I receive many calls every day inquiring about listings or requesting other information. And I can usually tell within a minute or two whether or not the caller is a serious prospect.
I base my responses on what I perceive to be the level of sincerity of the caller. After all, I am very busy, and I have to make a quick determination as to how much time I can afford to spend with the caller. So here are some tips to employ when you are calling a business of any kind:
The first thing that you should always do is identifying yourself with your first and last name. When you begin a call in this manner, you are immediately conveying the fact to the recipient that the call is sincere and that you are a legitimate caller.
You should also state the purpose of you call in the first sentence. It is always important to let the person on the other end of the line know if your are a potential customer or whether or not you are trying to sell something. There is nothing more disheartening to find out five minutes into the call that the person you though was a potential client is actually trying to sell you something. It's bad technique and it rarely works.
Make your questions as specific as possible. When you ask general questions, you come across as a "tire-kicker" and not as a serious prospect. But if you narrow down the scope of the conversation, you level of immediacy is escalated, and you will get more time and attention.
And finally, don't withhold contact information. Businesses are not free research sources, they have the ultimate goal of engaging in a mutually beneficial transaction. The more contact information that you provide, the greater are you chances of being considered a top-notch prospect. When a caller volunteers their information, I know that they are extremely serious.
Always be mindful that the person that you are calling is spending their time and their money to speak with you, and that calls from legitimate customers are welcomed and encouraged. I love it when a new customer calls and will go out of my way to help them!
After all, that's what I'm here for!
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Good points. Nothing like a little "Miss Manners" for business calls. Thanks.
Hi Richard:
Very well said!
Now if all callers would read this prior to calling, it would make our work go a lot smoother!
Hi Richard,
Your points are excellent. We can all learn from your message. Thanks for the tips!
Richard, you are so right! Great post. I love the first part where you KNOW with in the first few minutes whether the call will be worth your time. It is crucial we continue to pay attention to and hone our intuition.
Great point Richards. .excellent post. The second I sense that the caller wants to remain anonymous or has doubts about giving me their name or email. .I politely say good bye.
Gary...
And it saves a lot of time for both parties! THX
Toula...
I just think that some do not realize how to get first-class attention! Thanks for the comment.
Dorie...
A business call is about business, so why not make it as easy as possible for BOTH caller and receiver! Thanks.
Richard: Great phone tips for other agents out there trying to determine someone's level of interest in a property, or purchasing or selling in general.
Good morning Richard, first, that is some photo, great shot of whatever it is, LOL. Anyway, you are so right. I had a call yesterday, wow, the guy zeroed in on things like crazy, all sorts of detailed questions about the area. I got off the phone and sent him what he requested right away, there was nothing vague about this caller! But when they are vague, no name, etc, bye bye.
Richard - great things for us all to remember. I do try to get all of the information from the caller, and, for the most part, they are receptive to providing it.
Good morning sir,
I am finding more and more that there are those salespeople that are calling and impersonating buyers and sellers just to get past the receptionist. ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
Richard, good tips. I hate it when I get a call, and the caller takes his time about why he is calling....
Great tips. We all need to be considerate of each others time.
It usually doesn't take very long to find out whether someone is serious or not, my favorite is when someone calls and refuses to say their name.
Riochard...I am not all that busy, but, I have enough other things to do without waisting time with tire kickers.
This is so true! How many calls do you get from serious "buyers"? I find that they seldom give me their names up front but if I talk with them for a few minutes and then ask "what did you say that your name was, again?" they'll give it to me then. Once I had someone say that they never gave it to me and hung up!