<b>The Place To Network:</b> The Fine Art of Phone Calls

It's easy to take phone calls casually. You can make them from your home, in your pajamas, while watching your kids, or from the office while reading your e-mail, scanning the newspaper, or walking the halls. It's easy, and it's a mistake ' phone calls are one of the most important tools in your networking arsenal. They allow you to keep in touch, further business relationships and get things done. Sometimes a call can carry just as much weight as a face-to-face meeting.

Get Ready

To immediately improve your telephone efficiency, simply treat business calls as if they were meetings. How do you prepare for a meeting? You set at least one clear and specific objective and you list the steps to achieving it. Before you make a call, take a moment to organize your thoughts, jot down your main goal and the key points you want to cover.

As with all meetings, scheduling matters. Ideally, schedule your calls beforehand – this maximizes your chances of getting through immediately, and ensures everyone's ready for the call. If this is not an option, try to make your calls between 8 AM and 11 AM; research has shown that this is the time when most people are in their offices and reachable. What's more, making all your calls together will make you more productive; most of us lose efficiency when flipping back and forth from one task to another. Of course, some calls may have to be made separately, such as if they involve different time zones.

Get Set

When your schedule is done, you can move on to pragmatic preparations:

• Make sure you're in a quiet environment; any kind of noise can be distracting. I once received an evening call from an L.A. producer who, perhaps, hadn't considered time zone issues. I forgot to mute the TV when answering and I was a tad embarrassed as I struggled to understand who was on the line while “Stayin' Alive” blared in the background.
• Always have pen and paper handy ' there's nothing worse than saying “wait, let me find something to write this down” and scrambling for 5 minutes when someone wants to give you a great lead.
• If you can, use a headset. This will make you feel more comfortable and more at ease because you can move more freely.

You are now ready to start calling. If you have a series of similar calls to make, whom do you call first? Practice makes perfect: start by calling the “least important” person. By the time you get to your most important calls, you'll be pitch-perfect.

Despite best-laid plans, you might get sent to a person's voicemail, or to their assistant. If it's an important contact, you might want to call the company receptionist beforehand, to find out the assistant's name, which will help you make a much better impression. You also want to have a clear and concise message ready to explain your call; make sure this message is easy to relay. And decide ahead of time whether you prefer to give a message, go to voice mail, or call back later.

If you decide to leave a message, it must reflect confidence, clarity, and credibility; so take a moment to craft it and rehearse it. If the system allows you to play back your message, consider taking advantage of this feature to make sure your message is clear and communicates your needs. Give your phone number twice, and repeat it slowly and distinctly so the recipient has a chance of getting it right without having to replay the message.

Go

When you are connected with the person, always ask, “Is this a good time for you?” before launching into conversation. No matter how important your information or how pleasant your call, bad timing means bad results for you. The person may be under deadline or in the midst of a crisis. If they say they're busy, just ask when would be a good time to schedule a call. Use the optional choice methodology: Monday or Tuesday? Give them “a choice of yeses,” rather than a “yes or no” choice.

Once you're in a conversation, pay attention: You need to be as focused as you would be face to face; perhaps even more so, since you have less visual clues (such as body language) to read, and must rely only on auditory signals. Focus, and be quiet ' did you think you could get away with eating, drinking, or working on your computer while talking on the phone? Not so fast. Eating and drinking are out ' even if you think you're being quiet, the person will hear you chewing and swallowing because receivers are specifically made to amplify sound. Remember the phone commercial that featured a pin drop? Enough said.

People will just as surely hear you typing; and wonder what it is you're really paying attention to. Reading your e-mail or surfing the Web are also inadvisable ' too often, there will be a slight lag in your response time to questions you're asked, which will make you sound like you're not really there. When you speak, speak directly into the receiver ' don't bury it in your shoulder or neck, and make sure you don't cover your mouth with your hand while you speak (many people do this without realizing it).

For best results, get up from your desk and away from all distractions; stay standing and walk around (your voice will sound more energetic) whilst focusing entirely on the phone call. Listen to what they're saying, and to what's going on in the background. If you hear the other line ring, ask them if they need to answer it, and assure them it's all right with you. They'll appreciate it, and you don't want their brain split between vaguely listening to you and trying to figure out who the other caller may be.

One great strategy for efficient calls is paraphrasing: “So what you're saying is …” Another one is summarizing; taking just a few seconds to recap whatever has been agreed upon: “Great, see you Tuesday, 12:30 at Bellini's.” This simple trick can save you from many misunderstandings.

Answer

Make it easy for people to reach you. Give contacts your direct line instead of having to jump through hoops to get to you. If your company provides an 800 number, make sure a non-800 number is listed for international callers. When living in Europe, I was often unable to reach American companies because 800 numbers cannot be called from outside the U.S.

Greet callers courteously and identify yourself and your organization. People shouldn't have to wonder if they've dialed the right number. The best secret I've ever heard to make callers feel special may sound counter-intuitive: don't smile when answering ' answer unemotionally, professionally. However, as soon as callers have identified themselves, let a smile flood your face and warmth pour out of your voice. If the caller is a complete stranger, just direct your enthusiasm to the subject of their call instead.

When you're out, program you voicemail to ensure that no more than four rings elapse before the call is directed to voicemail. And for goodness sake, try to make your answering message brief ' few things are more annoying than a message that winds on, followed by an automated voice listing a litany of options. When you get a message, aim to answer it within 1 business day ' it leaves a better impression for you, and a better chance for opportunities.

