Effective self-expression is crucial when communicating over the telephone, as listeners cannot interpret body language and must rely solely on your words.
Here are ten key elements of effective telephone communication:
- Clarity: Speak clearly and avoid jargon to ensure your message is easily understood.
- Tone: Use a warm and friendly tone to create a positive connection with the listener.
- Pace: Maintain a steady pace; speaking too quickly can lead to misunderstandings.
- Volume: Adjust your volume to ensure you are heard without shouting.
- Empathy: Show understanding and concern for the caller’s needs and feelings.
- Active Listening: Demonstrate that you are engaged by summarizing what the caller says and asking clarifying questions.
- Confidence: Speak with assurance to instill trust and credibility.
- Politeness: Use courteous language and expressions of gratitude to foster a positive interaction.
The final two elements are particularly critical for those involved in sales over the phone:
- Persuasiveness: Use persuasive language and techniques to effectively communicate the value of what you’re offering.
- Adaptability: Be flexible in your approach, adjusting your style and responses based on the caller’s reactions and needs.
By honing these elements, you can enhance your telephone communication skills and improve your interactions, especially in a sales context.
Build vocabulary strength.
Words serve as essential tools for conveying thoughts and expressions. Many of us underutilize the rich variety of approximately half a million words in the English language. In fact, just nine words account for 25% of the average American’s daily vocabulary: the, be, to, have, will, it, and, you, of. If you add another 34 words, you cover half of what most people use each day.
Investing time in expanding your vocabulary is one of the most valuable pursuits you can undertake. It’s not about using complex words to impress others; rather, effectively using terminology relevant to your industry, your customer’s field, and current events can leave a strong impression.
What are some ways we can build our vocabulary strength?
- Read more.
- Choose to search for the best words.
- Expand our use of words we already know.
- Reading a dictionary, doing crosswords, and taking a “new word a day” approach can all help us build a larger vocabulary.
- While we may not necessarily use all of our new words in one telephone call, in the long run this will help us communicate better with our prospects and with our clients.
Use the right words.
Stephen Covey, the well-known author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has noted that some words are both self-defeating and depressing, while others are uplifting, energizing, and bridge-building.
Here are some ideas:
|
Self-Defeating/Depressing Words |
Uplifting/Energizing Words |
|
o The problems are… |
o This is an opportunity to… |
|
o It’s them… o It’s the competition… |
o It’s us… o We can… |
|
o We don’t have the resources… o There isn’t time… |
o Here are some options: o Some choices are: |
|
o We must… |
o What would be best? |
Know when to stop talking.
Have you ever known somebody who talked so much that others stopped listening to them? If you talk too much, you may confuse your listener, overwhelm him with too much information, or bore him to the point where he stops paying attention.
This is one reason why we can benefit from using a script in our telephone calls. If we can keep our focus on making an appointment with our client, for example, we won’t take up too much of the client’s time, and we will have a better chance of meeting future objections and closing the sale in a face-to-face meeting.
Balance enthusiasm with control.
To express yourself effectively, it’s essential to be emotionally engaged with your message. Enthusiasm can capture and maintain the attention of potential buyers. However, if your excitement leads to exaggerated claims or a lack of engagement from your listener, your communication effectiveness may diminish.
Managing Enthusiasm
One way to control your enthusiasm is by using a script. During that initial phone call, it’s important to remain focused and not let your passion for the product overwhelm the conversation. Sticking to the script helps maintain clarity and purpose.
In face-to-face meetings, it’s equally important to ask questions before diving into a discussion about the merits of your product or service. Striking a balance between enthusiasm and self-control is vital. Pay attention to your prospect’s body language and actively seek their feedback to ensure a more productive dialogue.
Think before speaking.
A good technique is to picture your prospective client in your mind and write out a script of what you plan to say. You don’t have to follow your script exactly, but you can choose your words carefully, and perhaps make a better impression on your client. Scripting gives you a chance to think of the questions you want to ask your listener and keep you focused on why you are calling. You have a better chance of sounding confident and knowledgeable.
If you alter the script do so carefully. Remember, your ultimate goal is not to sell but to solve problems. If you do face-to-face meetings, you want to set up an appointment to explore how you can solve problems. Practice alone or with a partner so a prospect’s questions or comments won’t take you by surprise.
Consider your audience.
To establish rapport with a potential client, it’s important to identify common ground. This could include sharing a neighbourhood, attending the same events, having mutual friends, or enjoying similar sports. Conducting some research beforehand can make it easier to discover these connections.
This approach is part of warming up your sales call. Whether you share a neighbourhood, have children on the same hockey team, or know similar people, these connections can foster trust. While you might choose to mention them during an in-person meeting, it’s beneficial to bring them up. We are generally more inclined to trust those with whom we share commonalities.
Make actions support words.
Whatever you say you will do when you are speaking on the telephone to a prospective client, do it. Whether you have promised to send material, call back later, or follow up with another telephone call, don’t break that trust you are beginning to build.
How should your actions support your words?
- If you say you will mail out literature, mail it out.
- If you make an appointment for Thursday at 10:00 a.m., be there!
- If you tell a prospect you will call them on Friday morning, call them on Friday morning.
Try not to get into an interview if you are simply calling for an appointment.
Ask questions for understanding.
Asking questions can give you a clearer idea of the challenges the person is facing, or how you can help him/her find some solutions. It can be argued that the six most important words a person can use are who, what, when, where, why, and how. These can be used in questions that can help you gather information, clarify facts, find out opinions, or encourage ideas.
What types of questions will help you gather information and find out a prospect’s opinions? Some ideas:
- What are you presently doing in your company to address this situation/problem?
- What do you want to achieve?
Note that these questions are good ones to ask at a face-to-face meeting. If you are selling by telephone, they are good to ask during your second call.
Learn to paraphrase to validate what the other person is saying.
Paraphrasing can show the other person that you are listening, and understand his/her point of view. Paraphrasing can also reduce confusion and calm someone who is upset on the other end of the telephone.
