When You Add A Phone Call …

LinkedIn is a very valuable tool for me. I interact with it in some way everyday – connecting with clients, researching prospects, reading business news, and learning from people all around the world.

These are standard things that most of us do on LinkedIn. I’d never considered being more proactive … until I received a message from Peter Hawkens on January 8 of this year.

Peter had sent me a invitation to connect on December 22 and I had accepted. His follow up was:

“Happy New Year! & thanks for connecting. I try to get to know my connections on LinkedIn so that we both might benefit from being connected. Would you have a few minutes to chat this week/next week? Let me know what dates/times work best for you. Wishing you a wonderful New Year”

Several things raced through my mind as I read his message: 1) Why does he want to talk to me? 2) Do I have time for this? 3) Why would I connect with him on LinkedIn if there wasn’t value in at least having a short conversation? and finally 4) Why didn’t I think of this … after all I am The Phone Lady!

Peter and I spoke on January 13 for approximately 14 minutes. He specializes in SEO marketing, spending three years building a successful business working with law firms and now expanding to work with small business. What reaction does he get from his LinkedIn request for a phone call?

“The majority of people are surprised, know that it’s a warm gesture, something we’ve forgotten. … Some are skeptical. They are too cool for phone calls.”

Since November, Peter has made 8 to 10 of these calls a day (definitely a phone superstar!) with the aim of learning something and perhaps discovering an immediate mutual benefit.

“I do my research before the call. Some people really look like they need my help, so I’ll say that in the call, but that’s not my main focus.”

For example, in our brief call, Peter asked me to share business trends I’ve noted since starting The Phone Lady in 2006. No one has ever asked me that question before and it turned into a delightful discussion about common sense.

Peter believes that building a business is about using “… common sense on steroids. When you use your common sense, organize it correctly, do it naturally and do it on purpose, you can do business.”

That certainly holds true for The Phone Lady and having the conversation with Peter added inspiration to my day. And for him? Well … you’ve spent the last few minutes reading about him!

I think Peter’s on to something and he has me wondering … where could we be adding a phone call to our systems and routines that would strengthen our relationships and expand our knowledge? (Tweet This!)

What do you think?

#inspireconversation