Getting Prospects to Return Your Phone Calls: Ten Tips
that Will Improve Your Percentages
by Bill Lampton
Published on this site: August 6th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
When you review your list of phone calls you have made to
prospective clients, you note these initials, or similar codes,
that you wrote beside numerous names every month: HCB (He'll
call back) and SCB (She'll call back). But do they, without
additional prompting from us? Often they do not.
So we wonder, "How can I increase the percentage of
prospects who return my initial phone call?" After eight
years as an entrepreneur, I have discovered a few strategies
that stimulate callbacks. Here are the tips that work best
for me, whether I am leaving a voice mail message or talking
to the office gatekeeper:
- More than once, state the name of a prominent person
who referred you. Open the call, not with your own name
("Hi, I'm Bill Lampton"), but with the referring
party's name: "Harley Smith suggested that you might
be interested in hearing about my services." Then close
with, "As I said earlier, our mutual friend Harley
Smith prompted me to call you."
- Mention a specific point you want to talk with
them about. "I'll appreciate the chance to hear your
feedback about the bid I sent you last week."
- Mention how the call will benefit them. "When
you return my call, I will explain how my services can improve
your company's employee morale and customer service at the
same time."
- Suggest a specific date/time: "I will be
in my office tomorrow morning between 9:00 and 12:00, and
I hope you get an opportunity to call me then." This
suggests that a returned call in that span wont initiate
long-term telephone tag.
- Give the recipient the privilege of setting the
preferred date/time: "I'm going to give you my E-mail
address now. Will you please send me a short message, mentioning
what day and time are convenient for us to talk? I will
keep my line clear for your return call then."
- Promise to keep the return call brief: "When
you return my call, I promise to take no more than three
minutes of your time. You can hang up if I'm not finished
by then."
- Confine your message to three or four sentences,
even with a receptionist. If the executive assistant or
voice mail message identifies you as longwinded, you are
less likely to get called back.
- Say something that connects you with their organization:
"I know your company quite well, because I did an internship
there during my years at the university."
- Give your phone number at the start of your message
and again at the end. If the person missed jotting it down
the first time, she has a second chance without replaying
the message.
- Say, "In case it's better for you to return
the call after hours, here is my cell phone number."
This doubles your access, and indicates you give service
beyond closing time.
Having shared these tips, I will ask whether you are enjoying
return-call success using strategies I haven't mentioned.
If so, please share them with me by E-mail. Like you, I remain
open to any legitimate approach that strengthens my business.
Bill Lampton, Ph.D., wrote The Complete Communicator:
Change Your Communication, Change Your Life! As a business
consultant, speaker and coach, he helps organizations improve
their communication, motivation, customer service and sales.His
Web site: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com
E-mail: [email protected]
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