I probably call 10 members a day (give or take) every day. I do it for a variety of reasons. Some of the time it's because I have read something particularly moving they have written and I want to say thanks. Sometimes it is because I see something they are doing in their blog they could be doing better and I want to offer advice. Sometimes it's because I am lonely and I need someone to talk to (haha, that last one was a joke, not to make light of the plight of the lonely, but this job doesn't really make that an option).
Almost every time I get ready to pick up the phone, I am faced with a decision. Call them at the office or on their cell phone. If it's someone I have spoke with prior, I will generally go straight to the cell phone. If it's the first time I am calling someone, I usually use the office phone first. So on a daily basis I am greeted by the person that answers the phone at your office a couple of times.
My interaction with them sets the tone for my interaction with you.
On occasion, the person answering the phone in your office is bright and cheery. I can't help but take the same tone. They leave me with that warm and fuzzy feeling. I like that feeling. I'll venture a guess that your clients would like that feeling too. When we start our conversation, most often without even realizing it, I feel good about talking to you. I become more engaged in our conversation. I want to talk to you.
You all know the flip side...........
Every so often I get that person that answers the phone and their attitude stinks. It isn't what they say of course, it's how they say it. I'll bet they are busy. I'll bet there is another call coming in right behind mine. I'll bet they got up on the wrong side of the bed. Well guess what.......if I'm your client, I don't care!!
"Thank you for calling XYZ Realty, can you please hold?"
"I ha...click (....ve no problem holding") (cue elevator music or canned marketing message)
Really? Not even four seconds to confirm that I will in fact hold and that I'm not his son with an emergency?
That's the example I had just ten minutes ago. But I come across different variations of that A LOT. The person's tone when returning to the line was no more friendly, simple concerned with getting me out of their hair. It doesn't leave me in the best frame of mind to start our conversation. I deal with it way more than your clients do, I would imagine. Because of that, I can rebound A-OK and we can still have a great conversation. But can your client? Does that first abrupt voice leave them uneasy and chagrined?
More often, I get somewhere in the middle. But wouldn't you rather I get passed to you with that infectious warmth and cheer?
Agents......who is setting the tone for your initial conversations with your client? Are they setting you up for a great interaction? Brokers.......does the person answering at your office even consider how I feel once I'm passed on? Should it be their job to care?
I say yes. That person answering your phone is your clients first interaction with you. It sets the tone. Hang out of sight today and see what that tone is......
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