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Note from Glen: This is a post by Ramsay, who was recently introduced as a new member of the ViperChill team. Last month I made an extra $5,000 by jumping on the phone with a long-term email client to close a deal. And at that moment I had an important business realization: I’d forgotten something vital. And I think almost every blogger is making the same mistake that I was. You see, blogging and internet marketing can be a really tiny industry sometimes.
There are a few big players who dictate how things are done and then everyone else follows for a while. But within that narrow spectrum of teaching and following there are vital business practices being overlooked. This is not another “how to make money by following this method” kind of post. By the end of it you won’t have a new gimmick to test and obsess over.
But you might have an idea planted in your head that works for you for the rest of your business life.
And it might make you a lot of cash.
Let’s get started.
How I Made That $5,000
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now you’ll know that my money doesn’t just come from Blog Tyrant. I actually try to get my fingers in as many pies as is reasonably intelligently possible.
The reason for that is simple: if you put all your eggs in one basket you’ll end up getting hurt.
Believe it or not, I learned this lesson from Google when they de-indexed my one and only blog back in University. This blog was my only income – the Adsense clicks were almost 100% of what I earned. So when the blog got turned off I ended up with nothing.
Luckily that blog came back in the SERPs. Not everyone’s does. Since then I’ve tried to keep a sexy mix of affiliate income, premium content writing, blog design and consulting work to help me make a living online.
Here’s how it went down…
Prior to the phone meeting I’d been emailing a long-term client for weeks and weeks about a new project that we were hoping to get started. I had previously built a website for them and we were discussing a new blog that they were desperate to get me on board with.
The problem? It just wasn’t happening.
We’d been emailing back and forth ideas and concepts and I’d told them I was ready to move. I had content plans, product ideas and website design drafts to show them. Excitement was building but no money had changed hands and something always seemed to pop up.
And then we jumped on the phone and met up for a quick coffee.
Within 20 minutes I’d sorted out all their objections and fears and sufficiently assured them that it was time to move. The next day they paid their invoice and the website and copy writing is now all under way. By the end of the year I think they are going to have a pretty cool blog and product ready to go.
And it all happened because of a phone conversation.
What Are We All Doing Wrong?
After I got off the phone to my client it occurred to me that something very important had just happened.
And I realized that it is something that almost every blogger is failing to do: make face-to-face contact.
I was amazed at how quickly the issues had been overcome by simply taking the time to talk to my client in a medium where they could hear my voice and see my face.
It was fast.
It was immediate.
And, most importantly, it was very personal.
I could have kicked myself at all the wasted hours. As I sat there thinking about what had just happened I wondered how many other jobs I’d lost because I was so insistent on being a hermit that only communicates via email. And this problem applies very directly to blogging.
The Problem With the Blogger Mentality
You see the problem with us bloggers is that we are all quite tech-savvy. Maybe it is a Gen-Y thing but given a choice between a phone call and a text message, I’d much rather send a quick SMS. And given a choice between an SMS and an email I’d rather send the email. But in a lot of ways this is a serious mistake.
Sure, it’s nice for us to stay in our pyjamas all day and talk to our clients and potential clients by email instead of meeting up for a coffee. It’s very safe and easy. Your clients might not feel like that though. Nor the people who want to collaborate with you on big new projects. Or the people who might want to buy your expensive product.
Yes we bloggers like to use email and social media to stay in touch. It’s often a lot faster and you don’t have to sit around a boardroom for two hours discussing what, 90% of the time, everyone already knew.
But sometimes you need to show your face. Sometimes people desperately need to see it.
And Skype offers us a way to “have a coffee” with clients and potential clients anywhere in the world and possibly create a whole new revenue stream.
Why is “Face to Face” So Important?
If anyone knows about the difference between being anonymous and showing your face, it’s me. Since unveiling on ViperChill a few months ago a lot of new doors have opened up.
But I’ve also been lucky enough to grow up around some really successful businessmen and women who are constantly closing big deals and impressing their clients on the phone and in face-to-face scenarios.
