For many years, I had been unsuccessfully trying to schedule an appointment with a vice president of a multi-billion-dollar contracting company. Yes, you read correctly … many years. We’d see each other at events every now and then, and have decent discussions, but he never committed to a meeting. He was very nice, but always dodged me. He was impossible to nail down, and I could never figure out how to get his attention, until one evening at the 2008 ISC West show in Las Vegas …
It was shortly after the show floor closed, and I was buying my team a round or two of drinks before our various dinner plans. We were at one of those bars outside the exhibit floor that shifts from zero to three hundred patrons in a half hour. There he was – my white whale. When I greeted him, he acted super happy to see me. The same emotion he usually showed before blowing me off. Within 20 seconds of our conversation starting, he received a call and politely excused himself. I didn’t see him again. But as I walked to my dinner party, I received a text message from him apologizing for being rude. I replied with understanding, and asked if he could grab a coffee after lunch the next day. He texted me back with an affirmative answer… and we had officially started a beautiful text messaging relationship.
My prospect wasn’t just avoiding me – he just wasn’t very good at returning calls or emails, or anything else that required action in the future. Like many executives, he had amazing talent in the present moment, but relied on others to fill in the details on things that had to be done this afternoon or next week. Text messaging enabled him to use his “here-now-quick” skill set, without relying on his staff. He wasn’t evading me – I just wasn’t using the right method of communication with him.
Text messaging has become the most convenient method of communicating with other people. Not the best way, but the most convenient. However, is it ok to use texting as a method of business communication? Short answer: yes. Longer answer: yes, if you’re careful. Below I have listed six rules to sending text messages to your customers and prospects.
