5 Reasons Why Selling and Texting Don’t Mix

How much time do you spend texting clients versus talking with them or meeting face-to-face? This month, I share five reasons why I believe texting isn’t an effective strategy for selling today.

Texting Is Just Plain Anti-Social

Okay, I have a rant coming on…I’m not crazy about texting. I think it’s nuts how people endanger their lives and others’ lives by driving and texting. I mean it’s fine for short messages (when standing still), but overall it’s just plain anti-social and creates an environment where people forget how to talk, interact, and connect with other humans and find comfort in hiding behind the buttons. The other day I was watching four people I assumed were friends sitting at a table in a restaurant – all texting someone else! What are you out for? Call me old-fashioned – I don’t care. I happen to believe in talking to people – crazy, huh?

Can You Really Do More – and Close More – by Texting?

Now, to the point: Selling and texting do not mix. A few days ago I was giving a talk on my topic of Sales Culture and I noticed someone in the back of the room busy texting. I couldn’t resist asking, “What are you texting about?” She responded, “I’m closing a deal with a client.” Well, of course, I just had to ask, and the general idea was that she felt she could do more and close more through the magical art of texting! Huh? Really?

I’m no expert on the long-term view of whether more deals will get done by texting, but here’s what I do know:

  1. Selling happens when relationships happen and said relationships flourish. This only happens face to face. Period.
  2. Selling is complex and requires attention to detail and multiple requirements to make the deal happen. This is best done face to face.
  3. It’s impossible to explain the complexities of a deal to your virtual team and more importantly to your client via text.
  4. Texting eliminates the possibility of seeing and responding to body language and silent buying signals.
  5. Texting is anti-social. Hey – I like technology as much as the next geek, but I don’t let it get in the way of my social and interpersonal skills – all of which are required for successful sales results.

That’s it. If you’re spending too much time texting your clients and not talking to them, I suggest you revisit your sales strategy! I think you’ll get more sales and actually enjoy your job more.

4 thoughts on “5 Reasons Why Selling and Texting Don’t Mix”

  1. Todd,

    I take your point here but think that it depends on relationship maturity and the type of sale. In the IT space and staffing, managers are utilizing texting more and more. You can never replace the value of being in person, but the business environment is forcing the use of alternative ways to communicate.

    Thanks…Mark

  2. Hi Todd,

    I could not agree with you more. Well to a point. Face to Face is always the goal. We find out how our clients prefer to be communicated with. Then use that as a tool to build rapport.

    I personally would like a vendor who could text me their ETA or progress on some task. Keeping me in the loop so to speak. This would build trust for me that could be cashed in later in additional sales

    In my home service industry we use mobile technology to free up our clients time. Sending a client a text with our ETA or the job is done and their home is locked has value as a sales tool.

    Texting is only a tool and no substitute for real communication

    Bill Lutz
    Generation 3 Electric, Inc.
    http://generation3electric.com
    http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/

  3. I completely agree with you about texting and driving…talking on the cell and driving too for that matter! I agree, I do not believe that texting with your potential/future customer is going to always close the deal. However, being in the staffing industry, I have found that each generation graduating from college looks at technology much differently than I do (graduated college in 1988). I find myself incorporating social media and texting into my daily activities as a way to connect and initiate a future partnership, however, at some point you do need to connect “live” on the phone and/or in person. I believe it is an important tool that should be incorporated as another means of connecting/communicating and embrace different ways people like to communicate. However at the end of the day you do need to have the one-on-one phone time and face time to seal the deal.

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