How Important Is Telephone Etiquette?
One of the biggest problems with working in sales is that very few people like to receive a cold call. A cold call is by definition not one that a person is expecting, and when someone does not want to part with money or information, the conversation can become incredibly frosty.
Because of that, it’s extremely important to keep good cold calling etiquette for your best chance at success. Keeping a phone conversation professional and polite can make a huge difference to the way that a cold call plays out.
Telephone Etiquette Definition
Telephone etiquette is how the caller uses manners to give the call recipient respect and to represent themselves and the company as respectful. This is revealed through many things like the caller's tone of voice, their word choices, and the pauses they give in order to listen to the recipient of the call.
What Are the Do’s and Don'ts of Telephone Etiquette?
Do’s:
- Smile as you talk to customers
- Inform the customer who they are speaking to and why you are calling
- Speak clearly and articulate your words
- Take pauses to allow for discussion
Don’ts:
- Be in a room with lots of background noise and distractions
- Speak loudly or too softly unless the recipient of the call asks you to
- Leave the caller on hold for too long
- Let your tone of voice become monotone or unenthusiastic
9 Telephone Etiquette Tips
We have put together 9 cold calling etiquette points to help you achieve better success through your cold calling routine:
-
Introduce yourself
One of the most irritating things about a cold call is that most people have no idea who they are actually talking to. A good way to combat this is to clearly and politely introduce yourself at the beginning of the conversation.
-
State the purpose of the call
The second thing the recipient of the call will want to know is why you are calling them. So, by quickly stating the purpose of the call in the very beginning, you can avoid the irritated question saying, “and you're calling me because?”.
-
Speak clearly and at a moderate speed
Speaking with someone over the phone can be difficult in itself simply because of background noises and connectivity issues. Don’t be a part of the issue by speaking fast and running your words together or speaking too slowly and not articulating enough.
-
Give pauses for listening
Have you ever had someone ask you a question and then continue to talk or answer the question themselves? It's frustrating and you feel like you aren’t being heard. Many people complain that telemarketers are guilty of this. Surprise the call recipient by actually letting them respond to your questions and statements.
-
Be happy to repeat anything
Brand new information can be very difficult to take in properly, especially if you are hearing it over the phone. This means that you will probably need to repeat a few things for your cold customer. You will need to ensure that you always remain calm and helpful during this part of the conversation.
-
Give your full attention
Even when you are taking notes on the call, you must be aware of what the individual is saying or asking. Even sounding distracted is a sure way to have a negative result.
-
Answer questions and concerns quickly
By quickly answering questions and concerns you build the confidence and trust in the potential customer. This also shows that you were prepared for their questions and that you are respectful of their time.
-
Get permission to call back
Always ask if and when it's okay to call them back. Don’t schedule calls around your schedule, if possible. Be available when it best suits them.
-
Agreement on terms should be backed up in writing
When a cold call gets results, that is great! But you need to ensure that all of the good decisions and agreements that you made over the phone can be backed up in writing. Before you end the call, make sure that you get the person's email, and that you repeat it back to them to make sure that you have every single part of it accurate. The last thing that you want is to lose that connection.
