As the cost of travel increases, more salespeople are asking the question, “Is this trip necessary?” Instead of traveling to a customer’s office, some salespeople schedule a conference call. A modern alternative to this type of call is a meeting in cyberspace. The voice of each meeting participant travels over an audio connection and attendees view visuals on their desktop computers. Nerac Inc., an information-services company, often schedules a Web conference for potential customers. The sales representative can bring online a Nerac researcher who presents an introduction to the company’s closely guarded databases. Clients get to watch the researcher at work over the Internet.15

Some customers actually prefer telephone contact for certain types of business transactions. Some situations in which the phone call is appropriate follow:

• Call the customer in advance to make an appointment. You save time, and the customer knows when to expect you.

• Use the telephone to keep the customer informed. A phone call provides instant communication with customers at a low cost.

• Build customer goodwill with a follow-up phone call. Make it a practice to call customers to thank them for buying your product and to determine whether the customer is satisfied with the purchase.

Some customers prefer to be contacted by e-mail or text messages, and it would be a mistake to ignore their preference. Busy people often discourage telephone calls as a means of minimizing interruptions.

Voice mail–automated telephone systems are used by companies of all sizes. These systems not only answer the phone and take messages but also provide information-retrieval systems that are accessible by telephone. This technology is especially useful for salespeople who need to exchange information with others. For salespeople, the smart phone is a convenient and time-saving must have sales tool.

Computer-scanning equipment and fax machines take telecommunications a step further. With this equipment, salespeople can send and receive documents in seconds, using standard cable or telephone lines. Detailed designs, charts, and graphs can be transmitted across the nation or around the world.