 10 of them having any merit. It has become the most abused rorm or communication available. If you are one of 20 voice messages you still have a better chance of getting answered than one of 500 emails. thal deiete button is far too easy! It's too easy to say no and, once you receive a no by email, how do you turn that around?

How much time is lost emailing every day (apart from the hours lost on noncompany business surfing the web-yes, we are all guilty) when it would be far better to pick up the phone and take your chances on getting through. After a while, you tend to put certain accounts into stereotypftal bickets ind then it becomes just too easy to decide not to call, but email. over time, it just becomes the norm. But I do not think it brings the same results. It is far too Jasv for buv_ ers/customers to hide behind email.

www.building-products.com

A publication of Cutler Publishing 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan Oakes ajoakes@aol.com

Publisher Emeritus David Cufler

Director of Editorial & Production David Koenio dkoenig@building-proiucts.com

Editor Karen Debats kdebats@building-products.com

Contributing Editors Dwight Cunan, Cada Waldemar, James Olsen, jay Tompt, Mike Dandridge

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Chuck Casey

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com

Alan Oakes www.building-products.com

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com

CLASSIFIED David Koenig

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-8b2-0231 dkoenig@building-products.com

How to Subscribe their sales/telesales reps to see how many actual calls they are making. When they hear too much typing, there is a problem. Let's be honest: if sales can be-done by email, why hire expensive representation? Typists are much cheaper.

Lastly,I am not against email. I will continue to use it and probably abuse it, but it will be my last resort, not my first. Let me know what you think at ajoakes@aol.comsorry, I mean please call me at (949) 8521990 and I will gladly return your call.

Alan Oakes, Publisher aioakes@aol.com

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