Are You an Egomaniac?
First things first. Call your own cellphone and listen to your recorded message. Is your voice short on friendliness? Does your message premier your own given title of CEO/President or any other title the company you worked for gave to you?
Well, no one cares. That's right, you heard me...no one cares about your title.
Who are you trying to impress? A title doesn't do it. I have seen every kind of made up, crazy title from Chief Visionary Officer to Energy Consultant. Okay, the last one works if you work for FPL and you help people cut costs on the energy bill.
But seriously folks, pay less attention to your own title and more attention on how you can help the people who contacted you and your company. When you are successful at securing your first or followup meetings with the prospect or client, do they know the purpose of your meeting? Did you give them an agenda before your meeting? Do they really need to do a little homework prior to your meeting?
People want to know what to expect. Shoot from the hip at the meeting and you run the risk of having them out of their comfort zone and miss the point of your meeting. A wiseman by the name of Michael, gave me a few points to consider today...how well do you position your differentiation? Why are you the best person to assist this client with their needs? If you can't articulate that, who will?
TODAY'S LESSON:
#1 Stop attempting to impress your clients with your title. Just be sure you can articulate what you bring to the table.
#2 Re-record your phone message. It should include the basics: "Thank you for calling, this is (your Name) and I look forward to speaking with you before 5:00 today. Please leave me the best number to reach you and I'll speak with you soon"
Notice I DID NOT state: I'm sorry I missed your call. Don't apologize- just call them back.
