Check your phone manners

Have you ever called somebody and they answer with a plain “hello?” You’re not even quite sure you got the right person. Would you consider buying from somebody like that?

Check what happens when you get through to some people’s voice mail. No mention of their name, how happy they are about the fact you called them. Most people hate answering machines at the best of times, so you have to make their experience as pleasant as possible.

I even know somebody who has a voicemail recording with her giggling children answering her phone (literally “my mummy can’t come to the phone right now …”). Not appropriate or professional, unless of course you run a childcare centre or a nanny service.

So make sure your phone manners are up to scratch. It may just take you minutes to improve, but the results will be telling. One great way to improve this is to role-play with a friend, or get somebody to record a conversation, so you can evaluate and critique it after.