Some of the simple but extremely important lessons I’ve been told by my family members include:
- Never email a proposal
My sister told me that she massively increased her sales rates by refusing to ever email a proposal to a potential client. Instead she tells them she has five minutes free and she’ll meet them for a quick coffee to go over it. I’ll tell you why this works later on. Oh, and did I mentioned she was top seller for her firm in the country? - Never wear sunglasses
When I was probably around 10 I went to a big meeting with my dad who was wearing transition lenses at the time. As the meeting was outdoors the glasses turned into sunglasses and he took them off and put them in his pocket. When I asked him why he was doing that (he needed them to see), he told me that you should always look clients in the eye to create a bond. Sunglasses prevented that. Computer screens do too. - Deals that count don’t get closed by email
Obviously there will be exceptions to this rule but I remember hearing that all the big deals – the ones that count – get closed at lunch meetings, golf games and other face-to-face scenarios. The details might get worked out over email but the real “selling” takes place when you can chat openly. More on this later.
So why wasn’t I applying these things to my work as a blogger or copy writer?
It’s often really tempting to think that just because our services or products are online we can just use email. And in many cases that will be enough.
But what I’ve found recently is that some of the most impressive sales and business relationships have only come about because of a face to face meeting. And Skype gives us a modern version of this. Meeting in person is even better but with Skype we can create personal bonds that were hard to develop before.
So why is it that talking on Skype or meeting a person for lunch can be so much more powerful for selling a product or creating an important alliance? Well, there are a few reasons.
- Humans are social creatures
By nature, humans are very social creatures. We make families, go out for dinner with friends and play in sporting teams. We are built for that community living – our whole society is set up in that way. Why, then, would we forget to do apply that basic principle to blogging and business? - Email is still new
It sounds totally ridiculous for us but for a lot of people email is still considered something new and foreign. Even if they have been using it for ten years, many people from the previous generations don’t feel “at home” using it because they didn’t grow up with it like we did. For them, face to face will always be the default. - Email causes a physical stress response
Believe it or not but studies have shown that constantly checking emails causes the body stress. What this means is that for a lot of stressed out people (me included!), emails often represent negative things. Perhaps not a great introduction to a deal? - People don’t believe you based on what you say
Strange but true. A lot of the time we don’t trust people because of what they say, we trust them because of how they say it. Facial expressions, tones, etc. This guy has made a career out of reading them. Mix that with the fact that the internet is a scary place for a lot of people and you are much better off showing your face. - It is an organic and fast process
As happened to me in the example above, talking face to face can be a much faster process. Emails take time and people put them off (sometimes it takes weeks for Glen to reply to me). But on Skype or at a meeting you can jam and chat and things move really efficiently – if you’re good at it.
One of the most common questions that you guys asked on my unmasking post was about how we can speed up the whole process. So many new bloggers get upset at how long it takes to be successful. And I can’t help but wonder whether part of the missing ingredient for a lot of us is the human connection.
So let’s move on to the fun stuff.
How You Can Use This to Grow Your Online Business
Hopefully by now you’ll be thinking that maybe creating a face to face connection is a good idea. So what’s the best way to go about it?
Let’s take a look.
1. Do the Blog Tyrant — unmask
If you are blogging anonymously I think it might be time to consider getting your face out there.
As you might already know, I blogged anonymously for exactly 99 posts before revealing my identity. It was a huge step for me as I’d built up a lot of brand equity as the Blog Tyrant and was pretty concerned that the “buzz” on my blog would die off after I opened up.
It didn’t. Things got better.
My old friends and loyal readers became more friendly and I seem to be getting lots more personal interactions with people who visit the site. I even got asked out on a few dates!
But if you think it worked well for me, have a look at what happened when James Chartrand from Men with Pens revealed that he was a she! Remember, this was before Twitter was big.
2. Collaboration potential – arrange Skype chats with bloggers whenever possible
This is probably the most important point because by getting on Skype with bigger guys in your industry you often open up a lot of doors to new collaborations. And collaborations are the things that really grow careers.
