Have you noticed this weird thing happening around you? As the use of your social media goes up, the depth of your conversations goes down. Meaningful conversations become harder and harder to come by, and it seems like the world is getting crazier and crazier because of it. Or is just me? Maybe I’m the crazy one. But even so, ask yourself this: Is the decline of verbal communication impacting your business networking success? If so, voice could be the answer.
Living Amongst the Minority: The Voice Romantics
Depending on how old you are, some of your fondest memories might be of talking to lovers over the phone. Old-school style. I know that for me personally, some of my greatest memories involve me sitting down and talking to my girlfriend while twirling the phone cord in a pure, romance-filled trance. I’m 6’4 210 lbs., yet there I was: Nervously twirling my fingers around the phone cord like a lost little lovebird. All I wanted to do was hear her voice.
But back then, there were so many more variables at play than there are now. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about. I had to ask myself things like when would my phone be free? When would her phone be free? Were her parents home? And if so, who was going to answer? And then once they did answer, what was I going to say to sound smooth enough to get through the gatekeeper? (Aka mom). I was nervous beyond belief. But despite my nervous, romantic energy… Those types of conversations are the ones that have stayed with me. They’re the ones that to me, were the most emotionally impactful. And TO THIS DAY continue to impact me. Something I don’t get from my text-only interactions.
But here’s the interesting part: Not only does texting not give me the same depth of connection that conversation does… But I also noticed that my written cold pitches weren’t NEARLY as effective as my verbal ones. And it’s only getting worse.
Meaningful Conversations And Business Networking. (Cold Emailing is hard, man.)
A study by PewInternet shows that 77% of the American population now owns a smartphone. And as you and I know, with the rise of smartphones comes the rise of social media. (Unless you have the willpower of 8 large men). But, there’ a problem. And you may have noticed this as well.
The problem is, social media has caused the average length of our interactions to go down. And instead of sitting and talking on the phone for hours on end, communication is often as short as leaving a comment on a friend’s Facebook post or sending them a small text every now and again. The fact of the matter is, our focus on relationships has evolved from meaningful creation-through-conversation to minimum-effort maintenance via social media / text messaging. And falling into the habit of short, text-only communication can have dramatic effects on our business networking success. Because we’re not allowing ourselves the time we need to build trust and rapport with someone. At least that’s what’s been happening to me.
But despite the fact that everyone seems to be following the trend of sending short, impersonal text-messages… It can be viewed as a good thing. For you. Because it gives you a fantastic opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
… IF done correctly.
Including the “Human Element” To Increase Business Networking Success by 500-800%
An article on Hubspot reports that sales reps who use video in prospecting, relationship-building, and sales emails see 5x higher open rates and 8x higher open-to-reply rates than reps who cold-email without it. And a huge part of this increased success has to do with the “Human Element” that cold-emailing (or cold business networking) usually leaves out. AKA a human’s voice. And because of this lack of the “Human Element”, cold emailing is very hard to do.
Think about it. Would the sales rep’s videos have the same impact if the they used videos without any sound? and used subtitles instead of themselves talking? Highly unlikely. But why? Well, it’s because people feel reassured when they hear the 3 C’s in your voice: Care, charisma, and confidence. When they hear the 3 C’s, they don’t have to wonder about your intentions or if you’ll be able to help them. Because they’ll be able to hear everything they need to know. Done correctly, while speaking to your prospect in a way that makes them feel understood, is the key to your business networking success. (Which is VERY hard to do in a cold email.)
Here’s an example:
Do me a favor and imagine you’re the one being cold emailed. If you’re busy, chances are there’s going to have to be a LOT of good things going on in the email for you to take time out of your day to respond. How likely are you to respond to a generic email that says:
If you’re like me, probably not very likely. Because there’s no Human Element anywhere to be found.
Plus, they did absolutely no research on your company and didn’t include a single rapport building technique. Which is MASSIVELY important if you’re undertaking the unforgiving world of cold emailing.
But here’s a revised version. How likely you would be to respond to THIS email:
Much better. This email includes much more of an incentive for you to get on a call with them. But even using every single rapport building technique, as I’ve learned from trial and error, it’s incredibly difficult to get a response WITHOUT including the Human Element. AKA voice.
The fact of the matter is, it’s easier to get someone to drop their walls and get them to trust you when you’re speaking WITH them using your voice. Rather than AT them through text.
And because of that, we’ve worked insanely hard to create Scan Panda to help you avoid cold emailing and meaningless conversations altogether. Life’s too short to blend in with the crowd.
Introducing Scan Panda: A Business (And Life) Networking Tool
Here at Scan Panda, we value meaningful conversations that lead to meaningful relationships. In both business and in life. Our app will not only allow you to increase your cold pitch conversions in ways you never thought possible, but will also allow you to talk with smart, compassionate people that you’d never otherwise meet. Whether it’s business-specific conversations or just conversations about life in general, all you need to do is join a topic, swipe profiles, match, and talk with your voice.
You’ll be able to use this app to explode your network, learn from professionals, meet like-minded people, share ideas and experiences, and so much more. If you consider yourself someone who’s as romantic about voice as we are, you can learn more about the exciting things we have going on at Scan Panda Here. We’re excited to see you there!
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