Fonality Blog | VoIP, Unified Communications, and Business Tips

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Confidence is important when making a phone call.

Phone manner is important in business - it can make or break a deal or business relationship in seconds. Whether you are on the phone constantly for your job, or you only pick up the odd call here and there, a proper phone manner is essential.

Perfecting the art of a successful phone call can take practice, but it's more than worth it in the long haul. Here are five tips for a better phone manner for building strong relationships over the phone.

1. Introduce yourself

Introductions will be the first thing that the other person will hear - and it can shape the whole tone of the conversation. Some people can get flustered and skip over niceties, which can be detrimental. Saying "Hello, good morning it's X here" seems obvious, but many people can forget these precious introductory words.

Some small talk (but not nervous waffling) can be an excellent way to ease into the real topic of the call, without it seeming jarring. 

Introductions are important.Introductions and context are important.

2. Be confident

Confidence is everything - it can make a person seem a lot more competent than they really are, or even better, it can properly express the level of expertise one has. The opposite, an unsure sounding phone speaker, may not be able to convey his or her expertise and enthusiasm for a product or service.

Many people feel they are confident on the phone, and therefore they surely sound so - but this is not always true. Listening to your voice played back is a good way to get an idea of what you sound like, until you have the confident sounding tone you most wish to present.

3. Be assertive

Assertiveness and confidence go hand in hand - to be assertive is to take charge, and commandeer the call in a polite way. The Mayo Clinic describes assertiveness as the opposite of being passive, and while passivity can have its place when quelling conflict, it will often be observed by many as shyness.

While there is a fine line between appearing polite and easygoing as well as taking charge, it is a skill worth practising as it can make all the difference in conducting a successful phone call.

Phone confidence takes practice. Phone confidence takes practice.

The most assertive step you can take towards a successful call is actually making it. Darlene Price, author of Conversations That Get Results, a book about perfecting communications, told Forbes that concerns about how a call might go can stop some people from making it altogether.

"The fear, uncertainty, and doubt of what to say and how to say it prevents many would-be callers from smiling and dialling," said Ms. Price.

Ms. Price recommends paying attention during a call, to avoid sounding bored.

"Since listeners cannot see you, it's tempting to covertly catch up on other tasks while attempting to carry on a telephone meeting. Not only are you likely to miss critical points in the conversation, the listeners can hear awkward pauses and a tone of distraction in your voice," she said.

4. Take your turn

It is so important to take your turn, because it lets the other person know you are listening, and you are interested in what they have to say. This has a follow on-effect, making the person feel positive about themselves and the phone call. As a consequence of these good feelings they will be more open to what you have to say.

Reciprocal goodwill is an ideal platform to make a sale, conduct a deal or make a new business contact - and it will set all future calls with the same positive feeling.

For information on how Fonality's easy to use VoIP systems can help your company, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today.