Why Relying On Email Is A Sales Fail

Despite its obvious limitations and drawbacks, doing business by email is the new communication standard. Nothing can beat a quick email when it comes to speed and convenience yet it still falls woefully short compared to a face to face or telephone conversations. To improve your business, go old school and start picking up the phone.

Not a day goes by that I don’t get asked: “Rob, I’ve got a sensitive issue to address with someone, can you please help me draft an email to them? My first question is always: “if it’s a sensitive issue, why are you using email to address it?”

The answers to the above question are many and varied. When I peel the onion with the other party it generally boils down to one thing: it is easier and feels safer to hide behind the veil of an email than to address a sensitive issue person to person or face to face. Although an email feels easier and safer, it is also completely ineffective.

I recently received a similar request from someone. A client of hers was hesitating to pay for consulting services she had provided. The work was related to, but outside of the scope of their current project. The client felt since he was paying her for project “A” he did not need to pay extra for the ad hoc project “B” work she had done.

That afternoon, we spoke at length about the issue at hand. Much later that evening we talked again, it was clear she would not sleep well if the issue was not promptly resolved.  She felt a pointed email to her client was in order. She sent me a draft of the email, and as I read it carefully it was clear she had invested a great deal of time and effort into this email. My response to her summarizes my view of the use of email to handle sensitive issues…

“Your email is well worded, yet if I was in your shoes I would not send it.”

If I were you, I would arrange a meeting with your client on the phone or better yet, face to face to discuss the issue, and come up with a fair agreement that works for both of you.  From what I gather, this issue is not about the money per se. Rather, it is about how your work and efforts are valued and appreciated by the client.

I suggest not sending the email; instead try to have a conversation with the client for the following reasons:

1) Emails, regardless how well worded can often be misinterpreted and do more harm than good.

2)  Money can easily become a contentious issue therefore I feel it is best handled in a 2 way real time dialogue [ a conversation] rather than a one way monologue [ an email].

3) Dealing with sticky issues can in fact be an opportunity to build trust and credibility with your client as you display your values, ethics and cooperative business approach along the way.

4) You rock person to person. Sending an email does not allow you to operate in your “sweet spot”.

Here is a small anecdote that helps illustrate the points I mentioned above,

I remember a sunny day several years ago when a friend and I were golfing. While waiting for the group ahead of us, he did a quick email check and said “hey, check out this email”. It was from his wife written in a very angry tone about a relationship issue they were dealing with. He started to quickly type his equally terse reply and I looked at him and said “she seems pretty upset, why you don’t just call her?” He did not reply to me, he was too busy typing. Today, they are divorced.

I learned a big lesson that day: when dealing with sensitive issues whether inside or outside of work the best choice is to go old school and pick up the phone.

About Rob Malec Rob Malec is a guest blog contributor who will be sharing his ideas on sales strategy, managing sales groups and how to drive revenue growth. Rob is the President of Businessworks Consulting Inc. Based in Vancouver British Columbia he has been helping his clients increase the revenue their company’s generate while operating more as an organization since 2001.  His work includes management consulting, mentoring and facilitation.