This past week, one of my coaching clients had an “aha moment” that will forever change her attitude to the phone calls she is required to make. She spoke to me about this revelation with such clarity that I need to share it with you … and you need to share it with other salespeople and entrepreneurs as often as possible.
Most of my coaching clients are juggling multiple demands. Making outbound calls is one of dozens of things they need to accomplish each day. And, whether they are salespeople, founders, small business owners or fundraisers, the majority of them make these calls in order to book a meeting.
In fact, many clients hope I have a magic formula that allows them to make it all happen quickly. (I don’t.) Recently, when I was suggesting to one webinar participant that he speak more slowly, he said, “I talk fast because I want to get through the phone call, book the appointment and get to the meeting.”
But here’s the thing, the aha moment I mentioned: The phone call is the first meeting.
As one coaching client put it, “I never thought about that phone call as the first meeting. I thought about it as making an appointment. In my mind I know I really have to change. The phone call is the first meeting, it is the first impression, and it is where I need to make the connection and be present.”
Exactly!
Pass it on.