Ever tried answering a phone call with a two year old next to you?  A two year old who just knows it's an important phone call?

I occasionally receive an email from an agency or PR company who want to discuss things by telephone.  Every time this happens I have a slight sinking worry feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Probably because I think they’ll not respond via email once I say I can’t be contacted by telephone and I’ll lose their interest. 

It’s not that I’m not interested and I can’t speak on the telephone.  But then it is kind of that I can’t speak on the telephone, at the moment anyway.

Just email me.  It’s so much easier.  Here’s why I just can’t speak on the telephone right now: 

• I have a 23 month old at home with me.  Most of the time.  I can guarantee if you call me, he’ll want my attention.  Or he’ll start crawling all over me whinging.  Or he’ll think it’s Daddy or Nana and start shouting their names in my face.  I always have to keep one eye on him.  If you call me I won’t be able to concentrate 100% as I’ll be giving him most of my attention.  So just email.  I’ll pick it up when I can give it 100% of my attention and if I can’t?  I can come back to it and read it when I can.
• My signal is terrible.  I only have a mobile.  (We did put a landline in and Bella managed to ring people off it, so now it’s their play phone instead) One minute you’ll hear me crystal clear, the next you’ll be saying ‘Hello?  Hello? Hello?’ as the phone line goes blank.  We live on the edge of a city with countryside a two minute walk from our house.  Perhaps this is why.  I don’t know, but it doesn’t make for a great business phone call.  I’ll probably miss half of what you say or I’ll have to guess what you’re saying.
• I won’t have a record of it.  I can’t reference a phone call.  With a 2 year old climbing all over me it will be hard to take notes.  I much prefer an email I can refer back to if I need to.  It’s also a good record of both of our conversation so there’s no confusion.
• I’m a mummy as well as being self-employed in the day so I’m not in an actual office 9-5.  There’s a high chance you’ll call me whilst I’ve popped to Tesco to get some nappies or I’m at Bounce and Rhyme with a room of noisy kids bashing instruments and screeching.  My hours are ad hoc whilst my youngest is still at home with me.
• I like to think about a response sometimes.  Put me on the spot on the phone and I might not come up with the best idea.  Email me and let me ponder over it and I’ll get back to you with a great idea.
• I get LOADS of spam calls so I’ll not pick up at all if I don’t know the number.  I’d spend my whole day answering my phone talking about PPI, accident claims and conservatories if I did.

I'm not afraid of the phone.  I quite often speak to my managing director/HR etc on the phone from home for my employed job, as calling is sometimes a lot easier.  But trying to sound professional on a phone for my own business is sadly not going to happen at the moment!

Are you a mum in business who hates having to talk on the phone too?  Just email us, yes?

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