Over the last couple of weeks the telephone has been my best friend. Making membership solicitation calls has taken up a chunk of my time and for the most part, I’ve enjoyed the interaction within a totally different industry. Trade aside, the businesses I was calling were indeed that, businesses, and so it was seriously disappointing to hear a simple “hello” at the other end of the line every now and then.
So, what’s with that? Why was it so disappointing? Because I was intitating a call in a professional manner expecting some degree of professionalism on the other end. I couldn’t help but wonder if I dialed the wrong number, if the number had changed, or any other reason that would pop into my head. I quickly confirmed by asking; “is this XYZ company?” Sometimes, as is the case with home based businesses, children answered the phone. This didn’t throw me off however I wondered what kind of instruction they may have received before doing so. As an entrepreneur I couldn’t help it. I quickly began questioning the owner’s commitment to the proper representation of his/her business.
The telephone is still an instrument of communication and the message a caller receives on the other end comes in as loud and clear as any other marketing tool no matter what your business is. If you can’t answer the phone (which is often the case of solo-preneurs), have a nice clear message recording; that’s what it’s there for! When you answer the phone, leverage your caller’s ear space with your company name. It sets the tone of the call.
There are lots of comments about people not making follow up calls or plainly picking up the phone and calling someone, live, in person (compared to emailing, tweeting, im’ing.) Let’s not forget the almighty telephone and how each touchpoint into our business is important. We should always put our best foot forward.
Nimbly,
JCM
