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Article

What Are the 5 Don'ts When
Calling a Prospective Client?
by Kendall SummerHawk

Making a call to a prospective client ranges from returning their initial call to you, to making a complete cold call. Either way, here are 5 major Don'ts to pay attention to when you pick up the telephone.

DON'T SPEAK QUICKLY
Unless the person answering the telephone also speaks quickly, talking too fast will just irritate them and make you difficult to understand. Instead, try to match your voice tone and speed to theirs so they feel more comfortable quickly.

DON'T ASK 'HOW ARE YOU?'
This question seems innocent but unless you really know a person it only serves to alienate them. Besides, asking it screams "tele-marketer". Instead, ask them if it is a good time to talk. This will go a long ways towards building rapport.

DON'T START TALKING RIGHT AWAY
People make the mistake of launching into a description of their company or service in an effort to hide nervousness or because they are under the mistaken belief that they have to do this to get attention. Asking permission to ask questions is a far better way to get attention. You are making the
conversation about them, instead of about you.

DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO
Talking about what you do early in a conversation is a trap - don't fall into it! If asked, keep your answer to 1 or 2 sentences at the most. This takes practice and discipline but it's worth it! Otherwise, you risk the other person not paying any attention to what you are saying because it is too much information.

DON'T SEND A BROCHURE WITHOUT AGREEING ON THE NEXT STEP
Being asked to send a brochure is fine but unless you also ask what the next step is once they review your material, then you risk being put off indefinitely. Asking what they want you to do after sending the brochure is simple, powerful and effective in setting a mutually respectful expectation of how you are to communicate with each other.

Kendall SummerHawk specializes in helping entrepreneurs who love what they do but wish marketing would just 'go away'! Kendall's unique permission marketing approach has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs attract better paying clients with less effort. For free marketing tools, visit http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com

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