by The Phone Lady
on Jun 16, 2013
- 1 Comment
If I had to choose my #1 Most Irritating Communication Habit it would be … not listening!
I’m sure you’ve experienced it. You’ve enthusiastically shared a story or provided information; you finish and wait expectantly for reaction or input. Instead, when the person speaks, their words don’t connect at all with anything you’ve said. It’s as if they were participating in a completely different conversation. Makes me crazy!
Having said that, I’m sure I’ve done it myself. ...
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On Wednesday May 29 I returned to my office from an afternoon workshop and immediately had to dash towards the ringing phone.
“Mary Jane, speaking,” I said. “How can I help you?”
The person at the other end spoke over me, so I didn’t get any of their information.
“Hello,” I said. And again, “Hello.”
Silence.
The rhythm of the conversation wasn’t right. “Is this a computer?” I asked. (Yes, I do realize that’s a silly question.)
Then a very pleasant and ...
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Earlier this week I received a phone call from a friend and colleague. We are always both very busy and we usually acknowledge this with quick, graceful phone calls that respect each other’s hectic schedules.
But this call arrived moments after I finished a difficult project, when I was enjoying a few moments of relief. In other words, I wasn’t rushed when I answered his call.
He spoke in his usual cheerful, busy tone so we focused ...
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At the Ottawa Airport this morning, someone’s boarding pass drifted past my feet as I walked to my gate. I picked it up and went over to the agents for the appropriate flight.
“Good Morning, ladies,” I said to them both (it was 7 am), holding up the boarding pass. “I … .”
But I didn’t get to finish my second sentence. One of the agents, without looking up from her computer screen and making eye contact, ...
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I’ve spent much of this past week prospecting for both myself and others and I’ve noted common characteristics among voicemail messages. Does your message match any of these … and what does this mean to your prospects and customers?
The Flight Attendant
This message has the same intonation and pacing as the safety procedure message we hear at the beginning of every flight. It is well rehearsed, contains no errors or “uhms” or “ahs”. It is absolutely ...
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All of us need to give more thought to our outbound voicemail message. Why? Because for our clients, customers, donors and prospects our voicemail is our receptionist. It is vital that this “receptionist” welcome our callers and contain our desire to be of service.
In a workshop this past week I was asked “How can we make sure we create the best message for our voicemail?” It was the first time I’d been asked this question ...
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by The Phone Lady
on Apr 28, 2013
- 1 Comment
Dig the well before you are thirsty. Chinese Proverb
This quote came across my desk on Thursday. I had just returned to my office from prospecting practice at The Hub (see below, News and Events, May 30), so it was very appropriate.
On the large white board we had created an imaginary time line for gaining new customers. (I’m convinced this is the most common mistake of entrepreneurs and salespeople alike – to focus on the customers ...
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cold calling,
customer service,
follow up calls,
Oxford Learning,
phone etiquette,
phone sales,
phone work,
Porter Airlines,
procrastination,
prospecting,
reluctant callers,
sales,
telephone etiquette,
telephone sales,
telephone work
“What’s the best time to call?” is one of the questions I get asked frequently and earlier this week I posted my answer to The Lunch Pack’s Burst of Learning group on LinkedIn. (It takes less than a minute to read and can be found here: http://lnkd.in/__b3NS)
While writing that post, I began to think about the frequency of other comments on phonework. Then during my time at Oxford Learning’s Niagara Falls conference http://www.oxfordlearning.com/ this past week, I ...
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During a brainstorming session this week I found myself saying “Phone calls are not the right approach for this project.” What! There was certainly a lot of laughter over The Phone Lady saying this.
Yes, I do strongly advocate for everyone to recognize and use the telephone to connect and build relationships. But there are indeed some situations when it’s not the best choice.
For example, my dearest friend has owned a voiceover business for the past ...
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I was recently interviewed for an article in a local newsletter. The young woman asked great questions and our conversation took us in many directions, including her relationship with the telephone.
She comes from the generation for whom the phone is more about text and email than it is about conversation. But as we talked about my work as The Phone Lady she had a realization.
“One of my friends that I rarely see because we are ...
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