Oh yes! It can be tough to focus on the call with so much going on around you. The awareness that the caller may feel like they are wasting their time is important. It may help to keep this in mind next time the urge to multi-task or deal with others in front of you comes up. We certainly are all guilty of this one! Thanks for sharing, Brenda and continued success!
Really focus on the caller and not be interupted because theirs nothing wordst then the caller feeling as their wasting their time with you. Or if their is an interuption kindly inform the caller and set them on hold.
Excellent! Continued success to you, Nina!
Projecting my voice will allow students to hear me clearly. This will prevent any misunderstandings about the message I'm communicating. By taking more notes, I'll be able to refer back to them during follow up conversations. This shows that I have paid attention and acknowledge what they expressed.
YEAH! Congratulations, Brian. Keep up the good work.
She showed and is working her way through FA now. Thanks!
These are great goals, Nina. What specifically will changing these behaviors give you that you don't have now?
The bad habits I'd like to improve is projecting my voice more and taking more notes.
Great observation, Brian! It sounds as if you were using what we call Level 3 Listening. You apparently realized, beyond her words, her environment was distracting. That shows respect and builds trust. My bet is she will show up. Please let me know!
I called back one young lady today and realized that she was shopping from the noise in the backgroud. I set a new appointment with her for tomorrow and then asked, do you know where we are located. She said no, so I asked what time later in the day that I could call her so that she could write down the directions. She said 6:30 PM. I called and we spent time working through the directions. We will see if she shows tomorrow at noon!
That's a great observation, Brian. It certainly can be difficult to work so hard and have prospective students tell you one thing and do another. And yes, sometimes people tell us things just to get us off the phone vs. really committing. What specifically will you do to build real relationships on the phone that may result in more commitment?
Getting so burned-out knowing that many say they will show up and they don't. I have to constantly work to remind myself not to "just book the appointment." I need to take time to get to know the caller's needs. I need to dig more to find those hidden objections.
Ah yes, the "curse" or "gift" of multi-tasking. Seems as if many admission professionals have mastered the art of doing many things at the same time. How do you prepare yourself if someone actually answers the phone so you don't seem unprepared or unengaged?
I have always believed in multi-tasking, so it is hard to me to just focus all my attention on making phone calls. I tend to become bored if I am calling many prospects and they are unavailable, so I complete small tasks while I make phone calls.
My biggest bad habit is not really listening to the prospect. Its too easy to get into bad habits of asking the same questions and assuming the answers. I need to focus on what the student is saying to be able to probe better.
Hi Peter. You actually made me laugh out loud with your comment regarding "not being the only one" who is multi-tasking! Thank you for being honest, too!
You seem to have discovered three critical and meaningful areas of focus for yourself: pace of your speech; gathering information and multi-tasking. It's wonderful that you've discovered these elements. Now how will you go about tackling these areas to improve?
I feel my number one bad habit is the speed that I speak with. I tend to speak rapidly on the phone which can lead to confusion with the student.
Another issue is the appointment. I am always focused on the appointment and sometimes do not gather ENOUGH (not one) information in the first conversation than I should have. This sometimes turns into NO SHOWS.
I see I am not the only one who is guilty of multi-tasking while on the phone! There are not many moments of my day where I am not multi-tasking. When I am dialing outbound I may be doing something else as well but if a prospectiove student answers I stop everything I am doing and focus on them. This sometimes becomes a problem because I am not fully prepared for the student to answer the phone and begin the conversation strong.
That's a tough one, isn't it? Seems like multi-tasking is part of the life of an admissions professional but you're right - focusing in on the caller will help you tremendously. Good work!
Great awareness Monica! My guess is your prospective (and current) students would love to be heard. Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?
Focusing on the call that I'm on and only that will greatly improve the quality of my calls.
