Clueless-voicemail-david-wygantIt’s amazing in the world that we live in nowadays; nobody picks up their phone.

Go back 15 years.

When the phone rang, and you had caller ID for the very very first time, you were able to see a phone number and decide whether or not you wanted to pick it up.

30 years ago, even 25 years ago, there was no such thing as caller ID. You picked up every phone call because you had no idea who it was on the other end of the line.

Now, nobody picks up. It’s amazing. I can make 10 phone calls in a day and nobody picks up.

People will call back instantly. They won’t even listen to my voicemail. It’s funny. I can leave a voicemail message that says:

Hey, I’m running out. I don’t have time to talk right now. Call me back later around 5:00.

Then the person will call two minutes later and say, “Hey, I just saw you called…”

What’s the point of leaving a voicemail message then?!

The majority of people I know have the most impersonal voicemail messages. They just use whatever the cell phone provider has left them with. Usually it’s something very generic like:

…you’ve reached 917-555-1212…

A lot of people have voicemail boxes that are full.

So what’s the point of giving out a business card or exchanging numbers?

All we do now is text. We don’t pick up the phone.

And that brings us to a big dilemma. You survey 100 women and 90 of them will always ask, “Why don’t guys call anymore?”

Well, guys do call. A lot of them will, but women never pick up a phone call. So why bother calling?

The world has changed. We’ve become a text and e-mail world. Get used to it, because that’s the way it is.

You’ve got to stop thinking about the old days. You’ve got to stop thinking about how great it was to actually hear somebody’s voice. Now, all you hear is SMS code.

Things change. You’ve got to change with the times.

Personally, I can’t stand it when the phone rings.

I prefer someone to text me and say:

Hey, do you have time to talk?

And that’s what I tell people do to people now also. Because of the way the world has changed, phone calls have become intrusive. We’re intruding on someone’s life when we dial in, so I just send them a text.

Hey, can you talk?

If they’re working on something else, they have an option to say yes or no. I don’t take it as an insult. I just find out when we can talk later on. Easy.

That’s how you get someone’s attention.

Text first, and allow them to decide if they feel like talking at that present moment. This way you’ll never call and get her voicemail ever again.

Use the method above and you’ll have much more success with your phone game.