Blog Tyrant was going really well for me but when Glen asked me to join the ViperChill team I knew that things would really take off. It’s a simple fact of business that you can get a lot more done when you team up with people who believe in and want to achieve the same things as you.
Now, the ironic thing here is that Glen and I never video Skyped before we came to our arrangement. But it did involve me opening up my “secret identity” to him and sharing lots of personal exchanges. I even emailed him pictures of my cat! (Note from Glen: This is true, as well as photos of his GF)
So the next time you get an opportunity to do it, why not drop the phrase, “Hey can you jump on Skype real quick?” You’ll be surprised how many doors open up once a person has seen your face and heard your voice.
So how do you get big bloggers on a Skype chat?
- Start with their needs
Glen suggests that one of the most powerful ways is to start with their needs and slowly transition to your own. For example, you might hit us up saying you want to promote one of our products or posts and then gradually ask for something in return. - Be personal and informal
In my article on how to write successful emails I talk about a similar thing – try to be informal and personal by studying the big blogger and getting to know their favorite TV shows, sporting teams, etc. I love Tweets about tennis!
Remember, the idea here is not to “scam” your way into a phone chat with an A-lister. The idea is to develop real friendships and alliances that you actually value. There are guys like Pat Flynn, Darren Rowse and Brian Clark that I Tweet and email because I genuinely respect and like them. There are also other big bloggers that have similar influence but whom I never email.
3. Emphasize your photo and personality on your site
Since unmasking I’ve made my photo prominent in my sidebar, on my About Me and You page and on my Facebook Page.
I can assure you this wasn’t an easy move for me – propping myself up like that makes me feel like a douche. I’d much rather stay anonymous. But at some point I realized that I had to bring myself in to my brand more. If I want blogging to be a viable long term career for me I need to get myself out there instead of just the website.
By making your photo and story accessible and prominent you can create some distinctiveness even when your content might not be that original.
Neil’s simple but effective sidebar photo and bio.
Neil Patel does this really well as you can see in the shot above.
Adding his photo and story to his sidebar keeps him visible and distinctive no matter which article you click on. Once you see the face and bio a few times you feel a sense of trust and are more likely to stick around when you know it’s something he’s written.
4. Connect with readers and potential clients on Skype
These days a lot of bloggers are talking about loyalty. But something even more important than that is creating distinctiveness. You need to stand out.
Now, I’m sure I wasn’t the first person to do this (Glen: *cough*) but a lot of people have commented on how a number of big bloggers are now replying to every comment after it became well known that I was doing it on Blog Tyrant. And while I’m sure this added to a sense of community and belonging on my site, I think the main thing it did was help me stand out from the crowd.
With Skype you can take this process even further. Sure, it might take a little more time but by jumping on for a quick chat you might close a sale because the person wants to give you the business. You will be surprised at how many people will buy your product or service because they like you more than they like what you are offering.
If you are really good at what you do you can also charge for this time. People will pay for solutions – especially if they come from their favorite blogger. Don’t be afraid to take this relationship/situation to a paid level.
5. Use video whenever possible / reasonable
Videos are getting bigger and bigger every day. As far as I’m concerned, the only drawbacks with video is that people often can’t watch them at work and sometimes they take too long to digest in a world full of “scan readers”.
But if you can do it nicely and at the right moments you can make a big impression.
Someone who does this really well (is there anything he doesn’t do well though?) is Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income. Let’s take a look at the video he made for his “Start Here” page where a lot of newcomers get to meet the man behind the site.
This approach is personal, warming and, above all, gets noticed. People instantly feel connected to Pat and are more open to his ideas and articles. Although it isn’t a live chat in person or on Skype it does produce a very similar affect. A lot of the time I read articles he’s written that I otherwise might not just because I really like Pat.
Tips For Getting the Most out of Skype
I wanted to finish off this article by giving you some practical tips for using Skype.
More importantly, I’d love to draw on the experience of the ViperChill crowd so if you have any of your own tips please leave a comment. Feel free to drop a link as well if you’ve written anything that might help.
- Photo: Make sure your photo is friendly and recognizable such that when people see you on other media like blogs or Twitter they will know who it is straight away.
- Handle: Ensure that your handle is appropriate for all types of conversations. You don’t want to be doing a big business meeting under the name “lazybugger433434″.
- Expectations: Don’t be online all the time unless you are willing to take calls when people see you there. Set up times to be online so people don’t feel ignored.
- Quality sound: There is nothing worse than having an important conversation on Skype with someone that you can’t understand due to bad sound. Make sure you buy a good quality mic like the one I used here.
- Preparation: When I do my consultation calls I try to set aside at least 20 minutes before hand to go over the topic – even if I know it extremely well. This lets me put together any links or resources I might want to share as well as refreshing my memories of the subject.
- Presentation: If you’re jumping on a video chat then you really want to make sure your hair is brushed and you have a nice shirt on. This matters more for big paying clients than it does for friends and contacts.
The most important thing here though is to be yourself and find your own style.
What Do You Think?
Do you think you could increase your conversions, sales or relationships by adding in some more face-to-face time? Have you ever used Skype in this way? Leave a comment and let me know.
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Awesome post Glen!
*Ramsay
Right By Glen I meant Ramsay!
Great stuff Ramsay!
And by “Glen” I mean Ramsay!
Ha ha. Thanks Jordan.
What an amazing start post Ramsay?
I think that personality is something important.
I did not use skype in this way, but I will try to do so.
However, Thanks again for this post.
Regards,
Ahmed safwan
Thanks Ahmed. I really appreciate the support.
I agree with you guys. Along with branding of our blog we should also do some personal branding to get more out of blogging and internet marketing.. Nice post.
I agree with you Avi.
I guess they have given a nice example of Neil Patel who is using his picture on the sidebar to attract visitors and we are placing affiliate links to convert traffic ? we should do personal branding as well !
Nice post.
Thank you
Saif
With respect, this is one of the things you learn pretty quickly in a real business / office environment.
I can get done on the phone in 10 minutes what most people struggle to get done in a day via email.
I really like the tip about creating an informal meeting in order to deliver a proposal, rather than simply emailing it over.
Hey Butler.
Yep, a lot of people tell me that about the work place. That’s why it’s something I wanted to touch on for bloggers because I think a lot of us are missing out.
Thanks for commenting.
I think we’ve both forgotten what that’s like to be honest (I know I have).
It has been 3 and a half years since I worked in one, but thinking back, you do have a point
Yep.
Ha-ha, I can’t wait to close my first deal on the golf course and I don’t even play golf.
I have my picture on my blog, but I am going to start doing videos soon, just so people can get to know me better. I know I feel like I know people better if they do podcasts and videos.
I probably won’t like it because I’m not used to it, but I’ll try my hardest to do it.
BTW, I agree that most big deals wouldn’t happen over email. That must be a blogger thing to think that. It just seems so weird when you think about it. I’d definitely want to speak to someone before handing over thousands.
Hey Jamie.
Yep, golf game deals sound pretty fun!
Thanks for stopping by over here.
I like that Bio widget idea Ramsay, think I’ll implement it today.
Thanks Pierre. Hope it helps.
Hey Glen and Ramsay!
Good to see more frequent posts here, always enjoy reading them!
Skype is awesome for videos, coaching and interviews (I’ve been doing a lot of them and you can very easily make it look really good with simple skype recording software like Evaer – costs $20- and then some basic video editing) like I did here with Billy Murphy from ForeverJobless.com (the poker membership guy you interviewed recently) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJCqHeaD41I&feature=player_embedded
Hope all is well, let me know if I can help in any way with VC!
Cheers
Diggy
Diggy! Long time no see!
Hope you are doing well. I’ll check that out.
Hey bro,
Hope all is good back in Amsterdam. Dig the t-shirt…makes me miss it…slightly
Sounds like business 101… In any case, blogging is about getting writing ideas out of nowhere, so great job, Ramsay.
Thanks, I think.
No, really, great post, sorry if I sounded sarcastic there. “Unveiling” is extremely important for credibility and authority, and I think this post will be the last drop for me to get open as well.
Thanks Dan.
Hey Ramsay! Where did hell did you find the idea of blogging anonymously? Why?
Hi Julius. I talk about that a lot in the unmasking post. It’s quite a popular thing to do these days.
Hey Ramsay, and Glen!
Loved the post, I can see why it may look a little like common sense as Butler said, but still, this is important. Lots of people in the blogosphere ger really sucked into the virtual world, they almost forget that a business exists also outside the internet.
i loved the layout of the post, you could easly get in much more details with all the ‘face to face’ thing and the psychology involved, but instead you made it straight to the point.
to me it hasn’t renewed much, instead it highlighted my weakness. Since I lack in english conversation skills, it is kind of a big deal…But this is something I’ll have to work out somehow anyway.
Moses
Thanks Moses. Glad you liked it.
Totally forgot,
I absolutely LOVE the animated pictures!! they add much.
I wonder where do you find them? or do you make them?
Have to ask Glen for that one.
They’re called Cinemagraphs
I <3 them
Awesome thanks! it immediately gives a Harry feeling
Are they free to use? or you are the one who makes yours… sounds difficult
Your English seems perfect to me
Much better than native speakers I know
Thanks alot glen, I too feel that my written English improved alot, but that’s written… I use the ‘edit’ hack haha, harder to cheat in real
Great post Ramsey.
Often times we are failing to realize that through conversation with someone (eye to eye, or just a phone call) we are sensing each other’s energy, enthusiasm about the idea, and are being able to evaluate things like level of expertise, sincere passion about the mater, positive attitude. We also gain a general understanding of the person, and just as you said, that plays not only a big role in whether we are going to like him less, or even more, but how we are going to react on his offers, products, ideas, points of view…
I’ll definitely consider adding some pictures and even some video samples, as to leverage this knowledge.
So thanks
Glad you liked it Slavko.
It’s amazing how much information we absorb without even listening to what someone says. I really think that face to face element is important.
Thanks for commenting.
Great comment Slavko
Hey Ramsay,
This is a very interesting post and utilization of Skype; I have never thought of using Skype this extensively or thought about the advantages of doing business using Skype from an online perspective. Yes I have been hosting domains, developing websites and offered graphic designing to my clients from a previous website I’ve had but never did it occur to me to use it to “sign” the deal. It was always to communicate with my clients more easily when we have already signed the deals.
Having just launched my new site and also having just set up my “Hire Me” page on the site, I’d be sure to try and take any conversation regarding my services straight to Skype as soon as I can!
Great work guys!
Hi Ruan .
Great to see you over here again.
Hope the ideas help.
Great points and very well written, Ramsay. The only problem is that only a small % of people use Skype overall. I think the same points hold true for phone calls though. I am one of those ‘email only’ people who will just shoot off an email and wait for the person to reply. It’s my wife who often has to point out … “I think X is more of a phone call person … why don’t you call him?” Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?!
We need to get in the habit of engaging with people in the medium of their choice, not just our own.
Hey Damien,
“We need to get in the habit of engaging with people in the medium of their choice, not just our own.”
That makes for an excellent quote.
Very well said!
Great post Ramsay~ =D
The more bloggers get into the mentality of IT Savvy, the more they’re hiding behind the computer and not facing the real deal in a good way.
Communication & relationships still is a must in doing business, that connects us to the world.
Great job Ramsay! While nothing beats physically being present, Skype is the closest thing we’ve got–especially when you want to make relationships from the States to Australia or South Korea, etc.
I forgot who said it, but someone once said that relationships are so important, that even bloggers, who make their living behind a computer, meet once or twice a year from all around the world at the Blog World Expo.
Real relationships matter.
Hey Ryan.
Yep. Very true. I remember Shoemoney once saying that he never promotes an affiliate unless he’s met them in person.
Hey handsome dude (I aint a gay lol$)
I wonder why you refuse to show us your pic before – i still doubt if you are the person here though…
Lovelyt post Ramsay. I so much like it. Just reading another post about building business or start-up and same thing you gyus advised…. you actually warned me to stop reading blog posts!