It's easy to take phone calls casually. You can make them from your home, in your pajamas, while watching your kids, or from the office while reading your e-mail, scanning the newspaper, or walking the halls. It's easy, and it's a mistake ' phone calls are one of the most important tools in your networking arsenal. They allow you to keep in touch, further business relationships and get things done. Sometimes a call can carry just as much weight as a face-to-face meeting.

Get Ready

To immediately improve your telephone efficiency, simply treat business calls as if they were meetings. How do you prepare for a meeting? You set at least one clear and specific objective and you list the steps to achieving it. Before you make a call, take a moment to organize your thoughts, jot down your main goal and the key points you want to cover.

As with all meetings, scheduling matters. Ideally, schedule your calls beforehand – this maximizes your chances of getting through immediately, and ensures everyone's ready for the call. If this is not an option, try to make your calls between 8 AM and 11 AM; research has shown that this is the time when most people are in their offices and reachable. What's more, making all your calls together will make you more productive; most of us lose efficiency when flipping back and forth from one task to another. Of course, some calls may have to be made separately, such as if they involve different time zones.

Get Set

When your schedule is done, you can move on to pragmatic preparations:

• Make sure you're in a quiet environment; any kind of noise can be distracting. I once received an evening call from an L.A. producer who, perhaps, hadn't considered time zone issues. I forgot to mute the TV when answering and I was a tad embarrassed as I struggled to understand who was on the line while “Stayin' Alive” blared in the background.
• Always have pen and paper handy ' there's nothing worse than saying “wait, let me find something to write this down” and scrambling for 5 minutes when someone wants to give you a great lead.
• If you can, use a headset. This will make you feel more comfortable and more at ease because you can move more freely.

You are now ready to start calling. If you have a series of similar calls to make, whom do you call first? Practice makes perfect: start by calling the “least important” person. By the time you get to your most important calls, you'll be pitch-perfect.

Despite best-laid plans, you might get sent to a person's voicemail, or to their assistant. If it's an important contact, you might want to call the company receptionist beforehand, to find out the assistant's name, which will help you make a much better impression. You also want to have a clear and concise message ready to explain your call; make sure this message is easy to relay. And decide ahead of time whether you prefer to give a message, go to voice mail, or call back later.

If you decide to leave a message, it must reflect confidence, clarity, and credibility; so take a moment to craft it and rehearse it. If the system allows you to play back your message, consider taking advantage of this feature to make sure your message is clear and communicates your needs. Give your phone number twice, and repeat it slowly and distinctly so the recipient has a chance of getting it right without having to replay the message.

Go

When you are connected with the person, always ask, “Is this a good time for you?” before launching into conversation. No matter how important your information or how pleasant your call, bad timing means bad results for you. The person may be under deadline or in the midst of a crisis. If they say they're busy, just ask when would be a good time to schedule a call. Use the optional choice methodology: Monday or Tuesday? Give them “a choice of yeses,” rather than a “yes or no” choice.

Once you're in a conversation, pay attention: You need to be as focused as you would be face to face; perhaps even more so, since you have less visual clues (such as body language) to read, and must rely only on auditory signals. Focus, and be quiet ' did you think you could get away with eating, drinking, or working on your computer while talking on the phone? Not so fast. Eating and drinking are out ' even if you think you're being quiet, the person will hear you chewing and swallowing because receivers are specifically made to amplify sound. Remember the phone commercial that featured a pin drop? Enough said.

People will just as surely hear you typing; and wonder what it is you're really paying attention to. Reading your e-mail or surfing the Web are also inadvisable ' too often, there will be a slight lag in your response time to questions you're asked, which will make you sound like you're not really there. When you speak, speak directly into the receiver ' don't bury it in your shoulder or neck, and make sure you don't cover your mouth with your hand while you speak (many people do this without realizing it).

For best results, get up from your desk and away from all distractions; stay standing and walk around (your voice will sound more energetic) whilst focusing entirely on the phone call. Listen to what they're saying, and to what's going on in the background. If you hear the other line ring, ask them if they need to answer it, and assure them it's all right with you. They'll appreciate it, and you don't want their brain split between vaguely listening to you and trying to figure out who the other caller may be.

One great strategy for efficient calls is paraphrasing: “So what you're saying is …” Another one is summarizing; taking just a few seconds to recap whatever has been agreed upon: “Great, see you Tuesday, 12:30 at Bellini's.” This simple trick can save you from many misunderstandings.

Answer

Make it easy for people to reach you. Give contacts your direct line instead of having to jump through hoops to get to you. If your company provides an 800 number, make sure a non-800 number is listed for international callers. When living in Europe, I was often unable to reach American companies because 800 numbers cannot be called from outside the U.S.

Greet callers courteously and identify yourself and your organization. People shouldn't have to wonder if they've dialed the right number. The best secret I've ever heard to make callers feel special may sound counter-intuitive: don't smile when answering ' answer unemotionally, professionally. However, as soon as callers have identified themselves, let a smile flood your face and warmth pour out of your voice. If the caller is a complete stranger, just direct your enthusiasm to the subject of their call instead.

When you're out, program you voicemail to ensure that no more than four rings elapse before the call is directed to voicemail. And for goodness sake, try to make your answering message brief ' few things are more annoying than a message that winds on, followed by an automated voice listing a litany of options. When you get a message, aim to answer it within 1 business day ' it leaves a better impression for you, and a better chance for opportunities.