Your Tips for Making Calls
Have you created your own "10 commandments for making calls"? What are some tips you can share to help others become more effective?
I do not have a specifc set of commandments that I personally developed.
The Advice that I would give someone is right in line with the 10 Commandments presented in this module. It is important to smile and articulate on the phone. You can definitely hear the difference in a happy person's voice from a sad or annoyed person.
Also, being diligent with your time in between calls will increase the volume of outbound calls you can make on a daily basis.
Excellent advice! My guess is if you simply focus on these and the other tips in the lesson, you'll see improvements in your calls. Don't try to do all of them at once though! Maybe select one element to practice each week and then add on another, and another and another until you've got them all! Thanks for the post Peter!
I don't have a specific list of 10 items, but what I try to do is give them the space they need -- not to pressure but to let them know that I am here for them to guide them through the process. I am very aware of their timing and their needs.
I think it is helpful to always keep in mind that every call can become a enrollment.
Absolutely! Thanks for the helpful reminder Matthew!
Yes the high pressure sales techniques are very outdated and ineffective approaches. I love your idea of giving them space however it is useful to put an action step with a date on there too otherwise they may simply "float" around. For example, "it sounds as if you need more time to figure out your childcare, is that right? How about if I give you a call next week after you meet with the facility we spoke of. What's a good day/time for us to connect?"
I try to find out as much information without hammering them with questions the whole time. I try not to go into too much detail over the phone, otherwise they will not see the need to come in person for an interview. I think not pressuring students is a good tool, but showing them the urgency of an education will do it in a not so direct fashion.
It sounds like you prefer to have a conversation with the student about what they want up front, do I have that right? That's a great approach to have with students and I'm sure they appreciate your interest. How do you handle giving the student information they're looking for without seeming like you're avoiding a question?
That is correct, I like to know what they are looking for up front. I steer th conversation towards what they tell me is important to them, and then I explain to them what they want to know(by repeating what there concern or question was), this way it makes them forget about the information that they may not need to know, and allows me to focus on the information that they really are concerned with.
I think it's great that you choose to focus on what's important to your student and the information they want to know, Jeremy. I bet this helps your students eliminate some of the "clutter" and make the best determination for themselves about how they might fit at your institution.
I feel that getting right to the point of your call and not waisting thier time is important. There are alot of "long winded" people out there. As a matter of fact, I can't stand it when a solicitor is calling me and won't take no for an answer. Being to aggressive is not the way to get someone to hear you. Always present yourself in a professional manner.
Never had a 10 commandments for my calls, I just always went into my call, being positive, being helpful, and honest.
But i did learn some valuable point from the commandments that i will use from now on.
That is very true, how you feeling about yourself does come across in your voice.
If im having a bad day, i try and get past it before i make calls
Being positive, helpful and honest is an excellent place to start with your calls, Jason. That's awesome. I'm curious, from the 10 phone commandments, which do you think you're likely to use first?
Sounds like you've gotten some helpful tips from this module, Jason. It's great that you are aware of how having a bad day might impact your calls and do your best to move on before dialing. Keep up the good work.
Do not stop, is a big commandment for me.
I find myself not calling because i feel that the student has no desire to come to our school.
I am sure that i have lost a lot of students because of this mind set
Also, setting time aside everyday for an hour just for calls.
Thanks for your honesty Jason! I like your idea for setting aside a "phone call" time every day. Changing the time of that hour may be beneficial as people are busy at different times throughout the day. Also, sometimes students say no now, but perhaps later, they are ready to go to school. I wonder, how do you start the conversation with these students after it has been a while since your last phone call?
I loved the 10 commandments. One thing that I train my team to do on the phone before they do their presentation is to summarize what the student told them. This helps show that they were actively listening to their student and will help catch some hidden obsticles or things they may have missed that may end up being their 'why' they come in for their appt.
Also, when I have a rep who is struggling w/ their appt sets or shows, I have the do a time mgmt exercise where they track their calls they made in an hour. I don't tell them why but after we review it and often they think they will make 30+ calls in an hour but it turns out to be 10 or less...b/c of interruptions (self caused or by others). Reps really need to be aware of their time stealers--if they are not on the phone they can't be setting up interviews which is everyone's favorite part of the job!
Great insights, Bobbi. It sounds like you've been using some of the 10 commandments for the phone already. Having your reps summarize what they heard is a wonderful way to demonstrate they've been listening and address the hidden challenges they have identified.
Being aware of "time stealers" can definitely help your reps drive production. What are some of the things your reps have done to address those "time stealers"?
