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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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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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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cold call training,
cold calling,
customer service,
effective communication,
etiquette,
phone communication,
phone etiquette,
phone fear,
phone phobia,
phone sales,
phone skills,
phonework,
prospecting,
telephone communication,
telephone etiquette,
telephone sales
This past week I immersed myself in phonework for three solid days – a rare occurrence that I welcomed with excitement. (I know, I know, many of you think that is completely bonkers!) But dialing the phone to accomplish a specific goal is the foundation of The Phone Lady. Without my enjoyment of – and curiosity about – this specific task, my workshops and talks would have flat-lined years ago.
My calls focused on Toronto (more ...
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etymology,
language,
phone communication,
phone etiquette,
phone fear,
phone power,
phone sales,
telephone communication,
telephone sales,
telephone sales training,
words
One of the best ways to improve communication with others (on the phone, in writing and in person) is to focus on them. In other words, as I’ve shared in previous posts … It’s Not About You!
Using the word “comfortable” on the phone helps you make it about them.
Here’s why:
Business telephone conversations are usually headed to an “ask” of some kind. Think about your asks. Do you most often call to: Book time for a ...
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I’ll admit that this particular bit of advice sounds quite silly. For some of us, it evokes memories of delicious teenage telephone conversations that we couldn’t bear to have come to an end, so we fell into a game of “you hang up first – no, you hang up first – no, you hang up first.”
But when you have a customer or potential client on the phone, it’s the ultimate in telephone etiquette to allow ...
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This past week I called the CEO’s office of a local corporation. I placed the call with great excitement because of an opportunity that’s brewing I believe is a perfect fit for them (more on this in a future post). I was also very relaxed making the call because: 1) I am a long-standing customer; and 2) I spoke with this executive assistant about 6 months ago. She was lovely.
Loveliness didn’t enter into our most ...
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