As I sit watching baseball with my son, I have to laugh when I see the signs made by the coaches and other players on the baseball field.  I have to wonder are they really signalling?

I suppose it isn’t that different from the flags that ships use to communicate back and forth. You need to be initiated and practiced to understand, and respond.

My Dad was a telegraph operator for the CN railway back when he was in his late teens and early 20’s. He could be half-asleep due to long days of heavy work, and long dark nights alone but his practiced ear could still pick out the dots and dashes when a signal came down the line for him. These were the original party lines, and each person on the telegraph was half listening and half discarding the dot dash messages depending on whether the message was for them. Amazing how our minds work and how we can pick up signals no matter how indistinct !!

Five Seconds to Success

I was told by an instructor, that in the first 5 seconds of a phone call, you set the tone for the whole call. That first impression is 90%.  That is huge!

When you answer the phone, how do you do it? Is it a grunt, do you identify yourself? Are you smiling when you say hello?

I have experimented with this first impression. In my mind, I am firmly of the belief, that I have more success with my phone calls by the impression I can create in the first five seconds.  I don’t want the caller to be on the defensive, I want them to imagine an alert, happy person who is interested in their call, and (this is the point) I don’t want them to be defensive, or worse – on the offensive right at the onset.

Here is the challenge for you. Try for one day, just for one day to answer the call like you are expecting a call from the lottery corp. Your upbeat, and friendly tone will set the tone for great communication, and success. 

Never a second chance to make a First Impression

Remember the key is how you answer the phone, try to smile :), be positive. i.e. thanks for calling and say it like you mean it.  Remember you have five seconds at the beginning of the call to pile the chips in your favor for the rest of the call.  I hope the effort, and experiment pays you big dividends.