TelecomInside - Articles

Call Now!

Business practices today can be great for people who don’t like to talk to others. Think about it. If you try, you can go for days without speaking to anyone. All you have to do is use e-mail or time your telephone calls so the party probably won’t be there.

There’s just one problem. Sooner or later some one will actually answer that telephone or return your call and you will have to have a conversation. An important one…to close a deal, land a job, or placate your most important client…and your verbal communication skills are rusty. What to do?

CALL NOW. That’s right. Just CALL NOW. Some things don’t improve with keeping. Let’s use the letters in “CALL NOW” as the basis for our plan to improve telephone communication skills.

C – Create a plan. Never just pick up the telephone without a plan. What is the objective for this call? Decide beforehand what possible outcomes for this call could be. Decide what your reactions will be. Write them down. In effect, you are creating your own telemarketing script. A good communicator thinks of all the possible angles beforehand. Have your answers and rebuttals ready. Prepare your alternate suggestions and solutions. Creating a plan will increase your odds that you will be pleased with the results of your call.

A – Act as though this is the only call you’ll make today. “How” you say it is as important as what you say. Your voice should sound fresh and enthusiastic. Be pleasant, courteous, and enunciate clearly. You don’t want some one constantly saying “what?” Your mood is contagious. Use it to help you get what you need.

L – Let go of your fears. Most people use voice mail and e-mail as the easy way out because they are afraid. Afraid that they won’t get the result they need; and putting it off by leaving messages seems to be the safest thing to do. There’s only one problem. If you don’t actually speak, you never get any results. One way to look at this problem is to realize that you’ve already convinced yourself that the answer is no. If you make that telephone call and get any better results, you’ve put yourself ahead of the game.

L – Live in the present. Listen actively. Sometimes when we are having a conversation, we get so caught up in what we have to say we don’t pay enough attention to what the other party is trying to tell us.

N – Say “No” to cold calls. Most fears about telephone calls stem from having to make cold calls. No one likes to call some one they don’t know and try to persuade them to take action. Avoid it. Build your networks of professional contacts. Cultivate people who can give you referrals or who could become qualified leads themselves for your business. It’s easy to make calls to some one you know. Increase your circle of contacts and decrease your cold calls.

O – Onward to your next call. Whew! That first call is over. Don’t stop now. A curious thing happens when you begin to make several telephone calls in a row. They become easier. Each call you make gets better than the last. You are using skills and reinforcing them through practice. You don’t need to set aside large amounts of time for telephone calls. Fifteen to twenty minutes will do. Just don’t make one. That one call will assume such proportion in your mind that you will never pick up the telephone and dial. By making several calls, you ensure that you’re prepared and make each one as professionally as possible.

W – Wow! Watch your revenues increase. When you make a point of communicating live with people, you increase your chances for positive results.

Pick up that telephone. As the telephone company used to say “reach out and touch some one.” CALL NOW!

Read similar articles: