I was awaiting a call to set an appointment for an important meeting. The call came through and the person asked if I had time to talk right then. I was anxious to talk to the person, so I said, “Sure!” The truth of the matter was that I was in the middle of another project and getting ready to leave for another appointment.
I said, “Hang on just a minute.” I rushed downstairs, found a pen, paper and some notes I had written. I then ran back upstairs to the phone. When I got back on the line, I was out of breath. Perhaps 38 seconds had passed. Not an incredibly long time on a clock but an eternity when you are waiting for someone on the phone.
As I made a quick apology for my absence, the first question came like a rocket. “In addition to what you have already sent, what else can you tell me about the program and how it will specifically help our people?” As I tried to catch my breath and scan my notes, I started mumbling something but still did not have my breath. The few words I uttered, I am certain, made no sense. I was still trying to get my bearings.
Then like a machine gun firing into its weakened opponent, the next question drilled me without mercy, “What are some of the specific action steps you have generated with other groups taking the course?” My mind went blank. In spite of having given the course numerous times and have generated dozens of concrete examples, my mind was in a fog and, inexplicably, I was still out of breath! I tried to recover as I went along, but to no avail. I was being battered ruthlessly and it wasn’t a pretty picture.
A final question went straight to the heart. “What kind of follow up do you plan to ensure objectives are met and how do you plan on doing this while being several thousand miles away?” I continued to dig myself into a deeper hole, knowing the work I had put into the project was slowly being drawn into a dark whirling black hole.
As the call came to an end, I realized there was little chance of achieving my objective on that particular call. She said she needed to check with someone else and promised they would “think” about my proposal. Of course, as soon as I hung up the phone, all the answers came to me in a flash. I sent out a follow up e mail to elaborate what I knew but could not articulate on the phone. Nevertheless, the damage had already been done.
One week later on the follow up call, I received a polite e mail saying, “I spoke to our training people in New York. They want to review other programs in addition to yours so let’s put it on hold for a few weeks.” The final blow hit its mark relentlessly.
What happened? How could the disaster have been averted?
1) Always be prepared.
When leaving a message which implies a return call, be prepared to handle that call when it comes. Make sure that we have a clear concise presentation prepared in order to assure that all points are covered in a professional and thorough manner.
2) Take a call only if we are prepared and have all of the necessary resources at hand.
If we are not prepared to put our best foot forward, explain we are not in a position to talk at that time and offer to call back and set a mutually convenient time when we can devote 100% of our attention to the conversation.
While the most desirable scenario is the first solution, it is not always possible to make an effective presentation when we are running up and down stairs or in the middle of rush hour traffic talking on a mobile phone.
The key is to always be prepared. We never know when the call comes in that can make the difference between achieving our objective and getting the most deadly answer of all, “Let me think about it…” While being prepared takes time and energy, it is vitally important in today’s business world where we never get a second chance to make a terrific first impression.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL I 3