| | By Malcolm Sleath
Question: Part of
my role is to make
research calls to
executives in our target
market to help us shape
future events and
services. The call is
sometimes the beginning
of a dialogue that leads
to a business
relationship. But I
still find it difficult
to call people for the
first time, especially
if the initial responses
are slightly hostile.
How can I make it easier
on myself?
Answer: The
underlying principle is
to establish a mutual
interest in holding the
conversation. This is
not difficult in itself,
but small things can
trigger
misunderstandings and
once things get off on
the wrong foot, it is
hard to retrieve the
situation.
When you are making
several calls in a row,
it is easy to start
cutting corners without
realising you are doing
so. Try to achieve a
state of mind that
begins every
conversation as if it
was the first of the
day. Recognise that you
might be feeling that
the exercise is becoming
routine but the person
you are speaking to is
starting from scratch.
Here are some simple
ideas that might help.
Say who you are.
This might seem
blindingly obvious, but
an amazing number of
people still call me
without saying who they
are. I once hired
someone to do some
mailing list checking.
From an adjacent room I
could hear that the
calls were taking longer
than they should and
seemed to be getting
complicated, so I
eavesdropped. It became
clear the person doing
the research was not
giving his name right at
the beginning of the
conversation.
Saying who you are at
the outset conveys:
“This is a human being
talking, and I am going
to be personally
accountable for what
comes next.”
Why should people
open up to you if you
don’t know who you are?
Signal it clearly, “My | |
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| | name is... of...” But
don’t expect people to
remember your name
straight off!
Put the person in
their role. Many
people have portfolio
careers with a mix of
professional, community
and personal interests
but increasingly take
their calls on one
number. So, when an
unknown caller comes on
the line, they will have
little idea what area of
their life the call is
going to be about.
Help them get in the
right frame of mind by
putting them in their
role. “Am I speaking
to...?” “Am I right in
thinking you are the
person who...?”
Think reciprocity.
When some people come
on the line, it is clear
that they have been told
to think in terms of
selling benefits, so
they devote the first
part of the call to
telling me what I will
get from whatever it is
they are offering.
But all the time I am
saying to myself, “You
might be a nice person
and you are offering me
something that I would
like. But I don’t want
to feel obliged to buy
something from you, so I
am going to say no to
avoid feeling
uncomfortable later.”
Paradoxically, the
bigger the opportunity
you present and the
nicer you sound the
greater the resistance
is likely to be. People
don’t want to build up a
sense of obligation that
leads to a feeling of
pressure to do something
in return.
When you want someone
you don’t know to engage
in a conversation, make
it clear what you will
get out of the
encounter, and that you
will get it irrespective
of the outcome. (At the
very least you are going
to learn something.)
This will reduce the
sense of obligation felt
by the other person, and
make it more likely they
will take a more relaxed
approach to continuing
the conversation.
Don’t say what you
do. Say who you work
with. If you describe
what you do, the other
person will immediately | |
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| | start to decide whether
they want it or not.
Find a way of
describing your clients
which begins, “We work
with people who...”.
This definition should
also apply to the person
or organisation you are
addressing.
If you describe the
clients with whom you
work, they will be more
inclined to identify
with them, and be more
prepared to talk with
you as a fellow member
of that group.
Treat assistants
as allies not obstacles.
When you are trying to
get through to a busy
individual and find
yourself speaking to a
person fielding their
calls, it is easy to get
into a state of mind
that identifies the
assistant as an obstacle
to be overcome. I was
once asked by an
independent consultant
how he could best ‘get
past’ such people.
Then I found out he
was offering solutions
that would cut out a
great deal of
mind-numbing repetitive
work for the very people
he was trying to avoid
talking to! Once he
started to speak to them
as if they were real
people, they became
interested in what he
was doing, and were much
more willing to help him
with his mission.
Most assistants like
to think they are
working for important
people. Make this work
for you by explaining
that you would not
consider your research
complete if it went
ahead without input from
their boss. Although you
are talking about a
potential loss of
opportunity for your
company, the assistant
may well be swayed by
the potential loss of
opportunity for the boss
to have his or her say.
If you begin a
conversation expecting
to meet resistance,
there is a good chance
you will find it. But if
you think of yourself as
trying to get alongside
the person you are
talking to so that you
can see the world
through their eyes, you
won’t go too far wrong. | |
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