Don't Sell Through Email! Face-To-Face Is 34 Times More Successful!

We use email to keep in contact with customers or to let them know of special offers and to follow up, but be careful ...

It can feel so much easier to email a client rather than pick up the phone or schedule a meeting with them, but think about how you respond to sales emails. Yes, it's easier to approach a customer, but it is also easier for a customer to ignore you or to say no.

The research was reported in the Harvard Business Review"} and first published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. What I think is ironic is the reason they say face-to-face so much better.

Selling is a human interaction so we should use our human skills to do it; after all, if we are just sending emails it won't be long before Artificial Intelligence takes over.

There is nothing more powerful than a real person passionate about their business making a connection and putting forward a persuasive presentation. With email, you can't possibly get the same connection, or have a real understanding of your customer's goals and aspirations.

Here are 3 main reasons why face-to-face selling is still the best way:

  1. Body language and social interaction

    There is so much going on when we interact face-to-face or even on the phone. We can react effectively to personality types and read each other's no verbal clues, giving you the opportunity to get feedback, which you cant, do by email.

  2. Becoming the trusted advisor

    You are much more likely to build trust and have your ideas listened to face-to-face. If you want to be seen as a partner you need to give time to more human connection.

  3. Involve your customer

    If you are in front of them, they are more likely to engage with you, ask questions or raise concerns and objections which means you can deal with them in real time there and then. If you are selling by email it's too easy to disengage and ignore the message and look elsewhere f there are concerns.

In summary, in an age of automation you can stand out from the rest by including face-to-face meetings and phone calls in your sales process; after all your customers are worth it, right? Also, if you are a very email based company think seriously about how you can communicate more humanly with your colleagues and customers.

Difficult conversations are more emotional face-to-face and can make you feel more uncomfortable, but that's the point, isn't it? It's sometimes much better to deal with issues head on and if you get rejected, it's a small price to pay for all the other occasions when you customer sees your value and not just the information you offer them.

If you're interested in training that sticks for your brand, do call me on 01908 511 062 or leave a comment below and let's see how I can help you.