Good advice on phone calls

How to convey information to a potential client? There is an email: you can write a letter, structure your thoughts and wait for a response. There is a telephone: you can convey thoughts and emotions and hear what feelings they aroused in the other person - anger, disappointment, joy or sadness. General Partner of Upfront Ventures Mark Saster gives advice on how to get the most out of the second method.



Effective and you can make a letter and call. But in the case of a conversation, you are able to hear the answer. If the text message caused anger, then your interlocutor can respond in neutral tones - and thus cause the continuation of the dialogue. Which will eventually lead to an increase in this feeling towards you. So how to use the phone features?

1. Get ready!

Write on paper a list of things you want to convey. Write the reason for the call, key information and question.
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2. Start with a joke

When Mark Saster calls someone, he starts with some friendly joke, a little banter. Well, if you know your favorite sports team interlocutor. Or if you read something about a potential client’s company in a magazine, heard about his speech at an event or you know that there was a terrible storm in his city yesterday. Call personification is a good idea. And when you offer goods from fire and into the fire, it sounds a bit strange in a bad sense.

Two things to keep in mind. The beginning of the dialogue should not look so that the interlocutor immediately understood that you said something for the sake of decency. And second, the jokes should not go too far, do not waste someone else's time. And his.

3. Let me know why you are calling.

When you are ready to continue the dialogue, name the reason for the call. According to Mark's experience, only every fourth person speaks about the reason - that is, they start talking to you, and you do not understand what they need from you. The sooner you give the other person to understand the reason for the call, the sooner he will understand how he can help. In any case, it is better to mention the time to be spent by the interlocutor.

4. Do not push your ears.

Often people make the mistake of communicating a huge amount of information about themselves and their business. They talk about it, not listening to the interlocutor's voice and not receiving any feedback from him, not trying to build a dialogue. If you make this mistake, most likely, the next time the same subscriber does not pick up the phone.

5. Ask questions

A great way to bring a person to dialogue is to ask questions. Ask them and listen to the answers, get the necessary information.

6. Highlight your main question.

Chase after two hares — you won't catch a single one. Do not try to call in order to find out four or five things at once. Highlight the main question and build a dialogue so that later you have a reason to call again.

7. Keep records

If the talks went well, then you can return to some of the pre-written questions (see clause 1) later. Write, that interested interlocutor, caused his anger or irritation or other reaction. And the other party will be pleased that you remember what you talked about last time.

8. During difficult negotiations, listen more.

Remember Stephen Covey's rule: “First, try to understand, then be understood.” Do not try to convey everything at once, first listen to the interlocutor - understand what he needs.

9. Adhere to the allotted time.

Or, better yet, end the dialogue even earlier. If you start working with interlocutors, then, most likely, you will write more than one letter with him and call several times. You should not be a person who is pressing on the ears - otherwise the desire to talk with you will diminish.

What do you want to add to this list? Write in the comments.