Successful phone conversation
Having a smile in your voice is very important in order to keep the conversation going and to put the other person at ease.
Smiling is very important! Before I make a call I always check my posture while sitting this helps with my voice projection and a prepared body tends to make the mind follow and act positive and happy.
Bruce ,
Thank you for sharing. Writing down the person's name and using it throughout the conversation is an excellent rapport-building technique! And sounding alert and happy on the telephone is so important! Have you ever had a telephone conversation in which the person was saying all the right things but their tone gave them away? And yet other conversations when you could actually "hear" the other person smiling?
Dr. Jean Norris
Sound happy, alert and ready. I always try to be prepared for telephone conversations by having a pad of paper and pen handy to take notes. I always start by writing down the person's name so I can use it during the conversation. When people hear their name being used in a conversation they know you are actively listening.
Racene,
That's great! What other tools do you use to conduct successful phone conversations?
Dr. Jean Norris
we do the same thing at our company and it helps to keep us smiling while we talk on the phone.
Matthew,
You bring up some great points. Showing genuine interest and building rapport through your communication can certainly help diffuse some of the fear that students may have. What are some of your techniques for building rapport?
Dr. Jean Norris
When communicating with prospective students on the phone, the goal of course is to get the student to come in. Successful communication should result in the student making the decision to set an appointment and show up for that appointment. The second part of that is very important since there often seems to a disconnect in communication leading to make prospects not showing up for their appointments. I think the following are keys to communicating with prospective students effectively
- Find out what questions students have coming in, from that we can learn the areas of concern and interest for the student
- Show genuine interest, friendliness and competency without sounding like a salesman or telemarketer (a big turnoff for students)
- Help students understand the big picture, the process and sorting through all the information they are looking for when considering schools
- Communicate the benefits to a face to face meeting for more in depth information, give them a reason to come
- Establish rapport throughout this process
- Communicate both the urgency of acting now (encourage the student to take action) and the assurance that the student will not be walking into a high pressure sales situation (this is why many students are afraid to come to an in person appointment)
Jenny,
Thanks for sharing your tip for successful phone calls. How did you find keeping the mirror by your phone worked for you?
Dr. Jean Norris
I used to keep a small mirror next to my phone to remember to smile every time it rang....
brenda,
It sounds like you work to maintain your connection with your students, even after they've graduated. Bringing back your graduates to speak to your incoming students is a wonderful idea. Thank you for sharing your passion for helping students and your career.
Shannon Gormley
Because I care about the callers concerns and fears and I have the intution and disernment naturally. I know What I'm hearing and I'm able to respond accordingly; and thats when the relationship develops and trust is there, because I simply listened and a mutual respect was birthed from that phone call. My students come to see, while there here at school and after they graduate and are working in their chosen profession. They stay in contact with me, send me thank you cards, my walls are full of cards and pictures of the students and their children. I have the stdents come back for my Orientation and they are my guest speakers for my freshmen coming in as a New Start. It's nothing more rewarding than to have a graduate come back and they are happy because their working and have a life style that they always wanted.
As I tell the potential student during the interview, its not about who you are now; its about who you are to become through this educational journey. Guest what? When the student/graduate\/employee speaks before the class, they say the same thing I told them. 'IT'S NOT ABOUT WHO YOU ARE NOW, IT'S ABOUT WHO YOU ARE TO BECOME..YOUR PURPOSE. ENJOY THE RIDE".
I enjoy what I do, in seeing people blossom and mature and experiencing the finer things in life, because they believed it was possible, because Ms. Dunbar said I could do it and they did it. Now we have a brighter future for our youth, because their mother is educated and employed and the children sees this discipline and strives to acheive similar goals. That's one lesss child off the street that was able to escape the statistics.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Brenda. It sounds like you put forth a great deal of care and consideration in your calls which leads to success in setting appointments, helping your students to feel comfortable with you and your school, and ultimately discovering "fit" for both. It looks like you take care to truly develop lasting relationships with the individuals that you have the opportunity to meet. Keep up the great work!
Shannon Gormley
When a caller calls into the school, there interested in the basic information: cost, how long is the program? do you offer financial aid? are you acccredited? do you offer day and evening classes? how does that work? I respond and I also ask them questions; such as how long have you been thinking about becoming a ------? What captured your interest in this particular field and why is now a good time to come to school. At this point, we've build a rapport and theres trust there, because I did answer the question bbut more than that, I wanted to know the caller and they found that interesting, that my tones and voice was sopft spoken and that I cared. They could hear the smile in my voice. The next step was to set the appointment, so there is a platform to discuss the program, exetrnship and where are students are working and give her a tour of the campus. The phone call wasn't lengthy, but I got waht I needed from the call and so did the caller.
The caller was curious to meet with me because of my delivery and listening skills and responding appropriately. The one- one one interview was engaging and full of positive energy. While the student was filling out the paper work for me she noticed how pleasant and polite the student were to her, she felt comfortable and after passing her test and meeting with the director of the school and paying her registration she couldn't wait to
enroll.
You build up curiosity through tones, excitement, laughter, confidence and succinct delivery, where the caller wants more and thats where the interview comes in.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Brenda. It sounds like you work to establish rapport on your phone calls through a positive attitude and helping your student's feel comfortable. You mention that too much information decreases the urgency for a campus visit. Given that program integrity regulations require that schools disclose important information to all students, how do you create urgency with the student who has read your disclosures?
Shannon Gormley
a smile and speaking with ease as you address the questions of the caller is important. You must be precise and succinct; so the caller feels at all times, you are listening to them and respecting the time, that they took out of their busy day, to inquire about your programs. Throughout your conversation with them, call them by their name. Without being chatty, set the appointment and put closure on the call. If you give them to much information, there is no urgency to visit your campus.
Mayra ,
Absolutely! A smile really does make a positive impact and it's so easy to do. Keep smiling.
Shannon Gormley
