Virtual Selling

30Direct Messaging

Direct messaging is exploding. Almost 74 percent of smart phone users communicate through messaging apps. Drift calls it a sales mega-trend.¹ When you combine social media direct messaging—Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn—with messaging apps including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and Viber there are more than four billion people using direct messaging.²

Direct messaging is like a Swiss army knife for virtual selling with many blades and tools:

• Video calls
• Phone calls
• Texting
• Video messaging
• Voicemail messaging
• Long-form email style messaging

Direct messaging has it all, combining every virtual communication channel we have discussed thus far. Direct messages can include video messages, audio messages, pictures, attachments, maps, calendars, and calendar invites. In the entire history of the world, there have never been this many ways to connect with other humans, in one sleek package.

In addition, with direct messaging apps like WhatsApp you can actually conduct sales transactions right within the app. Although these features are beyond the scope of the book, if you sell physical products, this will be something worth exploring.

Direct messaging is powerful for many of the same reasons as text messaging. It's mobile and is often treated as a priority. Direct messaging may serve as asynchronous communication—especially with social media direct messaging. Yet, it can easily shift to synchronous communication.

For example, I have many clients in other ...