Can I Call You?
“It’s good to talk,” Bob Hoskins bleated while counting his hard-earned cash from British Telecom.
“It’s better to email,” replied web entrepreners around the globe.
“Well, sometimes,” concludes Dylan Campbell.
Of course email has its advantages in terms of cost, speed and the ability to send pictures of dancing squirrels. But it will never entirely replace verbal communication.
For many web marketers, giving out an email address to potential customers is seen as enough of a headache without having to tackle the terror of telephone calls.
The idea of actually speaking to someone on the telephone is enough to send many web marketers into a cold sweat. Having to form sentences without the aid of a spell checker or backspace key can be a terrifying prospect.
This could be put down to nerves, lack of confidence or plain and simple shyness. Whatever the reason, if you know you fall into this category don’t be embarrased by it.
But don’t give in to it either.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that refusing to talk to people is standard practice for online businesses. Especially when even large corporations host expensive looking websites without a “contact” page to be seen. It seems to be a rule of thumb, that the grander the business, the harder it is to find someone to talk to.
Don’t be taken in by this.
Not putting a phone number on your website is unprofessional and bad for business.
Remember that most visitors don’t want to talk to someone on the phone either. The safe haven of email will remain the first choice for most.
But some will want to talk to you. If only to confirm that this business is being run by someone real. They want to hear a friendly voice to reassure them that you are on the straight and narrow.
Some visitors just like to KNOW you have a phone number even if they never intend to ring it. Just the presence of a number helps to reinforce the impression that you are a real person running a legitmate business.
Don’t make it difficult for people to contact you. An email address should only be the start of your contact page. Off-line communication should still be an option and a telephone number is the simplest way to start.
If you’re anxious try these tips:
- Be yourself. A friendly voice, umming and erring occasionally, is far more appealing than robot-like professionalism.
- The person will likely tell you their name first, so write it down. If they only tell you their first name, use it. If they tell you their full name, call them Mr ~ or Mrs ~. If they don’t give you a name, Sir or Madam is fine. You want to be relaxed, but not impolite.
- If you’re a nervous person, stand up as you answer the phone as if you’re about to greet them. Remain stood during the call and you should find it easier to converse.
- If you anticipate a lot of calls, invest in a call-centre style headset. Having your hands free to doodle, take notes, type and gesture is very liberating and can do a lot for your confidence.
If you’re worried about midnight phone calls, try these:
- turn the ringer off before you go to bed.
- rent a second telephone line and use an answering machine when you’re unavailable.
- Post your office hours on your website. If you work from home, post the hours between when you rise and go to bed not just the hours during which you work.
- Indicate your timezone on your website. You can help people work out if you are available by linking to http://www.timezoneconverter.com/ .
So no excuses then. List a phone number and be prepared to take some calls.
In all honesty, the majority of people will not want to speak to you directly. But don’t block the ones that do.
Can I call you? The answer should always be YES.
|
This article first appeared in The Nettle Ezine.
If you enjoyed it, why not try The Nettle Magazine at www.thenettle.com
| |
|
Learn how to make money with Google Adsense
|
