Phone Calls

1
Professional Selling 8
Phone Calls Always answer professionally and
cheerfully Long-winded buyer? How can I help
you today? Many non-verbals are lost, listen for
shortness State the purpose of call to eliminate
confusion Avoid distractions (noise, traffic,
working) Phone numbers can be given in
trust-dont violate Reintroduce yourself during
conference calls
2
Phone Messages Designate a time to return calls
(check as needed) When leaving a message
remember Brevity Clarity Next
Action Planning will result in more coherent
messages Speak your phone number slowly, repeat
at end Make sure you are reachable in an
emergency Keep your voicemail message brief and
professional, consider different vacation message

3
E-mail It has many advantages Send messages
instantly, anywhere in the world No marginal
cost Easy to make copies Good for
information And some disadvantages Poor medium
for persuasion or complex topics Emotions may
be misinterpreted/eliminated Easy to send
copies to the wrong people Your message may be
overlooked.
4
E-mail Tips An e-mail address should be
professional (no _) Keep work and personal life
separate Never use your account at work if you
are looking for a new job Make sure you check
all accounts regularly Make the content of your
message instantly clear Keep your speech and
format professional Use short paragraphs and
double space between Avoid abbreviations, CAPS,
vulgarities, slogans Avoid copying up or
replying to all Do not spread jokes and other
SPAM
5
Managing E-mail An e-mail sent is not
necessarily an e-mail received, so follow-up on
important contacts Beware that a message you
receive may also have been sent as a blind
copy to other people Bcc is useful for long
lists Set up folders to organize messages that
you want to keep Designate a time of day to
respond to e-mail and try to read e-mails only
once Deleted e-mails may still be
aroundcareful
6
Letters Are increasingly a less common form of
communication Costs more time and effort than
phone/e-mail Take the time to write them well
Keep letters to one page, if possible Center
the letter on the page Serif Font, 12 point (10
pt. is okay), single space, but double-space
between paragraphs Typically, no indent, and
left-justified (hence a ragged right margin)
7
Parts of a Letter Date (comes first)
Address Salutation (Dear Ms. Lastname/Dear
Firstname,) Body of the letter Closing
(Sincerely, 3 Spaces, Name) Copies ( C, Cc )
and enclosures ( Encl. )
8
Letter Content Briefly state what the letter is
about Summarize the history of the situation
What has been done so far Clearly state any
news, action, or decision State any response or
action that you want from the person you are
writing to
9
Memos Out of favorlargely replaced by
e-mail If used, usually for policies and
procedures that will stay in place for a long
time, so a moderately high level of formality
Blocked at the top of the page Single space
within paragraphs, double-spaced between
paragraphs Left justified There is no place
to sign (although some people hand-write their
initials next to their name)
10
Memo Format Date October 13, 2005To All
FacultyFrom Carroll J. Falcon,
ProvostSubject Loss of Fall Break