The Benefits of a Phone Call
No way, no how am I getting on the phone with a client. This is something I hear every day from members of my freelance writing course, as well as others who just get in touch to talk. Of course, I find this strange because speaking on the phone with clients offers many benefits.
If you think you can continually get away with avoiding phone calls, consider these three benefits and what they can do for your career:
1. It is quicker to use the phone than any other method of communication. While email is fast, it can become slow and confusing in no time at all if both parties are not willing to respond in a timely manner. With a phone call, you can go back and forth, for as long as necessary, until both parties are on the same page. What takes you many days to discuss via email can be handled in a few minutes on the phone.
2. Ask and answer questions in real time. While this is a huge benefit, many freelancers see it as a disadvantage – this is because they do not like to think on their feet. When speaking on the phone with a client, you may be asked questions that need answered on the spot. For instance, what would you say if a client asked for a quote on the phone? The thought of this is reason enough for many people to never use this communication tool. But instead of seeing this as a bad thing, you should realize that the ability to both ask and answer questions is a huge benefit.
3. You learn a lot about the person on the other end of the phone. While you may think you know somebody by the emails you send back and forth, there is nothing like a phone conversation to show you what they are really like.
Even if you are opposed to speaking with clients on the phone, give this a try just one time. You may be surprised by the benefits above, as well as many others.
