Increase Your Profits by Training Your People
Increase Your Profits by Training Your People
What impression do outsiders get when they call your business?
Is it a welcoming greeting such as "Thank you for calling The Office Organiser, this is Lorraine", or do they hear:
"Lorraine's phone"
"Hold the line" (before you even speak)
"Hold the line please" (before you have even opened your mouth)
"Lorraine speaking" (doesn't even mention the name of the business)
or they speak so fast you miss the name of the organisation and have to check you rang the right number.
Sometimes the initial contact has been positive only to be let down when the person has said:
"Hold the line for a tick/sec"
"I need to find a piece of paper to write your message down"
"Can you hold on while I find a pen"
"Just a tick, I'll pop you on hold"
"Alright, I'll see if she's available"
How to Effortlessly Lose Business
Recently my 22 year old had three weeks off from her job as a flight attendant. She wanted to book into a health retreat for a few days.
As her mother, I was very excited by this, as it’s not often you hear of someone so young, invest their own money…and we’re talking around $2000 plus, who would do something so positive for themselves.
Anyhow, we spoke about her options and she decided on a well-known retreat in Queensland (where else?). On the two occasions she spoke with the receptionist and sales person, Tia (my daughter) was treated with indifference. The staff were not enthusiastic or very helpful…a major turn–off.
Tia had never been to this retreat yet the impression she gained indicated it was very disorganised and not professional. Her thoughts were – if this is how they respond to potential customers, what would the actual experience be like?
In the end she decided to go to Camp Eden which both my husband and myself have experienced. When she made her enquiries and consequently her booking, she was treated with respect and they made her feel special.
She’s spent the past 5 days at the retreat and has rung me to tell me how much she has enjoyed it.
Who Answers Your Phone?
The person who answers the phone automatically conveys to outsiders an impression of your organisation. So what impression is your phone answerer/answerers, receptionist or Director of First Impressions conveying to the world?
You can have the glossiest brochures, presentation kits, business cards, employ polished sales people who drive fancy cars and have flash premises, however if your physical image isn't backed up with a professional image in the office, then you could lose credibility and even business.
On occasions I have spent my money elsewhere because of the treatment I received from the receptionist.
Whose Fault Is It?
Can you blame your people? No. The buck stops with the owner or manager of the business. Often they are too busy to pay attention to the customer service side of the business and avoid investing time and money into their most important asset…their people.
Here are some simple, yet very effective solutions to shape up your phone image.
Top Telephone Tips
Train your people in how to answer the phone.
Place a script next to each phone so they cannot forget what to say.
Smile and stand up each time the phone is answered. The smile projects down the line and standing up gets you off your butt!
Ask some of your clients and a few outsiders (could be possible prospects) to ring into your organisation and provide you feedback as to what they experienced i.e. welcoming greeting, professional manner, etc.
Have a system for taking messages that everyone adheres to. i.e. use duplicate message pads, message boards or email. (Tie pens to the message pads).
Answer the phone as quickly as possible, ideally on the third ring. If it takes too long to answer then the caller may think no-one is there and may take their business elsewhere. If you answer too soon it may appear you have nothing to do.
Learn the words" "Please" and "Thank You".
The Final Word
It's always the little things which count. The simple, basic, nitty gritties of life.
Ignore them and you risk losing business, credibility, respect, and who knows what else? Pay attention to the details because if you don't, other people may not pay attention to you!
Have a great week
Lorraine Pirihi
Increase Your Profits by Training Your People - To learn more about this author, visit Lorraine Pirihi's Website.
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Hi!
What impression do outsiders get when they call your business?
Is it a welcoming greeting such as "Thank you for calling The Office Organiser, this is Lorraine", or do they hear:
"Lorraine's phone"
"Hold the line" (before you even speak)
"Hold the line please" (before you have even opened your mouth)
"Lorraine speaking" (doesn't even mention the name of the business)
or they speak so fast you miss the name of the organisation and have to check you rang the right number.
Sometimes the initial contact has been positive only to be let down when the person has said:
"Hold the line for a tick/sec"
"I need to find a piece of paper to write your message down"
"Can you hold on while I find a pen"
"Just a tick, I'll pop you on hold"
"Alright, I'll see if she's available"
How to Effortlessly Lose Business
Recently my 22 year old had three weeks off from her job as a flight attendant. She wanted to book into a health retreat for a few days.
As her mother, I was very excited by this, as it’s not often you hear of someone so young, invest their own money…and we’re talking around $2000 plus, who would do something so positive for themselves.
Anyhow, we spoke about her options and she decided on a well-known retreat in Queensland (where else?). On the two occasions she spoke with the receptionist and sales person, Tia (my daughter) was treated with indifference. The staff were not enthusiastic or very helpful…a major turn–off.
Tia had never been to this retreat yet the impression she gained indicated it was very disorganised and not professional. Her thoughts were – if this is how they respond to potential customers, what would the actual experience be like?
In the end she decided to go to Camp Eden which both my husband and myself have experienced. When she made her enquiries and consequently her booking, she was treated with respect and they made her feel special.
She’s spent the past 5 days at the retreat and has rung me to tell me how much she has enjoyed it.
Who Answers Your Phone?
The person who answers the phone automatically conveys to outsiders an impression of your organisation. So what impression is your phone answerer/answerers, receptionist or Director of First Impressions conveying to the world?
You can have the glossiest brochures, presentation kits, business cards, employ polished sales people who drive fancy cars and have flash premises, however if your physical image isn't backed up with a professional image in the office, then you could lose credibility and even business.
On occasions I have spent my money elsewhere because of the treatment I received from the receptionist.
Whose Fault Is It?
Can you blame your people? No. The buck stops with the owner or manager of the business. Often they are too busy to pay attention to the customer service side of the business and avoid investing time and money into their most important asset…their people.
Here are some simple, yet very effective solutions to shape up your phone image.
Top Telephone Tips
Train your people in how to answer the phone.
Place a script next to each phone so they cannot forget what to say.
Smile and stand up each time the phone is answered. The smile projects down the line and standing up gets you off your butt!
Ask some of your clients and a few outsiders (could be possible prospects) to ring into your organisation and provide you feedback as to what they experienced i.e. welcoming greeting, professional manner, etc.
Have a system for taking messages that everyone adheres to. i.e. use duplicate message pads, message boards or email. (Tie pens to the message pads).
Answer the phone as quickly as possible, ideally on the third ring. If it takes too long to answer then the caller may think no-one is there and may take their business elsewhere. If you answer too soon it may appear you have nothing to do.
Learn the words" "Please" and "Thank You".
The Final Word
It's always the little things which count. The simple, basic, nitty gritties of life.
Ignore them and you risk losing business, credibility, respect, and who knows what else? Pay attention to the details because if you don't, other people may not pay attention to you!
Have a great week
Lorraine Pirihi
Increase Your Profits by Training Your People - To learn more about this author, visit Lorraine Pirihi's Website.
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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