If you ask your salespeople or account managers, chances are the answer to the question is “yes.” Yes, we are in regular contact with our lists. Yes, it’s a good dialog. And, yes, don’t bother us.

But is that enough? Here’s what we mean:

1.  Ideas are your best selling points. But how do you communicate them to your best advantage?

2.  Actions speak louder than words. But what has your company done lately that is worth bringing up in a sales or client management context?

3.  Something “new” is better than “same old.” Put another way, are you giving your people something that gives them an excuse to pick up the phone?

We were reminded of this need by an email the other day from a client. He drives his company’s sales effort and also wears the marketing/PR hat. Almost from the beginning, he has invested time, effort and money in a periodic email blast program.

Nothing earth-shattering here, of course. Lots of companies do it. But this client really works at it. All of the media outreach we do on the client’s behalf is with the idea of creating another email blast. Bylined articles on hot topics in leading trade publications? Same idea. Observations on industry trends? Why not.

The point is, he’s right. You do need to give your sales and client management people a reason to pick up the phone and say something like: “Hey, did you get my email this morning. I think there’s something here that you might find useful.”

So what did the client’s email to us say? “It gives me and the sales guys a chance to re-engage without getting in their face.”

Enough said.