Sheyi
Me or Ramsay? (The doubt part)…
Personal relationships as well as people who are really transparent are definitely hard to come by in the internet marketing world. But at least that’s what leaves the door open for people like you and Glen (as well as a few others) to stand out because you are open about your businesses and you do try to form as personal of a relationship as possible with your readers.
I know for me it’s uncomfortable to do Skype video calls when email is so tempting – it’s just a matter of stepping outside my comfort zone to do something I know will be good for my business.
Thanks for the great post! Looking forward to more!
Thomas
Thanks Thomas. Appreciate the comment.
Hello Ramsay, what a great timely article! I was just thinking about this topic recently (i.e. using Skype more with blogging) and also discussed it with a family member this morning before reading your post…must be a sign I’m on the right track.
I used Skype not too long ago to have a project check-in meeting with a friend/colleague. We usually meet in person, but Skype was the next best thing that day given our busy schedules. There sure is nothing like have a conversation with someone face to face. I am definitely going to bookmark this article and will keep these points in mind. Thanks again!
Glad you liked it Rashelle.
Excellent post Ramsay, I see a whole lot of potential with Skype from teachers earning money giving lessons to students in different countries to attractive women charging a LOT of money for men to simply talk to them for 20 minutes. (Seriously, here in the UK there was a whole documentary dedicated to women Rinsing men on Skype!)
I know the above examples are slightly off track from yours but Skype is an incredible tool. You are right people love to talk face to face, they love to see any tell tale signs of lying or when someone seems to pause over questions showing that they no little about the issue, half way through a meeting you cannot cut and paste from other sites as you could if you were pretending to write a genuine an email.
The internet has caused a faceless generation and I imagine those who venture out and start doing face to face meetings will win big time. The human connection in business has been missing for quite a while now.
Andi
I cannot believe I have put …’ that they no little…’ It annoys me when people cannot get the right know in a sentence D’oh. As Glen said earlier Moses’ English is better than native speakers… that will be me then!
Ha ha. This made me laugh.
Thanks for the great comment Andi.
This is a good post and I’ve found that people do take you a little more seriously when face-to-face, or virtually via Skype or G+ Hangouts (great for multiple people by the way).
I personally have been trying to get out there more in the social as well as dipping my toe in video. I’m an ugly spud, so I have that hangup to get past. I’m not exactly sure where I want to take the video stuff, but it has to lead into income if I want to make a go of it.
I’m also a big fan of Pat Flynn and what he’s done with his video.
Video…It’s the future I hear.
Take care and keep it up,
- Christopher
Hi Christopher.
Yep, as a general rule of thumb whatever Pat does is a good idea!
Good luck with it.
PS – You are definitely not an “ugly spud”.
100% spot on about the face to face (Thank you, Skype!)
There’s something about seeing someone and talking to them in real time that dissolves miles and barriers and makes you feel like old friends.
But I trusted you without knowing you are really Ramsay not Blogtyrant
Ah well. Always BT tome.
Thank you BT and Glen
Ha ha. So many people still want to call me BT.
Thanks Vidya.
Great post. Sounds easy enough. Sometimes my head explodes with all of the easy, simple, must-do things I need to try….
But I think I can manage a phone call or a Skype.
I know what you mean Kimberly. Lots to think about these days.
Hmm…..
Am I the only one who feels a little bit disappointed here? The problem is that Glen set such high bar with his posts. The reason why I love Glen’s posts is that the posts are 100% “Fluff Free”. They carry actionable advice, deep thoughts about the business and nothing else.
Ramsey, while it’s a very nice post and all, but let’s face it, it’s far from “100% fluff free”. As far as actionable advice or deep thoughts – not e-mailing the proposals is nice, but that’s about it.
Wearing a nice shirt, brushing your hair, eye-contact….seriously? This is a great advice to social-inept, anti-social high school boys, but for the readers of this blog might not as eye-opening.
Just my 2 cents.
Hey Pavel.
