How do you conduct your internet business? There are two primary types of communicators as far as I can see: the emailers and the phone callers. What category do you fall under? I am an emailer. I find email to be incredibly handy for the following reasons: - It doesn't encumber upon people's schedules - Conversation trail is easily traceable - Email is more direct with less BS (assuming that both parties have a knack for written communication tho I realize that's not always the case) Are you a phone call person? Yes, it's true... sometimes a phone call is necessary to "firm up the deal." Many marketers also enjoy getting together for coffee or lunch if proximity allows. If you currently have several individuals working for you, then taking some time out for lunch meetings and extended phone calls is not such a big deal. But if you're tiny and just starting out, being away from the desk can be dangerous! You may wish for a way to dodge those precious time-zappers and keep the excess communication to a miniumum. Which is the shortest distance to the the main agenda... is it phone, or is it in fact email? How does an Emailer deal with a Non-emailer? Are these types of people simply not meant to do business together? Or can they reach a communication compromise? Let's see what these internet marketers had to say on the matter: "When I first started using email I did a test. I had a vendor who liked everything emailed instead of taking calls. I didn't tell him I was testing so we planned our project through email, although it was very frustrating for me. For the next similar project, I asked him to deal with me on the phone. The results? The same basic project that we worked on was pulled together in about 15 minutes on the phone but the emailed version took one week!! I am able to cover in a half hour on the phone what would take days to accomplish with email. To me the grueling task of actually conversing by typing is beyond my comprehension and I can't believe people really do this. It is not at all time effective and there is no immediate feedback. In fact... I wish I could just put an Instant Audio clip on here for you." :-) - Marilyn Jenett, http://FeelFreetoProsper.com "I tell my clients, 'I appreciate all this information you are providing. Can you send it via email (or whatever) so I can have a copy for future referrence?' However, this may backfire. I've had several situations where I took the time to write everything in an email or fax (whichever they've requested), and the person on the other end only looked at the first few lines before adding their input. I had to once tell a person to call me back only after completely reading my fax. The reason being was that her 'underlings' made me fax the info, instead of talking to her in the first place. Making the person send you an email, and then ignoring half of it will just encourage him/her to call in the future, instead of emailing." - Angelo Cerase, Advent Financial Group - http://AdventFG.com "My solution to this problem is to allow the conversation to go for a couple of minutes, and then say 'Joe, I have to leave for a meeting. Could you send me a note that covers all of this, so that I don't forget it? Thanks! I gotta go!' Then I hang up. If they're serious, they'll send me an email or a letter. If they don't send anything and just call me back later, I tell them I forgot about their earlier call, and then go through the routine again. It works for me!" - Kurt Schweitzer, http://SoundandLovingCare.com - Helping family caregivers correct, avoid, or cope with behavior problems in dementia patients So it seems that no matter which mode of communication you prefer to do business, two rules apply: 1. Be aware of the other person's valuable time. Stick to the agreed topic, and avoid talking too long and veering from the primary subjectmatter. 2. Be assertive in getting what you want out of the call or email. If you find that the other party is digressing, politely help them to get back on track. And when negotiation-time comes around... ALWAYS get it in writing! Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved. |
