Anyone home? ☎️

Good morning! What would you pay for an original iPhone? Well, someone just paid over $63,000 for an original iPhone on an online auction house this week.

The 3.5 inch display and 2-megapixel camera were just irresistible to one buyer apparently. We’re betting on nostalgia and collectability being the winning factors though. Not to mention, it’s still in its factory-sealed box.

Here’s your full rundown for this Wednesday, February 22nd…

• TemWho? - Temu Is World’s Fastest Growing App

• Deflation - Kraft Hits Pause on Price Hikes

• Verified Wars - The Differences Between Twitter & Meta Verification

• Anyone Home? - Why You Should Be Calling Your Customers

• Paid 2FA - Twitter Makes 2FA a Paid Only Feature

Lurn Bytes: Entrepreneurship Around The Web

Behind Temu’s Extraordinary Rise - Following its Super Bowl commercial 2 weeks ago, Temu has become the most downloaded app in the United States. But how exactly does this online shopping platform differ from the others, and why is it so popular all of the sudden? Here’s everything we know so far…

Kraft Hits Pause on Price Hikes - There was a welcome sign for consumers everywhere this week when Kraft announced it’s pausing price hikes. Does this mean the end of inflation now that one of the world’s biggest food producers is ending price hikes? Not so fast say some economists…

Meta vs. Twitter Verification Explained - The biggest trend from social media platforms of 2023 so far is the push for paid verification. Both Meta and Twitter are going all in on this new way to generate revenue. So what do you get with each platform’s paid subscription? Here’s a deep dive…

Why Sales Calls Are Still So Important

There are more ways to communicate with your clients/customers than ever before.

But one of the most effective methods for selling is CONSTANTLY overlooked these days.

Sales calls…

Of course, not every client is going to want to pick up the phone. But you’ll be surprised how many do! Especially those that are willing to spend a LOT of money on offers.

You see, sales calls are still one of the most effective ways to close HIGH-TICKET clients.

There are 3 huge benefits to calling your clients and customers.

#1 - “Warm” Customers

Even if you’re cold calling, you are still able to make warm contact with a sales call. There is just so much more emotion that can be communicated over a phone call.

Plus, your tone can be properly communicated over a call.

Sales calls allow you to properly express your emotions and tone, leaving a lot less room for interpretation like with texts.

Of course, this means more effective communication.

#2 - You Can “Pre-Sell”

It might be hard to believe, but about 60% of buyers want to discuss price within the first sales call!

We wouldn’t recommend starting the call off with the pricing, but it’s still important to remember the reason for the call in the first place…

To make a sale!

Because of this, the product or service needs to be pre-sold.

The communication between the salesperson and the potential customer or client should come back to the product or service throughout the sales call. By the time the pitch comes, the customer should already be ready to buy!

But there’s an even bigger reason to

#3 - Create Relationships

Selling is ALL about building relationships.

Even if products are the same or similar, a good salesperson can build a relationship with their customers that makes them see the real value in the product or service. The customer will place value on buying from that specific person!

Imagine someone calling and asking about your business and why you started it. Then, they ask about what school you went to and (surprise), you went to the same school!

The two of you are making deeper connections and they start to slowly relate the product or service to you and how it can help your life or your business.

Before you know it, you’ve bought the product!

By building relationships with customers, the sale actually becomes organic. Instead of forcing the sale, it simply comes naturally.

With the right knowledge about pre-selling, preparation, and relationship-building, you can become a master of sales calls!

57%

That’s the percentage of C-level buyers who prefer to have salespeople call them, according to The Rain Group.

Twitter Makes 2FA a Paid Feature…

And not everyone is happy about it. Just recently, Twitter announced that 2-Factor Authentication will now only be available to users who have paid for Twitter Blue subscriptions.

As a reminder, Twitter Blue is sold for $8 per month.

Here’s what the company said in a statement…

“While historically a popular form of 2FA, unfortunately we have seen phone-number based 2FA be used - and abused - by bad actors. So starting today, we will no longer allow accounts to enroll in the text message/SMS method of 2FA unless they are Twitter Blue subscribers. The availability of text message 2FA for Twitter Blue may vary by country and carrier.”

2FA has become the norm for most apps and subscription accounts these days. The fact that Twitter is only making it available to those who pay has rubbed plenty of users the wrong way.

Musk and company are okay with that.

This is just the latest indication that they are attempting to turn Twitter profitable at all costs. In that regard, we can’t say we’re terribly surprised with the news.

Here’s the full story…

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