Just today whilst phoning clients and prospective clients I have had company names barked at me, been put on hold without being asked, been put straight through to voicemail, and my personal pet hate, being put through without a word from the operator.

Is it so hard to say something like “I’ll just put you through”, or “Mr So-and-so is on the phone at the moment, can anyone else help, or can I take a message and ask them to call you back?”

Getting it right is so easy

This is such a simple thing to get right. And getting it right is a matter of a small amount of training and a fair amount of attitude.

Remember, that the person on the phone has taken the time to call you, over your competition. Treat that call like the magic thing it is. We all work very hard to get business, and when it comes so easily, please respect it for what it is.

Handling incoming calls is so easy to get right. Here are my top 10 tips for answering and handling business calls properly:

Top 10 Tips for answering and handling business calls

1. Answer the phone quickly

There is nothing worse that a phone that rings for ages before being answered. It is nothing short of unprofessional. A business line should really be answered on the 3rd ring.

Any less is too quickly, anything more is too much.

 2. Be warm and welcoming

A simple smile on your face when speaking will help enormously. I know it sounds corny, but it really does work.

3. Introduce yourself and your business

Never just bark the company name as you answer. I hear “XYZ Co” as a greeting all the time. Its off-putting, unwelcoming, and almost aggressive.

Say something like “Good morning, XYZ Company, Jonathan speaking. How many help you?”

For a personal mobile phone, “Hello, this is Jonathan” is fine.

This will not only confirm that the caller has phoned the right place, but sets the tone for a professional conversation.

4. Speak clearly

Nothing is more off putting to a caller than a fast talking person who sounds like that don’t care. Speak slowly and clearly, in a moderate tone, so that you can be easily understood.

The caller should never have to ask you to repeat what you said.

5. Do not use slang or buzz words

I know that I really shouldn’t have to say this, but you must use professional language at all times. Slang, jargon and words like ‘u-huh’ or ‘cheers’ are a definite no-no, and never ever ‘mate’, ‘yep’ or ‘I don’t know’.

If you genuinely don’t have the answer, simply say ‘let me find that out for you and come back to you as quickly as I can’. This shows interest and an eagerness to help.

6. Ask before you put people on hold

Be sure to ask the caller if its alright to put them on hold before you do so.

“That line is busy, would you like to hold or can I take a message and ask them to call you back?”

Then, update the caller every 30 seconds or so and offer them a choice “I’m sorry that line is still engaged, can I take a message and ask them to call you back?” is great.

7. Don’t just put calls through 

Just putting a call through to a line without saying what you are about to do really comes across as abrupt, and breaks any rapport built immediately.

A simple “I’ll just put you through’, or ‘one moment and I’ll connect you’ is perfect.

8. Don’t use hand-free to answer calls

It sounds like you are not fully engaged and disinterested, even if you are.

9. Take messages properly

If you are taking a message, be sure to check all the details, and confirm any spellings that you are unsure of. Jonathan will not be happy when he receives an email back with his name spelt ‘Johnathan’.

I am often called Nathan on the phone, even after I say my name is James Nathan. You would think that at my age I’d be used to it, but it still gets my back up. It feels sloppy and shows a lack of care.

Furthermore, offering the caller voicemail over taking a message, is just not good enough. It is poor from a service level perspective, but equally important from a commercial perspective you may have lost that business, especially if the message left is incomplete, doesn’t include a return number, or the caller hangs up and calls a competitor!

Before taking a message, find out if anyone else can help. 9 out of 10 times, an initial enquiry can be dealt with just as well by a colleague.

10. Only use answering phones if you absolutely have to

Answering phones are so impersonal and I am sure that most first time callers who hit voicemail simply hang up. If you must use one, please make sure that you call back as soon as possible.

Remember also, that people who leave messages out of hours are just as important as those who call during the business day. If you get a lot of call out of business hours, or over the weekend it may be sensible to invest in using a professional answering service. Many are very cost effective, and extremely professional.

Make the most of those calls

Making simple changes to your businesses telephone handling really can make an enormous difference so quickly. Getting new clients and to keeping those we already have takes a huge amount of effort. When they call, treat them with the service and respect they deserve.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

This is not just good advice, it is vital advice.

