I’ve found that phone calls with clients and prospects can either be really great or a total waste of time. In my experience, the great phone calls all have the same things in common:
- A strict time limit
- The best phone calls have a defined start and end time that aren’t deviated from – everyone on the call knows this, calls in on time, and says goodbye when time is up
- An agenda written in advance
- Everyone knows what is going to be discussed, what the various options are, and what decisions need to be made
- The right people are on the phone
- Everyone who needs to be involved in the required decisions is present and ready to make a decision
- Someone is responsible for taking notes
- If there are no notes, you’ll lose track of what you talked about and the decisions that were made
- People aren’t afraid to say goodbye
- When it is time to go, say so – you’ve got other things to do and can’t be sitting around forever blabbing
Getting on the phone can be a great way to get to know a prospect, establish a deeper rapport with your clients, or put a human touch to your work. That being said, you’ve got work to do – get on the phone, get what you need done, and get back to work.
I couldn’t agree more. I find every step that you layed out very helpful and it works very well for me. Thanks