sales excuses Better in Person

I Am So Much Better in Person

One of the most common excuses that Solopreneur (and even professional salespeople) use for not telephone prospecting is: “I am much better in person.” But are you?

If you cannot communicate clearly about how you help people (such as your prospect) over the phone, what makes you think you will suddenly be able to do it in person?

Do you think it is possible to go from babbling phone fool to gifted in-person orator?  My guess is that you are neither as bad on the telephone as you imagine nor as gifted in person as you hope.

Telephone prospecting and in-person meetings have many similarities.

  • You need a plan and a clear understanding of your desired outcome.
  • You need to be prepared in advance.
  • You need to schedule time to do both.
  • You need to practice to get better.
  • You do not get better without talking to your prospects.

Improving your skills at telephone prospecting will make you a much better communicator in person. Repeating the same message ten to fifteen times a day will quickly help you understand what does and doesn’t work. Over time, your message will be changed and adjusted, and you will become smoother in delivering a concise, clear message that your target audience values.

On the telephone, you will not have time to beat around the bush. You must get straight to the point. This skill alone is a must in today’s information-overloaded business environment. It is simply bad manners to let your discussion meander all over the board. Brevity and direction is a must-have.

Speaking to a variety of people every day about your business and how you help prospects helps you understand your prospects on a deeper level. You will learn the industry-specific nomenclature (words they use), problems they mention, and questions they ask. These will all help to shape your business and approach.

Both over-the-telephone and in-person meetings have different advantages and drawbacks.  If I had a choice to be better on the phone or to be better in person, I would pick the phone. Being great on the phone allows you to have larger reach beyond your local market. With the telephone, I can better leverage my time and reach out to twenty prospects in the same amount of time as it takes me to drive to a local meeting. The telephone allows you to work with people you have never met or might never meet in person. I have never met the last ten clients in my business, yet they spend thousands of dollars with me instead of with a local consultant. When you use the telephone well, you can still build a great relationship with these clients.

“I am better in person” is an excuse to justify not doing something that makes you uncomfortable: telephone prospecting. If you truly want to build your business, you need to get comfortable and better at using the telephone.

What excuse is keeping you from growing your sales?  Let us know in the comments below.

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