There is a chronic problem among the new generations who grew up with smartphones and chat apps always at hand, able to talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time. The problem is: they don’t know how to communicate. In the real world, they have unlearned, or never learned, how to interact with one another. It is not unusual to hear people between 20 and 25 say they don’t like making phone calls or don’t know how to talk on the phone. Even more common is meeting people who have never gone to visit a very close friend at home. Personal conversation, loose, vulnerable, full of possibilities and detours that come from responding to someone on the spot, makes people uncomfortable.
And this culture of messaging, of long-distance communication, of remote work, has spread more and more through both personal and professional life. This is not a criticism of the possibilities we have today; it is an appeal to look back a little at what gave rise to these possibilities: our surprising and essential ability to interact in the real world. It is no coincidence that many of the top positions in companies are filled by people recommended by others who already know them. Meeting someone in person, talking face to face, knowing how they speak, present themselves, and act in certain situations is often more important than proving technical knowledge. The same goes for sales. You can send 50 emails to the company or client you want to talk to, with specific goals, segmented, in the right tone, all in line with your marketing strategy. I guarantee that a face-to-face conversation with the right person will be worth more than all of that. To get that conversation, a few emails or phone calls will be needed, some specific contacts need to be selected, and some information needs to be gathered. In other words, the marketing strategy will not be set aside. What matters is not to limit yourself to it, not to think that just because digital has made our interaction immensely easier, it is enough. This also applies to companies’ internal communication. I bet you have been in a situation where, sitting across from a coworker you needed to talk to, you ended up chatting through some messaging app to sort out your issue. There is no shortage these days of agencies where everyone seems to live in a bubble, wearing headphones, not interacting, working as if they were remote. You don’t always need to schedule a meeting to have an honest, clarifying conversation with someone. In the same way, your lead doesn’t have to convert only through digital channels. Once you have their contact details, in a non-intrusive way, give them a call. Remember the man who sold ice cream on your street? He talked you into buying two vanilla ice creams with his gift of gab and good communication. That applies to your sales too. Use that conversation to clear up all your questions about the client’s needs, listen carefully, and present your proposals without raising expectations too much, showing real results. After the conversation, write down points such as: ● ● ● ●
How did the conversation go? What is the lead’s level of interest? Do they have the budget to close the purchase or contract? What could the next steps be to make a sale happen?
Nothing beats a tête-à-tête for grasping your client’s opinion, motivations, and desires more quickly and truly. Likewise, nothing beats a good chat for persuading someone. When conversation becomes negative The point at which personal interaction becomes a problem is when it is used as an excuse to kill time. Among the most exhausting things at large and mid-sized companies is the constant scheduling of unnecessary, unproductive meetings. The real importance of meeting stops being noticed when it happens too often, when it isn’t guided by a specific focus, with the right people, and directed toward an action.
This Porta dos Fundos video is a good example of what I mean. To break this habit of meetings that eat up time, patience, and productivity, the following questions need to be answered by whoever is organizing the meeting before anything is scheduled. Why do we need this meeting? A meeting that starts without a specific purpose never ends. Sometimes the purpose may be more subjective, such as brainstorming a product name, but even so there is a final goal to be reached. Is it to define the project scope and timeline? To go over the changes sent by the client? To give feedback? All of this culminates in people who will take an action. Who needs to be part of this decision? Is it Jorge or Aline who need to be there to decide what will be done? Which project are we talking about? Does this concern marketing or finance? Who really needs to attend this meeting? Don’t pull unnecessary people away from their work just to sit and listen. How much time do we have to discuss it? Setting aside some of the day’s tasks to discuss important matters isn’t exactly the problem. The problem is believing there is all the time in the world for this discussion (and that this time is necessary). Long meetings end up creating distraction and don’t encourage people to think of solutions more quickly. Set an exact amount of time for the meeting and only extend it if it will really bring effective results. Most of the time, half an hour is more than enough. What action will come out of the discussion?
Once the subject has been discussed, who will do what, and what is the deadline for completing the actions? The lack of this final definition may be the biggest mistake in most meetings. Everything needs to lead to an action. While these tasks are being carried out, also define a communication channel among team members, such as Slack or another tool the company uses.
Direct contact with people and stepping away from the solitary work desk can be very effective tools for better results; all it takes is a little organization and common sense. Feedback meetings, for example, are extremely important for improving the skills of team members and of the company itself. What matters is holding them with purpose, always steering the discussion toward some action.
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