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Same Old Problem – Different Day:  “You’ve Got Text”

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Screen Shot 2019-02-11 at 9.45.40 PM“My son, Isaac, called me on that danged telephone contraption today,” my great Grandfather said. “Why can’t he just come over here if he wants to talk with me? It’s only three towns away. Instead he expects me to hold that thing up to my ear like it’s natural or something.”

Thus was the lament of my Great Grandpa Blackmer as he struggled with the changing times. I know exactly how he felt as I too still seem to struggle with every text message, tweet and/or Snap from my younger generation hip, jiving sons. “Why can’t you just call me?” I ask. “It’s a lot easier than this newfangled texting thing”. Several reasons they say: 1) I can text at work and it doesn’t disturb anyone, I can text in line at the bank and it doesn’t disturb anyone, I can text anywhere and it doesn’t disturb anyone. 2) I can carry on more than one conversation at a time 3) if I don’t get you, you still have the text, not some goofy voicemail and 4) I prefer it.

Okay. My answers…… 1) you should be working at work, not texting (yeah, right) 2) when you talk to me, you should be talking to me (after all I am important) 3) I check my Voicemail…. (well, every now and then, maybe) and 4) Well, …….what about me, what about my needs?

YEAH! I nailed the first three reasons (well, sort of). They have me on number 4 though, hence, my Gen X and Y clients do as well.

Right now, the text seems to carry an urgency that the phone or email no longer possess. That, by the way, will pass. Allow me to transport you to 1997. If you, at that time, did any email marketing you probably did very well statistically. In fact, you may have had open rates of 95% or higher. Today you’re lucky to snag 30%. Want to know why? Well, that’s because when the little mailbox flag popped up in 1997, and your computer said “You’ve got mail,” in that computerized voice, we’d get excited. “I’ve got an email!!!!! What should I do????” Uhhhh, open it, maybe?

To be an effective sales person, as we know, the world must revolve around the consumer. Not only does this revolving make them happy, it also makes you happy (mostly because they’re happy). Beyond that, when I communicate with my clients in the way THEY prefer, I create comfort. When they are comfortable, they are happy. In his book, “What Clients Love” Harry Beckwith makes the case that the thing clients love the most is being COMFORTABLE. Comfort is powerful. Today, the text is comfortable.

SO I text with my sons, or at least I use them for practicing the skill in the hope I can be effective with my similarly aged clients (and I must confess I’m getting better at it too). Just when I get it nailed….. enter the hologram phone.