Everybody knows when you’re in a bad mood on the phone. You may as well be standing right in front of the person you’re talking to. We tend to forget when we’re on the phone with people that they can still hear our mood. Reading people’s emotion is not something that is limited to just vision. There’s a reason that we say, “It sounds like you’re having a bad day.” So why do we constantly sound like Eeyore when we’re on the phone with people?
Have you ever called somebody and the more you talked to them the worse your mood got? The most likely reason was that they were in a bad mood. Something I’ve had happen to me is that when I call a business, the person on the phone is so emotionless that they come through as not caring. I don’t know for sure if they care or not, but I promise you this, after speaking with them I don’t care to do business with them anymore.
I had a leader teach me a long time ago that if I stood up when I talked to people on the phone my calls would go much better. I tried it and realized that he was absolutely right. In fact, I have gotten into the habit that every time I am on the phone I stand up and start pacing while I talk. When you’re standing you get the blood flowing and you get more animated. The person on the other end of the phone can feel that energy.
No matter what kind of mood somebody is in, I can guarantee you that they will be more likely to want to speak to you if you come across as somebody who is excited to be speaking with them. When you are excited about the conversation and want to help somebody, you will always be able to get the information you need from the customer that you need, as well as give the information to the customer that they need.
The next time you get on the phone with a customer, stand up while you are talking to them. You may be surprised how much more interaction you get from the conversation. You may also be surprised when you start asking questions how much more information they are willing to share. We have all had a customer that doesn’t want to give us their information, because they really don’t want to have a connection with us. However, if you do a great job on the phone with a customer you can get them to buy into you. And people do buy people the last time I checked.
One more piece of advice, before you even take or make the phone call, take a deep breath and remember what your objective is. Then stand up and move forward with the phone call. I think you will be surprised how much better the conversation goes. Even more, your customer will be able to hear it in your voice when you are more excited.
What do you think? Am I wrong to believe that people can read your emotion just as easily through a phone call as they can when they are standing in front of you? Does it sound crazy to stand when you are on the phone with someone, instead of just sitting down? I would love to hear your thoughts. And as always, thank you for reading.
The Other Side of Sales 