The Many Skills of Conversation

March 11, 2023|Mary Jane Copps

Here are some statistics that caught my attention this week:

  • Worldwide, 23 billion texts (Forbes 2021) and 333.2 billion emails (Zippia Oct/22) are sent each day.
  • Of those emails, only 18% actually get opened. And we know that “opened” doesn’t automatically indicate “read” – and certainly doesn’t mean a satisfied customer or an interested prospect.

Which had me wondering about the connection between words on screens and real-time conversations.

What did I find? And what does it mean for your revenue?

In January of this year, Derek Andersen published a post on the Invoca website citing these statistics from Forrester and BIA/Kelsey:

  • 82% of marketers agree that insights from inbound calls and call experiences may reveal costly blind spots in their organization.
  • Phone calls convert to revenue 10-15 times more than web leads.
  • Caller retention rate is 28% higher than web lead retention rate.

While I realize we can’t believe every bit of data we find online, this information does put a spotlight on the importance of speaking to our customers and prospects.

Now, before you assume I’m about to go all negative about text and email … that’s not the case. What I know to be true in our lives today is that we must use every channel available to share our value with both our customers and our target market.

Until we have a strong relationship with a customer or prospect, we don’t know their preferred method of communication.

Do they listen to voicemail? Or are they more inclined to check email? Or perhaps they prefer text? Perhaps a social media platform is where they pick up messages most often.

Our sales and customer service success is dictated by our ability to balance the use of every medium. Choosing one or two because they’re easier or more cost-effective is, at some point, going to limit revenue growth.

Share these questions with your sales and marketing teams:

  • Are our emails creating confusion or being ignored?
  • Are our texts causing annoyance or getting us “blocked”?
  • Are we creating valuable interactions with our prospects and customers on social media platforms and with our content?
  • Are any of us feeling uncomfortable having – and inspiring – real-time conversations with our prospects and customers?

If your answer is “yes” to any of the above, you want to prioritize change. Whether it is creative brainstorming with your team, reaching out to a consultant, or connecting with a knowledgeable instructor, don’t wait.

It’s a tremendous challenge to communicate in so many different ways. It does require a wide range of skills. And the future health and wealth of your company depend on it.

#InspireConversation

Real-time conversation skills directly impact leadership effectiveness, customer experience, collaboration, and business growth.

As communication becomes increasingly digital, many professionals spend less time practicing and using the skills required for clear, confident and effective real-time conversations. Explore new options for improvement.

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To celebrate 20 years of The Phone Lady, we're revisiting what truly makes communication meaningful. Every second week, we'll share a bit of wisdom to remind us that small shifts in how we speak, listen, and connect make a big difference. (You'll also receive access to our Exclusive Resources, including 4 ebooks.)

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