I frequently tell clients that all of the revenue growth techniques I teach are designed to uncommoditize them. That is, the goal of everything we do is to help you stand out from the crowd and differentiate you from the competition.

One way to do this, ironically and surprisingly, is to pick up the telephone. So many executives, managers, and front-line sales, marketing and customer service people will e-mail instead of calling. It’s lower risk: you cannot be rejected as easily, and if you are, it’s less intimate, less damaging. At least, that is how we perceive it. Somewhere along the way, outgoing phone calls, especially to prospects, became frightening and, in turn, avoided.

I’m talking about making calls here, not taking them, which is easy. Amazingly, the proactive phone call to customers, and, especially, prospects, is becoming extinct. Those who can comfortably call customers and prospects and have a relationship-based conversation enjoy a massive advantage over those who do not. Think about it: when’s the last time you called a prospect (not a customer), proactively, to check in, catch up, and see how you may be able to help them?

Not that long ago, all we had was the telephone, which was the only way to communicate immediately. Now, we have email and texts, which are considered the path of least resistance, which we humans tend to prefer. And many companies have a new generation of staff members — in the sales department! — who don’t know how to proactively build relationships with customers and prospects via the outgoing phone call.

Teach your people the art of the outgoing, proactive phone call. It’s an incredibly low-hanging, easy way to grow revenue, and immediately separate yourself from the competition.

The Evangelist Marketing Institute is a revenue growth consultancy specializing in aggressive sales growth for closely-held companies. If you’d like to discuss growing your business quickly and easily, please call Alex Goldfayn directly at 847-459-6322, or email at alex[at]evangelistmktg[.]com

My new book, The Revenue Growth Habit, has been selected one of the five best sales books of the year by 800-CEO-Read. I’m appreciative of the honor. You can buy it on Amazon here.