I have found that I have never spoken to about half of my clients. Some of them I've done some pretty big jobs for, too.

Is that odd, or about par for the course?

Also, how does everyone feel about putting their phone number on their site? Too much time sucked away? I'm starting to think that.

There have been a few clients that I haven't spoken with. But these few are very savvy marketers, so it wasn't really necessary.

This isn't to say that the others weren't savvy marketers, it's just that I have found it is faster to resolve strategy, or tracking issues over the phone in many circumstances.

Talking with the client also helps to get on the same page so there aren't misunderstandings. It can also be very valuable in picking their brain to find angles and deeper understanding of the target market, product, etc... much faster than the email "back and forth".

Last but not least, it's nice to get to know some of these individuals and creates a deeper level of trust and understanding that carries over into our email communications.

Regarding phone numbers on the web site - I don't do it. I simply ask that people who do want to talk with me contact me first to make an appointment. It protects my privacy a little, and any risk that someone calls me at 2 in the morning (I'm in Italy).

I hate very late calls - they have a very ominous "ring" to them...

All the best,

Yes and no. It's valuable to cultivate the relationship you have with clients if you schedule some time for feedback, but not necessarily useful if they can manage (or prefer) assignments by e-mail.

Many of my consulting clients (non copywriting) are in foreign countries and for them talking on the phone isn't practical. But, I still nice to make time to touch base outside of assignments to solicit feedback and testimonials (even referrals.)

So many well meaning idiots who talk with a lot of prospects but never have any customers ... always recommend putting a phone number on your website. My live clients have my cell phone number, but prospects get an efax.com voice mail box.

There just isn't time enough in the day to answer questions from non-buyers when I have my plate full of clients. I'm also tired of calls at 2am in the morning or on weekends -- unless it's someone who has already invested thousands in my services.

Btw, the biggest excuse I've heard about having and answering a phone number is to "capture assignments when someone is price shopping." The myth continues that if you answer the phone they are more likely to do business with someone easy to reach.

The logic of this is absurd. First off, I don't want to serve price shoppers, I want clients willing to pay a premium for certain expertise I've acquired or have access to. Second, price shoppers are interested in price more than conveneince, that's why they are willing to call 3-4 providers to "talk" about their project.

Anyway, talk to your clients periodically on your terms by appointment, and if you're going to have a phone number on your website, let it be voice mail.

Best,

Justin

Interesting take Justin!

From my experience I've never talked to over 90% of my clients, just
email which I prefer because I have a written record of the conversation.

Also I notice that 99% of clients that called me and I spoke to on the phone
NEVER follow through ... I don't get the gig. I thought that it was just
my heavy Caribbean accent BUT now Justin gave me another perspective--
these are mostly people who are shopping around.

I've spoken to a few of my clients AFTER landing the job and have even had
repeat business from them so this 'shopping around' idea makes sense.

I place my phone number on my website for credibility reasons rather than
to talk to customers. But I guess that I'll have to reconsider that view. It's
tough answering all those customer questions and then still not get the job.

Regards,

Ray L.,
"the gets results copywriter!"

Go figure. I've found just the opposite - that people who email inquiries are bottom feeders looking for the lowest price, and the ones who call on the phone are far more likely to be ready to move full speed ahead.

For me, talking with prospects and clients by phone is very important to get a handle on exactly who I'm dealing with, where they're coming from, etc. With repeat, clients, however, email often works well. But I'll never go email-only. There's just too much "discovery" that goes on in a voice conversation with a client - I'm able to uncover so much more about their business, product, service, and marketing approach that way.

I do cover myself with email, however. If we discuss a change of direction over the phone, for instance, I'll recap in an email and ask them to reply to confirm it "for my records."

If people are losing time talking on the phone to unqualified prospects, I wonder if they could do something with the website to qualify the prospects a little better, and to reduce the sales cycle?

Jane

Two great points come from Ray and Eileen's response ...

When working with clients it's useful to have written proof of assignment, changes in assignment, and other "agreements." In my own experience it's kept everyone on track and focused on results desired. Eileen's note about following up phone conversations with an e-mail to confirm changes is great.

Eileen also touches on the importance of the discovery necessary for a good assignment. I address this with an initial consultation (which I am now making the first contact for consulting assignments, sample copy on JustinHitt.com home landing), I modeled this method from Bob Bly's "Selling Your Services"

My information kit goes out selling an initial consultation, while sharing something useful that lends to credibility, and my other collateral materials narrow the scope of services I provide. Since I do more than copywriting, my model may require the additional qualifications just because those who contact may have multiple interests.

Ray, it's people shopping around, not your accent. In such a global economy I expect to work with various nationalities, dialects, and such -- many of my 2am phone calls were from China. They spoke Mandarin and understood very little of my English.

I think the bottom line is "Are you going to use the telephone as a means to qualify prospects or do you have another channel?" In my case, I have other ways of qualifying prospects before they call. I have a really good idea of who they are and what they are interested in doing.

If someone gets to me and is still price shopping then I don't want to do business with them anyway because they haven't decided that I'm the right person for them. (i.e. credibility in industry, expert advisor, good match by association.) Price shoppers by definition don't pay premium prices.

Having your phone number on your website is credible because prospective clients need to know they can contact you. It's good to be aware of prospects however they want to contact you, but that doesn't mean I have to answer the phone.

The telephone and e-mail are your tools to serve customers how it works best for your firm. I'd decide first how to use these tools before I'd decide to post my phone number -- bad enough I still get calls on my home office line because clients have passed along my number. (Well it's not really bad, just unexpected since I don't share that number outside of clients.)

Anyway, I picked up some points that I wanted to echo here because they caught my attention. This is probably one of those topics that depends on your individual business objectives.

Best,

Justin

Interesting thread!

I've gone back and forth about posting my phone number on my website. I've settled on only handing out my number once a client has signed on with me, and so far that's worked well.

All of my prospects come through email (some even fax, if you can believe it), and from there I usually use my best judgement as far as whether the project warrants a phone call or not. Or, if the client specifically requests a call, I oblige of course. I guess I've been letting my intuition lead in this matter. I find that some clients like to avoid telephone conversations and are 100% comfortable with email, while others need to hear a live voice at the other end of the line.

I'm also very wary of spammers and scumbags lifting my number off of the web and telemarketing the heck out of me, or worse. Putting my private home number on such public display makes me nervous, and up until now, I haven't seen the need to add the extra expense of a business line. Perhaps I should rethink that ...

I do. I post my prices (which do need to be raised again, for anyone reading this whose shopping) on my site and state that if they can't meet my minimums, we aren't a good fit. I still get the occasional email, "I only want one paragraph, I'm sure it wouldn't even take you half an hour, and I'm on a really tight budget ..." but those have become few and far between since I A) began posting my prices and B) sending callers who haven't yet visited my site to look at my portfolio and "other information" to "see if I'm the right writer for them" (IOW, check out the fee page, and and make sure you can afford me) before we get too deep into discussions. Within the first few minutes of a phone call, I try to qualify the caller as a client. If it's clear they aren't the right fit, I'm gracious but candid about it, and get off the phone quickly.

For me, I'd say about 50/50 email and phone. I did, however, just pick up a new client who wants to do everything by fax. His firm is changing ISPs and are having some connection glitches right now.

I prefer to have written records as well, and I find that email helps me when I'm writing and researching. Sometimes it's good to have all correspondence in a file so I can go back and check something a client might have written that is relevant.

I never give my home or cell number to any clients. When I'm out, I can forward my office number to my cell phone.

I used to have an 800 number and answering service, but I dropped them. It just wasn't really necessary, I discovered.

John