The “Tell” of Telephone

July 6, 2014|Mary Jane Copps
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Open-ended questions are the key to successful phone conversations with both customers and prospects – but we don’t always think of them quickly. Here’s my favourite. – I rely on it constantly and hear it used regularly by journalists:  “Tell me more.”

As in:

“Tell me more about that situation.”

“Tell me more about how that made you feel.”

“Tell me more about what happened next.”

“Tell me more about what you want to accomplish.”

“Tell me more about your existing budget.”

“Tell me more about the other people involved in this project.”

“Tell me more about the timeline you are considering.”

I could go on and on, but you can see (and hear) the power of these words. They allow you to uncover a wealth of information  – and they clearly let your clients and prospects know you are truly interested in them and their unique situation.

Try it out yourself. When you are on the TELephone, ask people to TELL you more. I know you’ll be amazed with the results. And … if you end up with a story you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it.

Enjoy your phonework this week!

Next week The Phone Lady may be in the midst of a makeover – a website makeover. If I don’t arrive in your inbox, know that I’ll be back as soon as all the kinks are worked out.

 

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0 thoughts on “The “Tell” of Telephone”

  1. Engagement… I believe that is the goal of a successful telephone conversation. Asking the person on the other end of the phone to “tell me more” is a sure fire way to keep them engaged. Thank you, Mary Jane, for this excellent advice. I’ll be putting it to good use first thing tomorrow morning.

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