To the person you are telephoning, you are an ‘image’. If the person knows you well they will automatically form a mental image of you, otherwise your VOICE is the determining factor of the image created.
It doesn’t matter how stunning you are in person, over the telephone the only thing that counts is your voice. You may be handsome or beautiful but a droopy, negative voice, a boring intonation, a flat, lifeless monotone will all combine to create a negative image in the mind of your listener.
Impatience, frustration, antagonism, anger, condescension - all the negative emotions are conveyed through the voice. A false impression may be made that ruins the conversation and ends the call because the physical presence of the caller is not there to balance the perception.
So remember, “it ain’t (necessarily) what you say; it’s the way that you say it”!
10 Tips on how to create a positive telephone image.
1) Let your voice project the image of a smile - when you smile your voice automatically gets a ‘lift’.
2) Let your listener know who you are right away, and the reason for the call.
3) Don’t rush your words as though trying to win a race (it’s usually nerves that cause that, so just take a few deep and calming breaths before calling the number) - speak reasonably slowly and clearly.
4) Keep your mouth free of obstructions - no sweets, gum or cigarettes!
5) Be a good listener - you have two ears and one mouth - use them in that ratio. Listening intelligently prompts you to ask relevant questions that, in turn, can provide interesting and useful information.
6) Project an aura of friendly professionalism.
7) Be sincere - insincerity is one of the easiest things to pick up by voice.
8) Be direct - don’t use long complicated words when everyday short ones will convey the meaning.
9) Be interested in what your contact has to say - a lively interest creates goodwill.
10) Know when to finish the call! Believe it or not you can actually lose a sale by not courteously and speedily wrapping it up once you’ve achieved your goal. The prospect then has time to start thinking about whether he has made the right decision and, more often than not, will reverse it.
When you have finished, take a couple of moments to Evaluate The Call.
Happy phoning!
Lots more free tips and pointers can be accessed at http://www.sellingforbusiness.com
Professional Telephone Selling: Project The Right Image - To learn more about this author, visit Linda Mattacks's Website.
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Linda Mattacks
(Visit Linda's Website)
"Linda Mattacks is one of those rare
professionals who combine deep
strategy-awareness with a thoroughly
practical approach to business marketing.
What's more, she is as much a hard-nosed
and sales-driven results seeker as she is
an intuitive people person who understands
what makes everyone tick. She has built a
wealth of experience in sales training,
business research, marketing campaign
planning and project management. Linda has
helped organisations of all types and
sizes in the UK and Europe to learn more
about their customers and markets, and
turn that knowledge into revenue. Her
mature and human manner has won her both
business partners' and colleagues'
complete trust, which has opened many new
opportunities for all involved.” - Jaakko
Alanko - MD McCann-Erickson, Business
Division, London, England ... Linda
Mattacks M IDM (the Institute of Direct
Marketing) is a trainer and mentor. She
has developed Selling For Business, a
course that combines the sales, research
and contact marketing skills that enable
individual entrepreneurs and small
businesses to compete successfully with
large organisations. Please visit www.sel
lingforbusiness.com for more details
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