In direct sales you are likely to have telephone contact with your customers fairly often, particularly if you regularly hold home sales parties. Many people still like the immediate response they get in a telephone conversation.
Talking on the phone is second nature to most of us, but making a plan for business phone calls can improve relations with your customers and prospects. Here are a few tips to make sure things go smoothly on the phone.
1. Minimize interruptions and background noise. If you have small children it can be challenging to find a quiet time to make phone calls, but it is worth the effort. If you have call waiting you might want to disable it before you call customers. Customers appreciate your undivided attention.
2. Stay focused and on topic. It’s easy for a conversation to go off track so make an effort to stay focused on the purpose of your call. Everyone is busy and while your customer will definitely appreciate the customer service, she will also appreciate taking care of business in a relatively short amount of time. Of course you also don’t want to seem like you’re cutting her off if she has additional questions or needs. Find the balance.
3. Follow-up. A follow-up email or postcard summarizing or confirming the conversation can keep misunderstandings to a minimum. It also shows customers that you really listened and understood their needs.
A little common courtesy and focused attention will make your customer feel important and appreciated, and help assure customer loyalty.
Next in the series (later this week):
No One is Perfect
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Missed the other communication tips? Here they are:
Tip one – Listen
Tip two – Email Etiquette
Bonus – Mailing List PLR
Do you have any tips to add? Leave them in a comment below. Thanks!
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