Thanks for the feedback. I knew I’d get a lot of criticism over here because this crowd is really loyal to Glen. And let’s face it – his articles are great!
I’ll do my best to lift the bar for you in the next few weeks.
Ramsay
Use Skype a lot to keep in touch with family- but not for business – but makes sense!
Let us know how you go!
Great post Ramsey and Glen,
I’ll adopt your suggestions and start working on those videos.
Let us know how you go Ron.
Nice post… Even I used to blog under a false name but I have unmasked my self now.
Good evening, Ramsay,
Having spent many years in the office environment of face-to-face contact, I really struggled – indeed continue to struggle – with the on-line world.
When I first ‘met’ a big name blogger on skype, I found it the most difficult interaction to handle as it was without a camera – I don’t ‘do’ cameras, but am quite at ease with face-to-face. I needed and still need to be able to see the other person’s reaction to my comments, especially where humour is concerned. The end result without face to face is I am quiet and reserved, which isn’t the best impression to give. Try as I might, I can’t make it feel like a telephone conversation….. err, thinking about it, I’m no good on those either!
With email on the other hand, I’ve learnt that I can be as garrulous, provocative, humorous and flirtatious as I want – so far no adverse response from the recipients. So as you youngsters brought up in the techie world may need to learn to by up front about your face, so there are we dinosaurs who need to learn to be without it!
Kind regards,
L
Great points Linda.
I noticed, actually, that when I was having chats with people in the US my Australian humor often got lost.
It’s definitely a new still to master.
Thanks for your great comment.
I’ve had a love / hate relationship with Skype, phone calls, and face to face meetings to solidify business deals in general. I think it may all depend on the type of business you do and how your clients like to deal with things – I’m a freelance writer who specializes in online marketing topics, so most of my potential client base is very email friendly.
While I have closed some deals, I have also found that I have wasted a lot more time with in person meetings, calls, and Skyping. For example, I’ve driven 40 minutes to a meeting, spent 1 hour talking, driven 40 minutes back, and then didn’t close a deal. Or I’ve spent call after call after call trying to finalize details (each call probably averaging 30 minutes) just for the client to “go in a different direction.”
With email, I have a cut & paste template with my rates and services and people either say yes or no. I would say I’ve gotten more of my larger deals after one or two emails, and even if I have to write a few more back and forth, writing emails is much more convenient and less time consuming that the back and forth emailing to schedule a call or in person meeting. Plus you always have something to refer back to vs. notes where you might miss writing down a detail or two.
I also think it has to do with people communication skills online vs. in person. I’m not as confident in-person or on the phone as I am in text – hence being a freelance writer. So it probably has to do with your business, your clients, and your strengths overall.
Great points Kristi. Maybe it’s because me and my family are all such car salesmen! Ha ha.
So now Glenn needs to edit his sidebar and his avatar…;)
Obviously next to skype there are many other videoplatforms to use. If you use facebook chat an additional advantage is getting your prospects to like your page.
True.
This has to do with generational ways of doing business. The internet culture and business culture do not understand each other very well.
People don’t understand how fundamentally different those worlds are.
One things for sure if you want to sell to someone you have to do business on their turf…
Anyhow cheers Rams!
FYI I’m a hair away from winning my trademark dispute…
Holy heck! Is that thing still on going?
Great post, Ramsay!
While it does feel so much more safe/comfortable to hide anonymously behind the computer screen, putting yourself out there and being authentic can often make the difference between success and failure in your business.
Someone commented about you on our recent post regarding authenticity. I pointed out that your “revealing” definitely brought about some interest…I’d wondered if you’d be EVEN FURTHER along if you would have done that from the beginning?
Thank you for reminding me that I need to connect more with others via Skype. That’s especially important if you live remotely from your partners, clients, etc.
Now if you’ll excuse me…I have some Skype chats to get to!
Hi Justin. Good to see you here.
Yeah, I often wonder whether I’d be further along had I opened up from the beginning. That being said, I do think the “mystery” helped to create some distinctiveness.
Thanks!
