Ditch Email Phone Calls Close More Sales
When I work as a Fractional Sales Director in the UK, I often see experienced salespeople rely on email. Why? Because it’s tidy, low-pressure, and gives a sense of control. But if you’re in sales, and I mean real, results-driven, relationship-building sales, you need to stop emailing and start picking up the phone. Telephone conversations build trust, uncover objections, and move opportunities forward in ways email simply can’t. It’s time to break free from your inbox and embrace the power of the phone.
The Problem with Relying on Email Communication
Email feels safe because it provides space for thought. You can reflect, edit, and delay your response. However, this space can also kill momentum. The tone may become lost, and the sense of urgency can fade. And let’s be honest, your “just checking in” email, if you are lucky, is getting buried under 47 others just like it, or if you have sent it to someone like me, who sees how lazy this approach and phrase is, it goes straight to delete as soon as I see those words.
Here’s the thing: According to Salesforce, only 24% of sales emails are ever opened. This means three out of four messages you carefully craft and send are doing absolutely nothing.
If you think email alone will drive deals and meet your sales goals, you’re mistaken.
Calls Establish Connections
Sales is a human endeavour. Phone calls allow you to hear hesitation, catch excitement, build trust, receive real-time feedback, ask better questions, and address objections as they arise. It would take at least three emails to get only a fraction of this, and that’s if you are lucky enough to have a sales lead who’s going to take their valuable time to email back and forth with you.
Most of you have probably heard the phrase, “People buy from people”, not with impeccably polished paragraphs filled with the sterile email subject lines of “as per my last email.” It reminds us that relationships built on Emotional Intelligence Training, in addition to authenticity and warmth, tend to build empathy, trust and loyalty, leading to more meaningful connections.
Great Reps Take Initiative
Top performers don’t sit around hoping someone replies. They pick up the phone, lean into the discomfort, and value the conversation over the convenience.
Top performers refuse to sit back and passively await a reply. They seize the moment, picking up the phone with determination, fully prepared to lean into any discomfort they may be feeling. They understand that true growth emerges from challenging conversations and value depth over convenience. For them, each interaction is an opportunity to connect and build the relationship, proving that the rewards of engagement far surpass any fleeting hesitation. This is where Sales Training becomes invaluable, helping reps build the confidence, structure, and emotional intelligence required to handle real-time conversations with clarity and intent.
They don’t just follow up. They follow through. And it pays off. Sales reps who use phone outreach as their primary follow-up method report a 42% higher success rate in moving deals through the pipeline. This significant increase is truly transformative.
Fractional Sales Director
I provide the high-level architecture and leadership required to professionalise your commercial function: ensuring your strategy is executed with integrity, emotional intelligence, and absolute accountability.
Find out moreWhen to Email (Don’t Get Confused)
Don’t get me wrong, email has its place: confirming details, sending proposals, and clarifying key points. However, do not confuse it with the actual selling process. Real-time, voice-to-voice interactions are where selling truly happens.
According to HubSpot, it takes an average of 8 touches to get a meeting. Phone calls are a quicker way to achieve this. When a deal truly matters and begins to slow down, don’t hesitate, stop emailing. Pick up the phone.
Make Every Call Count
Here’s the part most sales leaders miss: calls only work if reps know how to make them count.
Sales leaders often underestimate a crucial truth: calls become truly effective only when representatives possess the skills to make them impactful. In other words, they are trained to ‘Make Every Call Count’.
The truth is that not everyone is naturally confident on the phone. This is why bespoke Sales Training and Coaching are essential for creating a high-performing team. Cold calling. Discovery. Objection handling. Voice tone. Pacing. Listening. These are skills, not instincts. And just like any skill, they need practice, feedback, and repetition.
If you want your team to drive revenue through conversations, invest in training them on how to have those conversations; otherwise, you’re leaving deals on the table.
The most successful teams engage in live call coaching and meticulously review call recordings to identify key insights and create an environment of continuous improvement. As a result, their sales teams consistently hit and even exceed their sales targets.
Final Words
If your close rate has plateaued and your pipeline feels stale, it’s time to shift gears: stop sending emails and start making phone calls to engage in conversations. Sales transcends mere communication; it’s fundamentally about connection. Remember, true connection doesn’t live in your inbox; it flourishes in genuine interactions.
Calls close deals. Always have. Still do.
If you want to professionalise your business, you can explore how I support Chairmen, CEOs, and MDs as a Fractional Sales Director in the UK.
Contact me, Gary Morgan, today to discuss your requirements.
Sales Training
If you would like your sales team to feel confident picking up the phone rather than sending emails, explore my bespoke sales training programmes. I deliver In-Person Sales Training across Surrey, Sussex, Kent, and Essex, as well as live online training nationally and internationally.
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