Minute to Win-It

In the first minute of your calls, your customers are making a decision about you.  They are deciding if they can trust you and whether you know your stuff. 

How do I know?

Because Amy Cuddy, a psychologist at the Harvard Business School, has been studying first impressions for more than a decade. She and her colleagues found that we make snap judgments about other people that answer two primary questions:

·       Can I trust this person?

·       Can I respect this person’s capabilities?

According to Cuddy’s research, 80% to 90% of a first impression is based on these two traits. Subconsciously, you and the people you meet are asking yourselves, “Can I trust that this person has good intentions toward me?” and “Is this person capable?”

Cuddy tells us that, “A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after you’ve achieved trust does your strength become a gift rather than a threat.”

Here are some tips for sounding trustworthy and competent over the phone.

1.    Sit up for better projection.  Slumping in your chair or straining towards the computer blocks your airflow and your energy.
2.   Add some inflection.  Punch up the key words of your greeting. "GOOD MORNING, you’ve reached AWESOME CO, this is ANN."
3.    Slow your pace down.  Focus on moving your lips as you say your greeting, or air-write your name.  Each one will help decrease your pace.

A great greeting doesn’t solve everything, but it does set the stage for a better interaction.  

Keeping It Simple...

When talking to customers, it is important to be clear.  That means skipping the jargon (your industry-specific terminology) and idiomatic expressions.

Here's a quiz for you.  Can you identify what this waitress in a diner is ordering?

a) Burn one, take it through the garden, pin a rose on it
b) Shingle with shimmy and shake, squeeze one
c) Keep off the grass

1. Hamburger with Lettuce, Tomato and Onion
2. Buttered toast with jam and OJ
3. Hold the lettuce

There is a shorthand type of ordering and addressing people that seems very appropriate and fun in that setting, but is confusing to the rest of us.

This week, make sure you don't confuse your customers with your industry-specific terms.  Keep it simple.

A Recipe for Happiness

A couple of weeks ago, Kelsey and I were in Orlando, staying in a hotel, working with a group of terrific Adjunct Professors from WoltersKluwer  #awesome.   We experienced some outstanding service that needs to be commented on.

Louree Jefferson at Hilton Hotels took care of our breakfast, lunch, dinner and moods!  She greeted us with a 1000 watt smile and a song, and set the tone for an upbeat day.  When we left, she gave each of us this kit of joy.

Louree made our day.  What can you do today to make someone else's day brighter?

Super Better - Part II

Last week, I shared two tips from Jane McGonigal on how to beat stress, stay focused on what's in your control, and live longer.  Here are her other two tips.   

Tip #3: Look at pictures of baby animals.

In case you can't access google from your office, here's a picture to make you smile.  

It did - didn't it?  And that's the point.

Tip#4:  Shake hands with someone for 6 seconds.  This positive, personal interaction is said to increase oxytocin in the brain and make you feel better. 

Give them a try and let me know how they work for you - or send me your favorite baby animal pic!

Put Your Positive Pants On

That was the quote posted at my gym this morning.  Love it!

There are so many things out of your control:

• the caller's issue
• the weather
• the volume of calls
• how the caller speaks to you

What is in your control is how you think about it.

Whether you are handling tough calls about rate increases or reassuring customers that you can provide products or services to their home, despite the weather – you probably need some help building your resilience in order to keep yourself calm. 

Try this:

Stand up and walk three steps from your desk then back again.

Can’t do that?

Then extend your arms up in the air, strike a victory pose. 

Repeat every hour.

Either one of those movements will build your physical resilience which can help you stay in control of you.

Still stressed?

Try this:

Snap your fingers 50 times.  Yes, exactly 50 times.  Count ‘em.  Go.

Can’t snap?

Then count down from 100.

These build mental resilience.   Completing just one of these tasks doesn’t take long, but it can put you back in control.

For more information on these tips watch Super Better by Jane McGonigal on Ted Talks.

Did you win, lose or just watch the commercials?

Did your team win yesterday?  If so, carry on. Have a great day, enjoy your victory and let that smile shine through as you talk to customers today.

If your team didn't win.  Don't take your feelings of defeat out on customers today.   Here's some help from Amy Cuddy, social psychologist, author, lecturer and Harvard Professor.

...instead, use your posture and body language throughout the day to remind yourself that you are strong. Begin from the heart and pull your shoulders back and open your chest, then start relaxing your arms, uncrossing your legs, putting your feet on the ground.

Set up your workspace so that you're reaching for items you need throughout the day. This will help you avoid hunching over and closing yourself off while you work.

BTW - did you know Cam Newton hired a body language coach to help him and to manage the impact of his body language on his team?

Take Charge and Set The Tone

Participants in our training classes tell us stories of how they are treated over the phone and I agree no-one deserves to be interrupted, yelled at or disrespected.  

My recommendation is to take the high road.  

When you pick up the phone, build credibility and set the tone with helpful words and an upbeat voice.

How do you want to sound?  Maybe calm and competent, or professional and pumped?  You can do it! 

Write down the words you'd like others to use when they describe you, post those words by the phone, sit up tall, read those words and say your greeting.  Own it!

Don't let the day or the caller bring you down.  Choose to set the tone with your tone.

“It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States