The human touch helps close leads, now more than ever

The human touch has always been important, but it has taken on a whole new meaning with so much of what we used to do in person shifting to distant and impersonal forms of communication. Digital Marketing was becoming ever more popular even before the pandemic, and for good reason. It is a very efficient way to generate leads. With Marketing Automation capturing inbound leads, and an increased reliance on e-mail, companies are tempted to move away from human interaction in order to save costs. Reducing costs is on every manager’s mind, but in my experience, the benefits of the human touch in the sales process more than outweighs the cost.  

I find most people we contact over the phone are happy to receive a call. Voice adds a human touch to our message which is appreciated by our clients and prospects. Words provide only 7% of our communication, while the tone of the voice corresponds to 38%¹. This human contact is one of the reasons why our outbound lead conversion rate is higher than the rate for inbound leads handled entirely online.

Maximizing results

Making the most of your digital marketing efforts isn’t about reducing human resource costs, it’s about maximizing results. Replacing e-mails with phone calls allows trained professionals to uncover the prospects’ needs and to help them find the right product or service. This takes more time, and requires preparation and experience. By asking, listening, and answering, we get the information we need to qualify good leads. By nurturing leads on the phone, through marketing materials, and by inviting prospects to events, we follow them throughout the sales cycle. We can guide prospects toward the realization that you offer the right solutions for them by first understanding their needs and challenges. Only human interaction can lead to this level of insight into customer needs. The human touch is essential!

Studies show that online messages are misinterpreted 50% of the time. This compares to writers of e-mails who believe their tone will be properly interpreted 80% of the time². We avoid this confusion by deepening the dialogue through real conversation with prospects, not just communication.

The sales process can be organized in many ways, and e-mail still has an important part to play. E-mails and online messages will continue to arrive. You may also decide to follow up calls with an e-mail to provide a summary of the call or more details about your offering. Which every way you choose to proceed, just don’t forget the human touch!

1 Source: Prof. Albert Mehrabian, Psychologist

2 Source: The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology