I would have previously sided with the programmer as yes, email is more efficient and you can explain things in detail, but since starting a job where I'm invol

I would have previously sided with the programmer as yes, email is more efficient and you can explain things in detail, but since starting a job where I'm involved in product demos for sales people, I am getting an understanding of the importance of phone calls and face to face. It is much easier for them to develop a rapport with you if they can talk about the weekend or to joke in a way that they might not be able to put into writing. It is also much easier to ask "dumb" questions on the phone to clear up misunderstandings than to put potentially embarrassing questions in email. They are not just buying your product, they are making a decision inside their organisation which could come back to bite them, so they want to have a chat and get to know you to make sure that they are going to be ok. They are the ones taking the responsibility for your product in their organisation so damn straight you talk to them and get to know them.