{"id":9878,"date":"2010-11-22t13:17:42","date_gmt":"2010-11-22t17:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=9878"},"modified":"2016-04-19t11:15:45","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19t15:15:45","slug":"six-steps-to-master-the-art-of-the-quick-phone-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2010\/11\/22\/six-steps-to-master-the-art-of-the-quick-phone-call\/","title":{"rendered":"six steps to master the art of the quick phone call"},"content":{"rendered":"

good advice from a top venture capital investor on what he wants to hear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"mark
mark suster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

before you call mark suster<\/a>, a two-time entrepreneur who joined grp partners<\/a> in 2007\u00a0 after selling his company to salesforce.com, with your next big idea, first listen to some of his advice.<\/p>\n

“when a person calls me and we\u2019re 10 minutes into the call and it\u2019s not clear why they\u2019re calling i\u2019m usually thinking to myself, \u201cwhat was the reason they wanted to call me in the first place? \u00a0what are they hoping to achieve?\u201d and mostly, \u201chow can i help?\u201d<\/p>\n

suster’s suggests:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. you can start informally with banter<\/strong> – if i\u2019m calling somebody i know a bit i usually try to start with a little friendly banter. if i know they like a sports team that might be a good start. if i saw their company in the press, heard that they saw somebody at an event that i know, they live in a town where a storm just rolled through \u2013 whatever. i think trying to humanize the call from the outset is good. when you jump straight into \u201csales pitch mode\u201d it feels a bit strange.<\/p>\n

two things to watch for: 1) if you\u2019re trying banter to build rapport but not \u201cfeeling it\u201d then quickly shift to business. some people just aren\u2019t \u201cchit chatters\u201d and prefer to get on with things. i find that kinda boring, but i know some people are just wired that way. 2) some callers take this banter too far it starts to border on disrespectful of the person\u2019s time or wasteful of your 15 minutes. don\u2019t be that person.<\/p>\n

how long you go for is really a judgment call because there\u2019s no right answer. if it\u2019s somebody that i know really well and i confirm that they\u2019re not rushing to do something else i might even take 10-15 minutes just to \u201ccatch up.\u201d if it\u2019s a general acquaintance it\u2019s probably more like 3-4 minutes. if it\u2019s a first time call you might try to keep it at 2 minutes or less.<\/p>\n

so even if the person you called is really chatty don\u2019t be undisciplined and let them talk too long. you have limited time on the call, presumably you called for a reason and you\u2019re chewing up your valuable clock.<\/p>\n

2. let them know why you\u2019re calling<\/strong> – when you\u2019re ready to pivot the conversation your next line should be some derivative of, \u201clisten, the reason i\u2019m calling is \u2026 blah, blah, blah\u201d 25% of people or less actually do this. they just talk and i\u2019m not really sure why they called.<\/p>\n

if you\u2019re calling for a reason, the sooner the recipient knows the sooner they can help. if the clock runs out they\u2019re not going to be able to help. even if you don\u2019t have a single \u201cask\u201d i recommend saying something like, \u201clisten, i\u2019m going to make this call short. i don\u2019t have anything i\u2019m asking for, i was just hoping to get 10 minutes of your time to tell you what we\u2019re up to so that the next chance we get to meet down the line you\u2019ve got more of an understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. don\u2019t hang yourself<\/strong> \u2013 one of the other big mistakes callers make is going \u201coff to the races\u201d talking about their business without getting any feedback from the recipient of the call. this is bad enough in person but i promise you if you do it over the phone the recipient will start to tune out. if you listen closely you\u2019ll probably even hear the tapping of a keyboard. you can talk for a bit but then seek feedback and make sure the other person is \u201cwith you.\u201d when i used to do a lot of recruiting we used to call it \u201changing yourself\u201d because people who talk for long periods of time without seeking feedback are generally not self-aware or good at human interaction. don\u2019t be that person.<\/p>\n

4. ask questions<\/strong> \u2013 the best trick for creating a two-way conversation is to ask questions. you can do this too early in the call and you can\u2019t be an interview factory, but polite questions relevant to your topic are appropriate. it will help ensure that you don\u2019t do all the talking. plus, when you listen you learn more anyways.<\/p>\n

5. know what \u201cthe ask\u201d is<\/strong> \u2013 if you\u2019re set up a call with somebody then know in advance why you\u2019re calling and what you plan to ask for. don\u2019t ask for four things or you\u2019ll get none. don\u2019t ask for big favors unless you have a tight relationship. don\u2019t assume that this will be the one and only time you\u2019ll ever talk to the person. if you cultivate a good long-term relationship through patience, persistence and reciprocity there will be many more occasions. so by all means have an \u201cask\u201d but make it: obvious, easy for them to achieve and of a limited number \u2013 preferably one.<\/p>\n

6. stick to your budgeted time<\/strong> \u2013 maybe less \u2013 when you think of your relationship with the individual as a relationship you\u2019ll build over time and over many calls, discussions, chats at conferences or whatever you\u2019ll realize you need to be known for being respectful of others\u2019 time. if you\u2019re known as the person who\u2019s always long winded you\u2019re less likely to get the next few calls on the calendar. less is better, i promise.<\/p>\n

\n

h\/t jody padar<\/em><\/p>\n