I'm backstage at BizX 2026, tucked into a little podcast pod with Jeb Blount, the man who wrote Fanatical Prospecting. Halfway through, I want to go old school for a minute.
"What's your take on picking up the phone in business in 2026?"
He doesn't even pause. People tell him all the time that nobody answers the phone any more. His answer is short. "Nobody answers a phone that doesn't ring."
If you've ever sent an email when you knew a call would be better, this one's for you. It's about what marketing is really for, and the conversation it's meant to get you.
Sales and marketing used to fight
Early in my career I worked in the corporate world, and sales and marketing spent a lot of time blaming each other. Marketing would say they'd handed over loads of leads and sales couldn't close them. Sales would say the leads were terrible.
I think a lot of that has faded. Every salesperson now does some of their own marketing, on LinkedIn and everywhere else, so the line has blurred.
My own belief is that marketing earns you the permission to have a sales conversation. Its job is to get the conversation started. After that it's about helping someone move from where they are to where they'd like to be.
Jeb liked that. Most people would guess the head of sales hires his company most often. He told me it's the head of marketing. They're bringing people to the table, then watching the conversation stall.
Hiding behind the screen
I see a lot of people, and I'll put this bluntly, hiding behind email and social media. It feels safer. Nobody can say no to your face.
Picking up the phone, or turning up in person, is about the most anti-AI thing you can do. An AI can't bang on someone's door and walk in. Jeb put it simply. AI can't have a human-to-human conversation.
He told me about a sales ride with one of his reps, walking round the back of a business past a sign saying beware of the dog. They couldn't see a dog. There was a man who talked to them for an hour, and then the owner pulled up and joined in. They didn't sell anything that day. They got to know each other, and none of it would have happened if they'd paid attention to the signs telling them to stay out.
Kids already know
We got onto whether people learn to sell or get taught out of it. I know when my daughter's about to sell me something, because "Dad" turns into "Daaaaad". Jeb reckons kids are the best salespeople there are. They keep asking, and they already understand that sales is a language of questions.
Be there when they're ready
Near the end I tried to sum up what he'd said. Get people to know who you are, and give them reasons to trust you. Then be there when they're ready, without forcing the timing.
I said it as a summary of Jeb. Reading it back, it's also a fair description of what I think marketing is for.
The full conversation is on the ActionCOACH podcast, if you want more of Jeb on prospecting.
Make one call
Think of one person you've been emailing back and forth with for weeks. Ring them today. If they don't pick up, leave a short, friendly message saying why you called, and see what comes back.