But, I don’t have time

The problem is that we don’t have the time, or we don’t make the time. We are busy, we react to our businesses, we respond, we rarely control. And further more, when we do make the time, many of us try to do this on an ad hoc basis or sitting at our desks.

“And what’s wrong with that?”, I hear you ask. Well, quite a lot actually.

To get you started, here are my 4 top tips for giving yourself thinking time

1. Plan your thinking time

Block out some time in your diary, where you won’t be disturbed. Make it as important as a client meeting. Make it unmovable.

Place the time at a point in your week when you are at your least active. 10am Tuesday morning is not the time, but how about early Friday afternoon? Late Wednesday afternoon? A time where you won’t feel that you should be doing something else. Make a less productive time productive.

2. Take yourself away from your desk

We naturally do certain tasks in certain places. We become anchored to those places, and when we are in those places, we default to those things. These habits are good, and when we control them, can be very powerful.

The problem for thinking is that we are often anchored to active, client focused behaviors at our desks. We check email, we phone, we research, we do active things. And, when we are not doing those things, we often use the internet. We kill time by browsing. We don’t think at a higher level there.

So go for a walk, head to a cafe or coffee shop. Get away from the places that you do other work things. And when you do this a magic thing happens. Your mind starts to wander. You start to have ideas. You start to think.

3. Let your mind wander

Don’t push the process. Thoughts and ideas will come naturally, as you give yourself permission to consider things. Let go of the ‘I must work’ thoughts. Start by thinking about a part of your business, or a particular issue. And if you need help, do something else and let your less conscious mind wander. Thoughts will come.

4. Anchor a new thinking place

If you continue to use the same places and activities to think, you will start to anchor new behaviors. You will establish behaviors that trigger thinking, and you will have built new good habits.

This is great, and then whenever you want to think or consider something, you just go to that place, or do that activity, and away you go.

For me this is when I am walking my dog, when I am on a long drive, when I am gardening, and when I am in the shower. Places where I am doing something else consciously, places where my mind can wander.

Start now

Start now. Open your diary and block out some time. Where might you start to think?

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

The reality is that email is as much a part of our working lives as the telephone is, in fact it has even taken over a lot of what really should still be done by telephone (but I’m not going to get on that high horse today).

So why is this hugely valuable, and indispensable business tool so badly used? Do people respond to your emails in the way you want them too, or do they miss the point? Are you making the best possible impression every time you press the send button?

Make most of your email

Here are my 4 top tips for business email, to ensure that you get the most you can, every time.

 1. Subject lines are headlines

Newspaper headlines grab people attention, they help you decide whether to read the article or not. A well written headline draws you in. The same can be said for an emails subject line.

Decide on a few well chosen words. Remember that everyone is trying to reduce the amount of spam they get everyday, so an appropriate subject line will increase the chances of someone reading further.

And never leave the subject line blank. Emails with blank subject lines are usually seen as spam.

2. Make only one point per email

If you need to communicate on a number of different things, use separate emails for each subject.

This is a really great way to help your reader reply to each individually and in an appropriate time scale. You will get clearer answers and increase the chance of each point being adequately addressed.

Also, this means that a quickly answered point is not held up by another that requires more attention or research.

As with traditional letters, you need to be clear and concise, with the purpose of the message detailed in the first paragraph.

Sentences should be short and to the point.

3. Specify the response that you want

You must let the reader know what you want from them in return. This means ensuring that you include any call to action that you want, be that a reply, phone call or appointment.

Make it easy for them to reply

If this call to action is call back, or similar, be sure to include your contact information including name, title and phone number. Make it easy for them to reply. If a reader has to search for this information, they almost certainly will not bother.

And, do this on internal email too. The easier you make it to respond the more responses you will get, in the time scales you would like them in.

4. Be a good correspondent 

Make sure that you go through your inbox regularly, and respond as appropriate. It is so easy to let email messages slip, and once they are no longer visible at the top of the inbox page, they may be forgotten altogether.

This is really just simple courtesy, and will encourage others to reply to you in a timely manner too.

If a detailed response is required and you don’t have the time there and then, send a holding email saying that you have their email and you are dealing with it. You will be surprised at the difference that this little tip makes.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

There are plenty of companies who will take your money off you promising no end of fantastic results, just as long as you put your faith, and hard earned cash in them.

I have no doubt that some of this works, and optimising your site is absolutely imperative.

