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Increase your professional presence on the phone

Written by: Alan McLaren

Article Overview: Here are some tips to increase your professional presence on the phone

Increase your professional presence on the phone

1. You’re on stage. When you’re on the phone with a client, you’re playing the roles of a good-will ambassador, problem solver, public relations representative, and more. Whether you are having a good day or a bad day, your telephone call is a performance that should leave your client feeling positive about you.

2. Put energy in your voice. A good trick to remember is that when you are sitting during a phone call, your diaphragm is compressed. When you stand up and move around, you breathe more freely. You have more energy, which will come across in your voice.

3. Smile when you speak. The person you speak to won't see the smile, but the warmth that comes from a smile will come across the phone line!

4. Monitor your voice quality. Do people often ask you to repeat what you just said? You may be mumbling or not enunciating clearly. A good telephone voice is clear and loud enough for people to hear, without sounding loud or shrill.

5. Prepare for your calls. Before an important call, plan what you will say, in writing if possible. This will lower your chances of getting sidetracked, or forgetting important items.

6. Stick to your point and keep it brief. Business people don’t have time for chatty conversations during the day. Monitor the voice of the person you are calling. If they sound hurried, get to the point, or ask when would be a good time to call back.

7. Have all the materials you need at hand. This includes a pen and paper, your calendar for setting appointments, and other information you have from previous contacts.

8. Don’t do other tasks when you’re on the phone. The person you’re talking to may hear you clicking on your keyboard if you’re multi-tasking during your conversation. Eating, drinking or chewing gum during a business conversation is unprofessional.

9. Take notes. During the call, write down the relevant points you discussed. This shows your efficiency and attention to detail, and helps avoid repeat phone calls for the same information.

10. Make clients feel valued. A prompt reply and the words "Thank you for calling" go a long way in making a client feel valued. When you hear the voice of someone you know, put a little extra energy and warmth in your voice.

11. Give each call your full attention. When you are on the phone and you receive another call, let voicemail answer it. Only if you are speaking to someone you know well, you can ask if they mind waiting momentarily while you check who is calling.

12. Closing the conversation is as important a part of your impression as beginning the conversation. End the conversation by summing up the call to make sure each of you understands the next step. Then say goodbye, and wait until the other person hangs up before you put down the receiver.

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Looking older - Hi myownboss - when I first started out I was 19 and was selling into multibillion dollar NASDAQ companies. I never told people my age. They assumed I was young but not that young. I also always started off a relationship by email or phone before meeting so we had something built up before we got together face to face. It's much harder to tell someone's age by phone if you sound professional. I grew some facial hair to make me look older and I also always wore a suit to look more professional. These quick tips helped me sell - it's hard to be taken seriously when you are young and just starting out but it's a hurdle that can be overcome. Good luck!
Contact Information - I've been amazed at the number of people who have blogs and/or websites to promote and there is no contact information. What's the point of having an online presence presence if people can't get in touch with you???? I don't list my phone number or home address - but my email address and Post Office box is on every page of my websites at least once and my email address is in my blog profile. The other "fun" option is when people do provide an email address, but its out of date and inactive or they only check it every week or two. Seems that these people can't be overly serious about the product or service they are promoting. Any other thoughts??? Shri
Re: What's the best anti-virus/spyware software? - Hi Tanny, Thanks for sharing those key points from that interview. The first one, SMS viruses, is something I've never thought of before. Luckily I don't own a phone that is OS capable. It certainly is a good point and something phone companies should be taking seriously. It would be just as devastating to have your entire phone wiped out from a virus as a computer would be. I suppose there would have to be a way to backup your phone contents as well, in case something ever would happen. The only backup feature my phone has is with the capability of backing up all of my contacts and storing them on my online account where I have access to them from the computer. It's a very handy feature to have.
Re: What's the best anti-virus/spyware software? - [quote="Alan Mater":rafyjy4t]Hi Tanny, Thanks for sharing those key points from that interview. The first one, SMS viruses, is something I've never thought of before. Luckily I don't own a phone that is OS capable. It certainly is a good point and something phone companies should be taking seriously. It would be just as devastating to have your entire phone wiped out from a virus as a computer would be. I suppose there would have to be a way to backup your phone contents as well, in case something ever would happen. The only backup feature my phone has is with the capability of backing up all of my contacts and storing them on my online account where I have access to them from the computer. It's a very handy feature to have.[/quote:rafyjy4t] Hi Alan, SMS viruses can be found on all phones, usually when downloading ringtones or wallpapers for your phone. It happened to husband and they had to completely format his phone, lucky for him, I sync the phones with my computer all the time.
Re: Contact Information - [quote="litekepr":1vwh33rf]I've been amazed at the number of people who have blogs and/or websites to promote and there is no contact information. What's the point of having an online presence presence if people can't get in touch with you???? I don't list my phone number or home address - but my email address and Post Office box is on every page of my websites at least once and my email address is in my blog profile. The other "fun" option is when people do provide an email address, but its out of date and inactive or they only check it every week or two. Seems that these people can't be overly serious about the product or service they are promoting. Any other thoughts??? Shri[/quote:1vwh33rf] Hi Shri, I think a lot of those people are probably new to blogs or the use of online communities as they're probably more guarded against things like spam and identity theft. You mentioned that you even include a PO Box address. How important is it to have a "physical" address for people to contact you or send you stuff when you own a blog?


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