Have You Integrated Skype into Your Partstat Business Profile? You Should.

At Partstat, we have always believed that the best business models feature a human element that every bit equals whatever technology is highlighted. Innovations, features, and benefits are what turn prospects into potential buyers, but it’s the company’s ability to forge mutually-beneficial one-on-one relationships that turns potential buyers into loyal customers. Times have certainly changed, but to date there is still no substitute for an old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.

The importance of these relationships isn’t going away, and the statistics back up this claim. Here are a few incredible examples:

• 95 percent of people say that face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term business relationships.

• 9 in 10 people say small meetings are their favorite communication method.

• 67 percent of senior executives say their organization would be more productive with face-to-face communication.

• Face-to-face meetings are 34 times more successful than email communication.

• 89 percent of respondents to a Harvard Business Review study say that face-to-face commination is vital to “sealing the deal.”

• According to Meeting Professionals International (MPI), 40 percent of prospects converted to new customers via face-to-face meetings, and 28 percent of current business would be lost without face-to-face meetings.

Even among millennials, who are well-known for their propensity for adopting new technologies into their day-to-day, face-to-face interaction is crucial. According to the International Association of Exhibitions and Events and the Professional Convention Management Association, for example, millennials have a greater desire to attend live meetings than members of older generations. Overall, 65 percent of those surveyed said that if circumstances allowed, they would attend more face-to-face events. Despite what you may have heard about how marketing automation and online platforms are becoming an indispensable piece of a successful sales journey, news of face-to-face communication’s demise has been greatly exaggerated.

Partstat recognizes this reality by offering suppliers the free option of integrating Skype into their company profiles. Best used in tandem with our Rapid RFQ feature, this gives buyers a golden opportunity to develop the kind of one-on-one rapport with a sales representative that email, text, or online messaging cannot provide. Buyers and sellers can interact with one another face-to-face, in real time to gauge each other’s needs and resolve any lingering question either side might have about the process.

Not only does this dramatically increase the likelihood of having a positive experience, but it also has the added benefit of saving both sides significant time moving forward in the customer journey. A study conducted by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering found that the average email response time for a single email is 24 minutes for someone between the ages of 35 and 50. If the recipient is over the age of 50, you can expect to wait an average of 47 minutes for a response. Assuming at least three or four emails are exchanged before a purchase is made, and that each email takes approximately two minutes to write (a generous assumption, as studies like this one cite that professionals spend as much as 28 percent of their work week reading and writing emails), a single transaction could take you as long as seven hours, not including off-business hours and weekends.

Compare this back-and-forth waiting game to a single Skype conversation, where every question one party could have could be answered in a single sitting lasting no more than five minutes – all while promoting the very same one-on-one relationships that businesses have thrived on for centuries.

When developing a winning marketing strategy, incorporating new innovative methods to reach potential buyers in a competitive market is absolutely critical – but don’t lose sight of the value of a simple conversation. The inflection of your voice, your eye contact, your ability to establish a meaningful personal connection – all of these assets can come back to the forefront through Skype. Don’t forget to take advantage of this fantastic Partstat feature.