When you think of all the ways people communicate in the 21st century, you might forget about the old-fashioned desktop phone. Two entire generations (millennials and Gen Z) have grown up with texting and social media, and members of these generations tend to find phone calls invasive, time-consuming, and stressful. As a result, many younger salespeople actively avoid calling prospects and customers. But is this call reluctance costing them deals?

In this article, we will explore the role of the phone in modern technical sales, and how new salespeople can best take advantage of this time-tested communication tool.

An Epidemic of Call Reluctance

Even before texting and social media, many salespeople experienced “call reluctance,” fighting waves of anxiety whenever their job required making unsolicited calls to prospects and then fumbling awkwardly through conversations if the prospect picked up. But now that we live in a world where most of us wouldn’t call our own parents or children without texting first, call reluctance has become an epidemic. A survey of UK office workers found that 62% of millennial and Gen Z employees felt some kind of phobia related to calling people on the phone, or even answering calls! Meanwhile, a survey by Invesp found that 48% of today’s salespeople never attempt a follow-up if their first call doesn’t connect.

This is unfortunate, as – when it comes to sales – voice-to-voice communication still has a unique power to build rapport, convey enthusiasm, and address a prospect’s concerns in real-time. And while email and other forms of messaging have their place –such as allowing prospects to reply at their convenience – they also introduce delays and potential misunderstandings that can derail the sales process. A Zendesk survey found that 41.2% of successful salespeople consider the phone their most effective means of communication, and while 8 out of 10 buyers would rather receive a cold email over a cold call, over 50% of B2B decision makers prefer talking to vendors on the phone if they’re seriously considering a purchase.

Finding the Right Mix of Communications

None of this is to say that salespeople shouldn’t leverage other forms of communication, but the key is finding the right balance. Sending prospects emails with tailored content, then tracking opens and click-throughs is an excellent way to identify prospects who might be receptive to a call. Likewise, posting content to digital media is a low pressure way to invite customer engagement.

But once you have reason to suspect a prospect is interested in your company’s solution, a phone call is an excellent way to capitalize on that momentum. Even if the prospect is unavailable, or says the time isn’t right, or seems put off by the intrusion, that’s okay. You can always call back later, or follow up via email, social media, or another lower-pressure communication channel.

Curing Call Reluctance

While call reluctance has grown more acute in the digital age, the cure is nothing new – mainly it’s the same forms of training that companies have always given their people, just a lot more of it. This starts with basic soft skills training, including active listening, empathy, and using questions to build rapport and elicit information. And it continues with learning and role-playing basic call scripts and frameworks (e.g. Zig Ziglar’s classic “POGO” technique for opening a discovery call – ask about the person, ask about the organization, ask about their goals, then ask about their obstacles.)

Salespeople also need to go into calls with a purpose and a positive mindset. If you just call a prospect to ask them if they want to buy something then yes, that is an unwelcome intrusion. But if you take time to research their organization and needs, and come with insights about how your solution can make their working lives better, then you’re not being intrusive. You’re being helpful.

Finally, like a bodybuilder in the gym, there’s no substitute for just doing a lot of repetitive practice. Encourage salespeople to start each day with some ‘throwaway’ calls to low-probability prospects, just so they can get over fear of failure. And make a new salesperson’s initial goals as much about activity (e.g. “How fast can you get 100 no’s?”) as results (i.e., conversion percentage.)

Conclusion

Even with so many other communication channels available to us, the phone retains a unique ability to create human connection. And call reluctance deprives salespeople of opportunities to build relationships, understand customer needs, and close deals efficiently. By providing salespeople with training, frameworks, and positive reinforcement, companies can help technical sales teams master the phone as a tool for closing deals.