Last month I ranted about gmail putting the emails from compulife.com into the spam folders of those who have gmail accounts. It's just another example of how "big tech" takes the "hi-tech" tools that we have all embraced for doing business, and then messes up those tools to make our lives miserable. I'll leave the political "cancel culture" issue aside, which has shown how untrustworthy big tech can be, but talk about another example of a "hi-tech" problem that you need to think about. I believe this creates a lot of problems that are self inflicted.

At Compulife we have not given up our old "copper" telephone land lines or systems. Yes, I know that there are VOIP alternatives that are cheaper, but I don't trust the new technology combined with other things that we see going on. This is especially true where people's internet services can be canceled on the whim of "big tech". I don't trust "big tech" and I sure don't trust the internet. Our phones are NOT connected to the internet. If the internet goes down, you can still call us, unless you are using an internet phone.

Back to phones. If you call me on my phone and I can't hear you clearly because you sound far away, or the sound is distorted, do NOT be surprised if I stop the conversation to ask you about the technology that you are using. I will typically ask if you are on a headset, a speaker phone or a cell phone. Why? Because I think that most of YOUR customers will be "too polite" to say anything to you about the fact that you sound like crap (I'm talking about your technology).

Like Compulife, I KNOW that you make money by being on the phone with your customers. I believe it HURTS your ability to do business if you sound like crap; particularly with new prospects who don't really know you. If I raise this issue if you call, I am not trying to be a jerk, I think a good business person wants to know if they don't sound crystal clear. I remember the good old days when it was all land lines, and everyone virtually sounded the same - they sounded good on the phone. Then along came modern technology...

After interrupting a customer, and asking why the call sounds bad, it is NOT uncommon to find out that the problem is the headset being used by the subscriber. Once the customer unplug's the headset, and talks directly into the phone, the problem is gone.

I am a pretty active political volunteer and when I am engaged in campaigning (as I am now) I will typically spend 3 hours in the evening making volunteer phone calls. I grind out about 200 per night and talk to about 20 people per night. You can bet I used a headset but I don't use a wireless. Mine provides full ear cover (both ears; I don't want to be distracted by other sounds) and the headset has boom microphone (a good one) that puts the microphone right in front of my mouth. It is connected to my old (non-digital) phone, through an old "Plantronics" headset amplifier with volume controls for both my ears and also one for my microphone. I set the volume levels by calling people I know and getting them to do a sound check with me. The setup is relatively bullet proof.

No one will hang up on people quicker than people getting a call from a political volunteer. It's even worse than I remember when I spent time calling people and prospecting to sell insurance (in the last century). SOUND QUALITY when you are talking to new prospects is really, really important. If they can't hear you easily it's just another reason to hang up on you or refuse to talk to you. Make sure you sound good. If in doubt, have your wife or a friend use your headset and call you on a different phone. See what they sound like.

Back to those I stop to ask about their phones. Sometimes I am told that the person is using a speaker phone. Folks, speaker phones are NOT good. When I flew as a private pilot we wore headsets in the airplane. Why? So we could clearly hear the radio transmissions, and so our transmissions were clearly heard. Listening to the speaker inside the plane was NEVER as good and every other noise is distracting. And that speaker on your speaker phone also has your microphone and too many people don't pay attention and keep the microphone close enough to their mouth when they talk. The speaker microphone can also pick up all the other sounds around you, including your echo in the room, and it can be miserable listening to someone speaking on a speaker phone microphone. These are ALL problems I routinely encounter with people using speaker phones, and it makes the person you are talking to feel like they are NOT important enough to receive your complete attention. If you can't hold the phone to your head, and you talk for long periods on the phone, get a headset. Once again, GET A GOOD ONE that covers your ears so you can't hear other people and be distracted from the call that you are making or taking. Make sure the headset sounds good. Did I mention I don't like speaker phones?

Another big problem is bad cell phone connections. If you call me and you sound bad, and you are NOT using a speaker phone or headset, either of which corrects the problem when you stop using it, then it is often a bad cell phone connection. In that case I will take the customer's number and call the customer back to see if that fixes the problem. If it was a cell phone, that usually fixes the problem although I have had to make 2 or 3 calls to finally get a clear connection.

Anyway, all of that to say that the further advanced our technology seems to be, the more flaky and unreliable it also seems to be. In the case of the telephone technology that you are using, you need to be aware of it and take steps to minimize problems with it. Don't lose a sale because you sound like crap.

And I will close by pointing out that if it seems at times that Compulife is "old school" there is a VERY good reason for it. We have been around long enough to remember when "old school" was much more reliable and reliability is a big part of what we sell and provide to our subscribers.