Email is the New Phone

If you're like I was, you believe email should be answered after hours when you're not on the phone or in customer meetings. That's how I handle client proposals. They can't be written during valuable customer “face” time, but should be saved for that time of day when customers aren't available.

But, expectations and how email is used have changed. Many customers now expect you to hold whole conversations via email, sometimes with emails flying within minutes of each other, just as if they were instant messages or a phone call. With these changes email is now as important as face-to-face meetings and phone calls.

Here are some tips to consider when making email a primary customer interaction tool:

* View email as the new prospecting tool. After you leave a voicemail, follow-up with an email, giving prospects 2 easy ways to respond. Remember, your goal is to connect with the person. Even if they respond “no”, you've connected and can respond to try to generate an interest.

* Keep the sales process moving forward. Use emails to ask requirements gathering questions, get referrals, make recommendations, and provide updates.

* Respond to all emails with action items promptly. You return phone calls within 1-24 hours. The expectation now is that you'll return emails within 30 minutes - 12 hours. If you can't respond completely, send an email setting expectations about when you will send a full response.

* Think - and proof - before you send. Sometimes it's best to draft a response, then wait 30 minutes before sending. You may choose to soften, shorten, or otherwise change your response.

* You may need a hand-held device such as a Blackberry to keep up. Consider what tools you need to stay on top of your emails, responding to your customers more real-time, and make the investment.

* Schedule daily time on your calendar to respond to emails. Consider this equal to customer meeting time. If you're holding complete customer conversations via email, you really are holding a meeting. What's the difference? Give it equal time for well thought out responses and next step requests.

There are many benefits to using email: ease of connection and a better way to communicate are only a few. I recently had a prospect that was interested in having us do some training development work for her firm. She emailed me and explained exactly what she needed and requested a quote. When I requested a phone meeting to learn more like every good sales rep, she declined. She was the decision maker and I had to have the answers. So, I asked her all my questions through email and prepared a proposal based on her answers. With my proposal in hand, and without a single verbal conversation, she not only accepted it, but increased it by 20% to cover any changes in scope!

While this situation's unusual, it's becoming more and more common for customers and prospects to prefer to answer questions and move opportunities forward through email while limiting their number of meetings. Be prepared and you'll soon find yourself reducing your sell cycle and closing opportunities through email, too! Now isn't that cool?

WOODRIDGE

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Email is the New Phone