How would you feel if you looked up the number of a store, called with a question and had the phone answered brusquely with a snapped out "Hel-LO?" I'm willing to bet you'd hang up and call a different store for your needs.
I work with real estate Realtors/agents all the time and am amazed at how many do not seem to realize that your cell phone is your business phone.
The way you answer your phone conveys a lot about you to the caller - whether you want it to or not.
A rushed, almost hostile sounding Hello is quite off-putting. I've gotten this response more often than I should when I am returning a phone call from a voicemail. I am always taken aback for a second and then want to apologize for obviously catching them at a very bad time or disturbing them in some unknown way. Your greeting should not be so brusque that it makes the caller feel they should apologize for calling you.
Another one that I've gotten more rarely than the above, but not as rarely as I should, is the "Oh my God, who are you and why are you calling me?" panicky tone of Hello. This makes me feel like you rarely get calls on your cell phone, or when you do it is unpleasant news/people. Neither makes me feel warm and fuzzy as a potential buyer/seller.
But my BIGGEST PET PEEVE with phone call answers is NOT SAYING YOUR NAME!!! This is your business line. I feel awkward when I return a call to Mary Smith who left their phone number and I get a surprised sounding "Hel-LOOO?" and nothing else. Feeling I may have dialed wrong, I ask "Is this Mary Smith from XYZ Realtors?" I should not have to ask you if you're who I think you are when I dial your business number you gave me.
Please treat your cell phones as the business line they are these days. Be pleasant, and say "This is Mary" or "Mary Smith speaking".
The first impression you make may gain or lose you a client.
Amy Hunter, Hearth & Home Videos/Photography, Metrowest MA www.hnhvideos.com
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