Be Talkative

I was recently talking with bunch of my son’s friends, that are all recent college graduates, many of whom have tech-sales-jobs and are making cold-calls, and gave them some tips on getting comfortable on the phones.? When one suggested I post this on LinkedIn, I thought, what a great idea.

Before e-mails, text messages, and electronic communications, we had three basic ways of getting a hold of people, (i) face-to-face (which is always the best), (ii) phone calls, and (iii) US mail.

To us, the phone was our internet, if you wanted information, you dialed Directory Assistance at 411 and asked the operator to look up a phone number.? Just like today, people would say "you’re always on the phone" and by the end of the day you were talked-out and dreaded answering your home phone.?

At work we were taught to make no less than 85-calls per day, and out of those calls, at least 35 had to be “completed-calls” where you spoke with someone and got information. ?Each night our manager would review our call logs, completed information, and ask why your calls were "light" today. ?I remember my time was 5:10 PM and I would scramble to update records before the meeting.

Today, we onboard new hires expecting them to make calls every day and never think that we first need to teach them how to talk on the phone. ?We quickly realized we don’t need to return to basics, we need actually teach basic phone skills.

While we used to measure the number of calls made, today we look closer at total talk-time.? We ask the new hires to become talkative before making daily calls.? First thing in the morning on the way to work, call a friend, sibling, parent, or loved one and just get talkative.? Talk about the Knicks, the weather, how you miss college, whatever it is, just get talkative, it sets you up for the day.

Remember, rarely anyone likes making cold-calls, and nobody likes getting cold-calls.? You are supposed to feel apprehensive, it is totally natural.? It’s OK to be hung up on.? It’s OK for people to be short with you, that’s the name of the game.? As time goes on, you will get more comfortable and better at making cold-calls.? Simply remind yourself, you cannot do business with someone that does not want to do business with you.?

Some basic tips:

• Do you know the pencil technique?? Before making calls, place a pencil sideways and bite on it and hold it in your teeth.? Notice the smile?? Hold that smile for a full 5-seconds, it makes a huge difference in your voice and inflection (make sure you remove the pencil first).
• If someone is being rude and short with you, try asking for their name and spelling, they will often become a lot nicer as they are now accountable.?
• Avoid asking closed-ended questions that require a yes or no answer, and instead ask “either/or” open-ended questions.? “I have an appointment in the area at 11:00 on Friday, would 10:00 or 12:00 work better for you?” this question cannot be answered by a yes or a no.?
• Calls before 9:00 AM, calls at Lunchtime, and calls after 5:00 PM get answered more often as the gate-keeper is away.
• Don’t be afraid to call someone on their mobile phone, they rarely ask “how did you get my number”, and if you really need someone, try triple-calling them.? By the 3rd consecutive dial, they typically answer with a short “WHAT”, but they do pick up.
• In our industry, I’ll sometimes ask for an opinion of their building as we have a potential tenant and wanted to know if they are happy with the building.? You would be surprised how they set themselves up for the “Move” question, it’s great. (this is known as pain-points and people love to talk about pain-points).

I could go on-and-on about cold-calling techniques, and what works for me, and what doesn’t, and how it becomes a game of getting people to talk, and like the conversation.? And that’s the important part, a good cold-call becomes a very likable conversation for all parties, and that is what you should strive for.

Ultimately, it is up to you as a young person to learn to use the phones and become TALKATIVE.?

Don’t let discouragement get you down.? Never let discouragement win.? Dig deep down and beat that feeling.? I did, and you can too.