This is a guest post courtesy of my buddy and biz associate, who is one of the most sincere and genuine folks I’ve had the pleasure of making friends with via social media.
Of course he’s the polar opposite of moi, because he actually LIKES talking to folks on the phone and meeting people on the realz. hehe
Not to say I hate meeting new people, I am just the type who tends to get a little anxious in social settings (I know, color you shocked right?) and so like many tend to do, I avoid things that make me uncomfy until I can’t anymore.
Phone calls and meet and greets included!
And I’ll be blunt.
While I admit meet and greets can be fun and have their uses, avoiding the phone isn’t just about anxiety for me, it’s about saving time. Phone calls just aren’t that fun when I consider them from that perspective.
I only have so many hours in a day to achieve what I want to achieve, so giving up that time to chit chat on the phone tends to be something I avoid like the plague. It’s much easier to practice brevity in an email than a phone call, without being construed as being rude or like I am rushing someone to hurry and hang up.
Don’t lie, you know this is true!
That said, Chris is right. There is a connection that happens when you actually speak to someone or meet them face to face, that for some folks just can’t happen via digital methods. I don’t count myself among those obviously but hey… everyone does what works for them.
The beauty of being self-employed is you can make those choices. Ha. (Shhh! I know, I’m stubborn.)
Meet Chris
My name is Christian Spoerl with Call The Marketing Guy.Com.
I work in Digital Advertising, but at the end of the day I am a salesman, not a blog writer. (That’s Cori’s job.)
I know a lot of people think it’s a drag to pickup the phone and call people, (Cori included) but I think it’s the best way to build relationships.
It’s the best way to sell yourself and your personality.
The funny thing is that I would have never gotten to know Cori if I didn’t follow her on Twitter.
I thought she was an awesome blog writer and seemed like a good person. So one day, after following the bread crumbs which led me to her website, I actually called her. (BGB note- he was lucky I picked up the phone! hehe)
We hit it off well, then started connecting more on Facebook and other Social Platforms.
The Bottom Line
Today, I consider Cori a great business partner and a personal friend.
I only associate myself with awesome people, and she is the queen of awesome. God Bless. (BGB note- Ditto that Chris!)
What good is 100,000 Twitter followers or 5,000 Facebook Friends if you don’t actually know them as a people ?
Unless we are Cylons, we are still human!
Things get lost in translation digitally, so it can’t hurt to pick up the phone and call people.
Social Is The Handshake Of Our Generation via @TedRubin talks about this.
Pony Up People
Now I understand that many people weren’t born with the gift of a gab like yours truly, and that’s OK.
I guarantee you most people are just like you, and would NEVER expect someone from Social Media to reach out and contact them. It’s what makes this principle so powerful.
Regardless of whether or not you choose to do this yourself, I can tell you that I have met some great people from Twitter just by calling them.
@BigGirlBranding, @GailyW, @TheNameIsCasie, @OrlDivaRealtor, @RobinKarleskint just to name a few.
So.
Why not start a trend – #CallYourTwitterFollowers?
You may be surprised with the results.
Over to You
Do you ever pick up the phone and call the people you associate with on social media just for the heck of it? To make a real connection? What happened when you did? Please feel free to share in the comments below.