General Phone Skills

Today I would like to discuss some basic telephone skills that are essential no matter what the purpose of your phone conversation. It does not matter whether it is a full on sales call, an introduction chat, a follow up call or even a demo of your products or services – these basic necessities must be covered for you to guarantee that you are giving yourself every possible chance to succeed..

Most of this is obvious but unfortunately most people ignore these totally.

Lets start with your telephone equipment: It is important to use good phone equipment for every single call you make.

The phone connection is actually your real first impression and its essential this is a good first impression. Nothing annoys people more on calls than not hearing clearly what the other person is saying.

Check you have a good microphone, speaker, the phone itself is comfortable to hold and use, do you need a headset and if so make sure you use a modern good quality one. Also, always check the volume is clear, that there is no static, a good connection and no echo. Make sure everything works. 

The bottom line is that I strongly advise you to invest in good quality equipment.

Your environment must also be 100% conducive to having productive phone calls. Therefore no distractions, no external noises, no dogs barking, no family members disturbing half way through your call etc…

Make sure your room temperature is comfortable as well. Not too hot or cold – It is totally true that people can hear it in voice when you are shivering cold or sweating from heat.

Your voice is of course essential. Now I am not asking anyone to change their voice J, nor am I asking people to go on a voice training course.

However there are certainly some things that can be done to improve the way we sound and the impression that our voice gives to other people.

Speak with a calm, honest, slightly enthusiastic and happy tone. This will show that you truly believe in your product / service.

Try not to be overly enthusiastic as that will make you sound fake and can be overwhelming for the person on the other side.

It is important to speak slowly but not like a boring robot and definitely do not read from a script. On the other hand do not speak too fast as then people will be unable to understand your words. The average speed is about 130 words per minute but everyone knows there own balanced speed after some practice. Ask friends & family for feedback if required.

Don’t shout but make sure your voice is clear. Speak clearly & concisely as people find it hard to listen and concentrate to overly long sentences.

The last advice I have here is to try not to sound too clever with long and complicated words.

Even though we are discussing phone skills, your overall body language is equally important.

If you are not fully concentrating then the person on the other side of the phone will pick this vibe up and himself will lose interest.

Some small tips to help you: Don’t fiddle with your pen, don’t type at same time (write notes with a pen and type them up afterwards if necessary), don’t surf the internet at the same time, and definitely don’t temporarily place your phone on mute whilst you chat to someone else – even if only briefly.

One of the best tips I was ever given was to stand when speaking on the phone. This opens up your lungs slightly and gives you a more authoritative tone of voice. This tip is used by salesmen when negotiating deals.

Listening is just as important as talking. Even if you are the salesman. Try not to babble on too much, keep your sentences concise and always listen. Listen to their answers, listen to their tone for their level of interest and listen for specific objections. The more you listen the more you will learn.

Phone sales is an art and like any art & skill it needs to be learnt and practiced in order to constantly improve. Practice to see what works well for you. Only you can know what you feel comfortable saying and what you prefer to avoid.

Feel free to practice some of these skills with me, with your peers & colleagues and on your prospects. I sometimes just call my friends and practice. Another technique that is successful was suggested many years ago by Stan Billue, a top telemarketing sales trainer in the late 1980’s. He claimed that you could double your results in 90 days by recording your calls. By listening to your own calls you will be able to hear yourself and know what needs to be done to improve.