According to a new survey by Vodafone, today’s young entrepreneurs prefer using email instead of the phone to conduct the majority of their business.
It was found that when going after clients the rate of phone use drops by 30% for entrepreneurs in their 20′s compared to their counterparts in their 40′s.
The survey also discovered that, despite the rapid rise of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, most young entrepreneurs do not see these networks as being able to help them grow their businesses.
However, the survey also revealed that 47% of business owners in their 20′s preferred to network online even though the chances of them landing new business was minimal.
Face to face meetings have still be found to be the number one way to get new clients. An in person meeting was found to have a success ratio of 57% while those who tried getting business via email only found the success rate drop to 37%.
In addition, one in five young entrepreneurs said they would not do business with someone they had not met face to face while 60% said they would not do business with someone they had not spoken with at least on the phone.
Personally, I’ve had success selling face to face, on the phone, and by email. Because I run an online business, most of my clients are not in my city (or country!) so meeting in person is usually not done.
I’ve also found that once somebody starts spending a couple of hundred dollars a month with you they generally like to speak with you by phone prior to getting set up. If it’s a smaller deal then they are usually comfortable with email only.
What have your experiences been?
Evan Carmichael
