What To Do When The Phone Rings

“What do you mean, ‘What to do when the phone rings?’, Wes? You answer it? Are you out of your mind? You must be the non-sales whisperer!”

Sometimes, in some industries, you must answer the phone every time it rings, and you must answer it quickly.

However, answering the phone and allowing yourself to be ambushed by a phone call are two different things.

My son is a new real estate agent, so he has to answer calls when they come in, preferably on the first ring.

However, it’s rare that he’s sitting at his desk, with his earpiece in, his laptop opened to the file or application he needs, and no other distractions going on, so he can dedicate 100% of his time and attention to the inbound call.

There’s a reason Tiger Woods takes 30 seconds to two minutes to sink a putt.

His routine clears his mind, which helps him focus, which helps him put forth his best effort, which is why he has won so many big matches.

Meanwhile, you’re driving in traffic, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, steering with your knee, kids screaming in the backseat, talk radio blaring through the car, texting your spouse, streaming TikTok, and the phone rings.

You turn down the radio, give your kids the “SHUT YOUR PIE HOLES, OR I’LL PULL THIS CAR OVER AND BEAT YOU WITH A FLIP FLOP” gesture, hold the phone between your ear and shoulder, try to set your coffee down, as you put on your sweet, professional voice, “Hi, how can I help you? Of course, I can talk. This is a perfect time. I’m here for you 24/7.”

Meanwhile, your kids are still cutting up, albeit silently, yet they’re still a distraction.

You’re driving for five minutes with your blinker on, twice you drop your phone in your lap because you think you see a cop and have to piece together the parts that you missed, your coffee is splashing out of the little hole in the lid onto your notebook you’ve pulled out and rested on your knee, you manage to put the caller on mute as you drop off your kids and blow them kisses and remind them to be on time at pick up, as you breathe a sigh of relief that you can now focus on the call, your fat finger hits the “End Call” button inadvertently, so you have to call the prospect back and secretly pray they don’t answer so you can hear them say their name on their answering service because you didn’t catch in the first place.

How’s that working out fer ya?

Try this the next time you must answer the phone, but you’re not in the most conducive environment to take that call:

“Hi, this is Joe, how may I help you?”

(Pay close attention to how they greet you. This tells you a lot about their state of mind and their expectations. Are they friendly and cordial? Are they rushed? Are they loud or soft-spoken? Do they give you their name and share why they are calling? You must quickly take control of the conversation, despite them calling you.)

“Got it. May I ask your name? Mary? Great. Hey Mary, I am not at my desk right now. Would it be okay if I call you back at this number I see on my phone in 15 minutes? That will give me time to pull up the information you need, and I’ll be able to help you right away. Would that be okay?”

99 out of 100 will say, “Sure. No problem.” And you can let that one go pound sand.

Try it today.

I guarantee you’ll have better results on the phone because you’ll be calmer, focused, and in a position to truly serve those who need you when they need you.

Market like you mean it.

Now go sell something.