Increase your revenues through an effective call opening!

"As companies spend thousands of dollars on marketing and branding to generate phone calls to create new business, there is a growing need to significantly improve the quality of the initial phone conversations taking place.”

How important are the people who answer the phones for your business? EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! They are generally the first people to engage with potential new customers. Potential new customers are formulating the image of your company within the first 15 seconds of the conversation. As we all know, it is very hard to recover from a bad first impression. The power of that first impression is profound! Make it positive. What should you say when someone calls your business? When it comes to your call opening, you need to effectively communicate 3 things.

• Your company name – so they know they have reached the right business.
• Your name (first name is recommended) – Let them know who they are speaking with.
• THEM – You need to close out your call opening with a question. Yes, a question. Your last message needs to make the caller feel like THEY are the priority - not your company, or the person answering the call.

Examples of Strong Call Openings

Answer with: “Thank you for calling Captain Clean; this is Courtney, how can I help you today?”

Answer with: “Good morning, this is Courtney with Captain Clean; how can I help you today?”

Examples of Ineffective Call Openings

Answered with: “ABC carpet cleaning”

Answered with: “This is Rachel”

Answered with: “Sales department”

By focusing on the 3 things (company, who, and them), you will create a more positive first impression, connect on a positive emotional level, and improve the probability that the potential new customer will do business with you.

A strong call opening will increase your closing ratio and increase your revenues! How you say it matters! Another critical piece to effective call openings has to do with your voice tone and speed. People make decisions based on emotion: "It’s extremely important for people to be able to connect in a positive emotional way when they hear your voice." Ever heard someone answer the phone and you are thinking in your MIND:

• how abrupt, or rude, they are?
• Or you almost feel like you interrupted their day?
• Or they seem like they don’t have time for you?
• They don’t sound like they are really listening to you, or care about you?
• Make you feel like you are stupid?

This is more common than you think, and it’s costing businesses new customers and revenue. It can even impact their current customers who may decide to go somewhere else based on their experience. Key ingredients to voice tone and speed.

• The sound of your words is your personality!
• Make your words come alive by varying the tone and putting emphasis on the key words within your statement.
• Record your calls and practice with your teammates.
• You may need to adjust your tone to increase the positive emotional impact. Project an inviting personality, the image of someone who truly cares.

Communication Skills

Proper grammar and pronunciation are also very important. What you say is part of your company’s brand. When your communication skills are solid, so is the image of your company, and YOU. You might be saying “this sounds great, and I believe in it, but how do I get my employees to embrace it?” I recommend you “Seek to Understand” before you implement change. Start obtaining, or monitoring, your current calls and document your findings. Make notes of great call openings, and those that you know need to be changed.

Make Sure That Your Important First Impressions Are Making You Money!