Lady Gaga has it right when it comes to the interrupting phone call:
‘Stop telephonin’, me. Stop telephonin’, me.
(I’m busy). (I’m busy)’, she sings.
©iko/Crestock
(Well, OK, she’s in a club in the song not the office but everyone knows Gaga wouldn’t be hanging out in a cube!)
When you pick up the phone to call a client, it had better be about something they want to hear. And cold calls? If the reception on the other end is closer to freezing than in the past, there is a reason. Calling a stock photo agency is probably going to result in frustration on your part. Why not email?
I don’t want to diminish the comfortable chats that we have now and again with close friends, clients and colleagues in the business but unless you know the person’s kid’s names, most contacts don’t fit into that category. One of the most welcome phrases I hear (or read) is, “When is a good time to call.” Then I know I’ll be prepared and have set aside time without interruption for the call when it is critical to speak.
Our means of communication have greatly expanded in the past decade. At the same time, most people are doing the work of the two or three of their colleagues that have been laid off. Nothing starts a conversation off on a worst foot than an insistent ring tone that has shattered one’s concentration.
I talk to photographers every week but I do it at a time that is mutually agreeable and established previously via email. We generally speak via SKYPE as I often have clients in other countries. We have the added advantage of being able to see each other via SKYPE video.
©sumners/Crestock
I like keeping up with the industry via blogs like this one and keeping track of my colleagues via twitter and facebook. I use email mainly for important communications with businesses other than individual photographers.
I can’t say how many in the photo business feel the same as I do but for me the office telephone is obsolete and its unanticipated ring makes me want to scream.
When this post first appeared on the ASMP Strictly Business Blog, a reader accused me of being elitist. I tried to explain that I was trying to respect others time and hoped that they would do the same for me. Right?
Ellen,
I remember when the sound of the telephone ringing was golden and we used to pay a lot of money in advertising and marketing to make it ring!
Now I would tend to agree with you and unfortunately business phone conversations appear to be a lost art.
A caveat: every time the phone does ring I remind myself to put on a positive face and tone of voice as some of those calls are still golden. I’m always happy to have a conversation with photo editors and art directors who still value personal contact!
Tom Stack
And, for a little guy like me, those incoming cold calls are totally annoying. When one is a solo act, one-man band, whatever, an incoming solicitation call completely blocks all productive activity until the caller can be dealt with. Unfortunately, I must answer the phone, since some clients are still “low tech”.