The Day Facebook Called Me

It was any normal Thursday in my sales and marketing world as I was doing some list pulling and making calls to some of my client’s high-value targets, and then it happened.

I had a call forwarded to me from Facebook…yes, THE Facebook.  Why was Facebook calling little old me?  As an account executive from a small town, I panicked and let it go to voicemail.  What could they possibly have wanted?

Well, when I checked the voicemail, it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. It was a pleasant-sounding young woman who wanted to speak with me about Facebook Ads.  It was for a new program they are selling that helps small to mid-size companies have the greatest possible impact possible via Facebook’s advertising platforms.

This all sounds great, and I am sure there is some cost involved, but it might be worthwhile giving her a call to see if they can help.

Something else clicked in my head, though. Facebook has people that cold call, and they called me!  Facebook has people that send out follow up emails. Facebook has people that make lists of potential prospects that have the ability to buy! Facebook has a business development and marketing.  Then I thought: “We do that!”

I obviously knew this before this moment, but the point I am getting used to the fact that even a huge social media giant like Facebook realizes the importance of picking up the phone and making an impression on a prospect through an initial call.

You can’t just put out ads on your Facebook page or through Google and expect people to fully understand your services and solutions; you need the full package.

If you don’t take a look at all of your resources and options, you are doing your company a disservice and could miss out on a huge opportunity for your company.

So, the next time you are thinking, I feel pretty comfortable with where I am in my business.  We have great customers and get great referrals.  We get a few hits on our website and from our Google Ads.  A company like ours doesn’t need to put a business development plan together or pick up the phone to try and contact some new prospects, remember that even Facebook (2017 revenue of $9.32 billion) knows the true value of making an impression with a phone call from time to time.

*Note: This article was originally published in July 2013 and has been updated and revised for relevance.