Hey Ramsey,
Thanks for re-emphasizing the value of the face to face communication in an online business.
Although I still know there are some guys who makes a killing online without showing their faces and using pen names, I know that moving forward being personal and known would differentiate yourself from most blogs out there.
Definitely not fluff free! But Ramsay makes a great point, get to know your customers face to face, by spending individual time with each person you grow your business one person at a time, most successful businesses do this online and offline. Great article even with the fluff.
This is the one thing where I am lacking nowadays.This post has come as a learning lesson for me.I would definitely start concentrating more on face to face meetups apart from so called social meets on FB video chat and Google Hangouts.
Great Post Ramsay!
Have you done a skype group chat yet ? – works well too.
Have you tried Google+ Hangouts? I am in Fiji at present and skype hogs all my bandwidth so not on as often as I’d like. But Google+ is much better quality than skype, I find, and not such a bandwidth hog.
I often chat on gmail chat too as my email is always open but haven’t used the video function just yet.
Cheers mate!
Sue
After reading this post , great ideas came to my mind about the things I can do with Skype , thanks.
It’s really a different perspective. But to be honest, mailing is the most comfortable communication tool in the world, Nothing can be compare to it, but you are right though, success comes only when you leave your comfortable zone…
Indeed, the only reason why I don’t want to use Skype is my accent, as my native language is not English, I’ll have some issues with this case, but it’s worth trying =)
Thanks for such an inspiring post. Inspiring as in I’ve just called a client and suggested I take a flight over to his office to meet up for the first time in person!
Awesome Ade,
Let us knwo how it goes
Idea which is overlooked by most of the guys who operate online…. and BTW I will send you the results of video sales ! It will be good
Your focus here is on bloggers and why to move to face to face meetings, but the truth is this is just good advice for people in general. We humans are made to be expressive, and email, IM, SMS….all those things put us at disadvantages compared to face-to-face.
Great stuff!
So do you feel like a Skype video call is just as valuable these days a face to face meeting? Face to face meetings are nearly impossible with the people I work with. They are all over the country. I fall into the typical Gen Y crowd that prefers to send emails. But I think you have a good argument to using Skype more.
Ramsay
skype is big bro I have about 300 skype contacts. I myself have been able to close some big deals on there myself, I sell ad space and my blog and help people with seo.
Ive generated some good clients there, but most importantly like you put it Ive gotten to know my clients a little bit upclose so we still have a relationship
WOW awesome write up! I use Skype all the time to communicate with new clients and then we normally take it offline to Face to Face to build a better working relationship. I think Face to Face is essential, but Skype enables you to create this. And with the tips you provide, I can definitely explore other areas which I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
It is really amazing to me to see how rare posting and only quality posting makes a difference! Before I used to focus on posting as often as I can on my blog, but this post inspired me and got me thinking about more lenghty, more comment generating content.
Thanks Tyrant!
Great article! But I think it may leave the impression that we must now all get on Skype and continue to be on Skype to increase business.
For myself I have found that an initial meeting in person is often enough. To where I can then go back to my preferred contact method, email, for a long time to come.
I just can’t afford to be on Skype very often as it IS time consuming and inconvenient for me. It is much easier and less time consuming for me to email. And I can easily search through previous emails for needed details.
Carlos
Nice post Ramsay. Although, i haven’t tried personal branding, but will do in the near future. Thanks for the nice post
This so applies to me as well. Face to face contact is everything. I will never ever do deals on the phone or via email. Face to face works and you are right, we are social creatures by nature! lol.
Wow, I didn’t know Skype has this much potential to make money. Thank you so much for putting this information together. I’ll get into the Skype immediately after finishing writing this comment.
Thanks again,
Anup
I love the idea of being visually personal…I’ve only started my blogging life if you can call it that but i’m involved with the offline world also.
Meeting clients face to face or video to video makes perfect sense – they just convert better – period and reduce the number of phones calls you have with clients because they are a major time waster!
I only use emails to confirm stuff so there is a digital record but not to set up or close deals..it’s just cumbersome…