I see this All. The Time. In fact, I had this email last week from one of my newsletter readers, Andrew:

‘I’ve sent out two emails recently and had no replies ☹ !!!!!
Both have been sales that seemed closed, signed sealed and delivered!!!’

(cross face and frustrated exclamation marks Andrew’s own)

I replied:

‘Don’t panic – give them a call! Best way to get to the bottom of things.’

And just 16 minutes later I receive Andrew’s reply:

‘There we are – first call and appointment booked in!’

OMG. In just one phone call Andrew had secured a client that might have taken weeks to nail down over email.

Now you know I love email (I’m writing a whole book on it), but we shouldn’t always default to it. Especially if things have gone a bit quiet.

Picking up the phone can save hours of chasing, stewing and fearing the worst – whether you need to reach a colleague, client or boss.

A phone call cuts right to the chase, so you can find out if the radio silence was just a result of a busy schedule or whether there was something else at play.

On the phone, you can get to the root of any problems by asking direct questions like:

• ‘Do you see any reason why we shouldn’t go ahead?
• ‘Is there anyone else who needs to sign off this process?’
• ‘Has your situation changed since we last talked?’
• ‘Is there anything else I should know?’
• ‘Is there any more information you need from me to be able to make decision?’
• ‘Do you have any worries or concerns about next steps?’

So this week, I challenge you to phone 3 people who haven’t answered your emails. I bet you see some amazing progress, just like Andrew.