Nanette,
Great suggestions. All of these are important in preparing for successful phone calls.
Effective Time Management, organization, preparation and persistence are the keys to achieving success through outbound calls.
I am going to have representatives block off one hour a day that they do nothing but make outbound calls. After taking this module, I feel that we are making calls throughout the day but not really focusing on the main purpose of the call. I feel like my representatives are just trying to get the calls in and have lost the real reason for making the call. I am excited to present these 10 commandments to our team on Monday. I think that have some structure to their calling schedule will enhance their ability to make appointments.
Be conversational in tone
Pause to listen to responses fully
Treat the prospect like the person they are
I really like the 10 Commandments and I will definitely work to implement them as I know I am not very good at scheduling time just for outbound calls.
Working in a call center, in which we get a wide range of needs and desires for students, I find it helpful to ask early questions related to when and what they plan to do and to establish if we even provide the program they want. Once I know their urgency, I can know how quickly we need to move for admissions and how much immediate detail is necessary in the first phone conversation.
I think the biggest thing for me is not getting interrupted or distracted. I find it very easy to get caught up in other aspects of my job, and it causes me to lose focus sometimes on proper follow-up.
Secondly, I think staying organized is key for me, because it helps limit some of those distractions.
Thanks for the clarification, Germaine. It sounds like you work really hard to ensure that you understand what motivates your student. I imagine that they appreciate your attention.
what I mean is for example if you are speaking on a specific topic and its something that really motivates them make sure you comment on that topic before going to the next topic.
Great approach, Linda. I'm guessing it's more fun for both parties when you're having a conversation rather than playing 20 questions! You mention that you seem to get more info with this approach, which is great. What made you decide to change up your approach to the phone call?
Great tips, Germaine. Thanks for sharing these with the group. Summarizing what you've heard from you student is a wonderful way to demonstrate your attentiveness and understanding of their world. I'm sure you find that your students appreciate this level of detail from you. I'm curious as to what you mean when you say "comment on their close statement", can you offer a specific example of what this might sound like to help me understand?
I try to have a conversation with them instead of it sounding like a probing sales person. I seem to get more info out of them this way.
Make sure you summarize what they have told you, this shows them that you have really been listining and understand thier needs. Make sure you always make a comment to their close statement, most students are looking for every reason not to make the appointment, give thme a reason to want to come, make it a benefit for them, tell them its going to be fun!
Great strategies, Bobbi! Sounds like you've got your process in place to help your team be more effective and efficient. Keep up the good work.
we did a refresher in a training 2 weeks ago. we brainstormed all percieved time stealers and then put them in 2 categories; those that we can't avoid/part of job (ie: meetings, helping students connect w/ other depts to resolve issues, etc) and those that are not part of job that we need to limit/avoid (internet, facebook, excessive emails, etc). We did an exercise on the time it takes to write an email to a student, we can typically have the conversation and make other calls as well.
I also had them block out phone time into their schedule and it was a race against the clock to see how many dials they could make in that hour. During check-out they had to review their call times to see 1- if they did the calling, and if not why?, and 2- how many calls they made. if it was less than their goal (ie: 20) why?. It was a real eye opener for some.
Great insights, Bobbi. It sounds like you've been using some of the 10 commandments for the phone already. Having your reps summarize what they heard is a wonderful way to demonstrate they've been listening and address the hidden challenges they have identified.
Being aware of "time stealers" can definitely help your reps drive production. What are some of the things your reps have done to address those "time stealers"?
I loved the 10 commandments. One thing that I train my team to do on the phone before they do their presentation is to summarize what the student told them. This helps show that they were actively listening to their student and will help catch some hidden obsticles or things they may have missed that may end up being their 'why' they come in for their appt.
Also, when I have a rep who is struggling w/ their appt sets or shows, I have the do a time mgmt exercise where they track their calls they made in an hour. I don't tell them why but after we review it and often they think they will make 30+ calls in an hour but it turns out to be 10 or less...b/c of interruptions (self caused or by others). Reps really need to be aware of their time stealers--if they are not on the phone they can't be setting up interviews which is everyone's favorite part of the job!
Thanks for your honesty Jason! I like your idea for setting aside a "phone call" time every day. Changing the time of that hour may be beneficial as people are busy at different times throughout the day. Also, sometimes students say no now, but perhaps later, they are ready to go to school. I wonder, how do you start the conversation with these students after it has been a while since your last phone call?
Do not stop, is a big commandment for me.
I find myself not calling because i feel that the student has no desire to come to our school.
I am sure that i have lost a lot of students because of this mind set
Also, setting time aside everyday for an hour just for calls.
Sounds like you've gotten some helpful tips from this module, Jason. It's great that you are aware of how having a bad day might impact your calls and do your best to move on before dialing. Keep up the good work.
Being positive, helpful and honest is an excellent place to start with your calls, Jason. That's awesome. I'm curious, from the 10 phone commandments, which do you think you're likely to use first?