A good web designer will make sure that your new website is fully optimised at the time they build it. They will ensure that key words and location type stuff is looked after, and may even monitor things for a short time to make sure that go it right in the first place.

But, then once you are on your own, what more can you do?

My experience to the top of Google page 1

I want to share my own experience for you. My business is not wildly different to many others. I sell a professional service, to other professional service businesses. I help my clients to build their businesses, by acquiring more clients and by getting the most from, and building those relationships. A part of that is business development training.

Until recently, I have built my business by hard work, and networking. I look to build referral volumes, I look after my clients and give them the very best I can every time. As Tom Peters would say, I look to provide excellence.

But now I am getting a stream of new enquiries from the internet. And why? Because if you Google (yes its now a verb) ‘business development training’ I am no. 2. And am I working to get to no.1, you bet I am.

So how did I do it? The million dollar question. Actually, its not, and the answer is simple. I blog.

I blog

I blog, and it really is simple. Google likes changing website content. Adding new blogs really helps, but there is more.

I write blogs about the things my clients, and potential clients want to read. I write about current issues in the marketplace I work in, and I focus on my core stuff. People read it and they share it (thank you to everyone of you) and that shared stuff gets shared again and again. I don’t get massive share numbers compared to some guys, but I get good numbers, and they are improving all the time.

Once a blog is written, I share and broadcast it myself as widely as I can. That said I share it widely to the right sites, blogs and groups, and I work to guest blog as much as I can, on as many relevant great sites as I can.

The result is simple. I blog, I share. You read, you share. The sharing continues. The referral traffic to my site improves, and Google sees it.

It sees it and up the rankings I go.

It can’t be that easy I hear you say. Well, Google ‘business development training’ and see.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

I’m asked to look at CVs, help with interview preparation, give general advice, and refer recruitment consultants. I am used as a sounding board and career coach for those I have helped in the past, and as guide for those I haven’t yet.

I love to help people and I really enjoy watching those people go on to get the jobs they really want, and build better and more enjoyable careers as a result.

Loving what you do

I am lucky, I love what I do. I work for fun. I work for the challenge. I work to help people. And, I work because I want to. Every day.

But, I meet an enormous number of people who don’t. They work because they have to. They work for the money. They don’t know what else to do.

Working for the money

I understand this, because that used to be me. I used to justify the long hours in my corporate life, the distracted and often bad moods, and the minimal family time with expensive holidays, flash cars, big gifts, stuff.

And, it was just stuff.

Now, I am not preaching here, nor am I bragging, far from it. What I am suggesting is that to be at your best in your job, you need to love it. You can’t put your all into something that you are not passionate about. You have to have a fire in your belly to be your best.

So how do you get it?

Making a career choice

That’s all great James, I hear you say. That’s all well and good, but I am trained and on a career path, and I do actually like the basic job, the technical stuff, the reasons I went into this in the first place. What I don’t like is the politics, the pressures placed on me, the extra responsibilities that have come with career advancement.

Sounds to me like its time to become indispensable. Make yourself indispensable. As Seth Gobin says, become a Linchpin. Time to stop being just a cog in the system.

Your passion is still there, and so is the fire, you just have to find it again, and focus on it again.

Becoming indispensable requires a mindset change. I means looking at the role you do and the parts you enjoy. Understanding what it is that makes you an expert, and deciding how you build on these. You need to become known for your thing, and then lead.

Change for the better

This change take only a second to happen. It takes the decision that it is going to, that you are going to and then its done. Making the change stick is then up to you. How much do you want it? How much effort are you prepared to put in to get it?

Make the choice, put yourself on the line. And, once you do, amazing things happen. You become recognised by your peers and bosses, you are listen to, you are respected, and more often than not, you get promoted.

The career you want may be right there in front of you right now. It’s yours for the taking.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

More clients = more fees = a growing business.

Well, yes it does. But, before we start to look at bringing in new clients, have we made sure that we are making the most from the happy clients we already have? If we are looking after our clients, and they are returning to us every time they need our type of help, then perhaps we can sell them more of our services?

Cross-selling

Cross-selling is fast becoming a hot topic, particularly in the world of Law Firms, where the wholesale changes in the new Legal Services Act mean a far more competitive marketplace for some of the services offered.

As always, the media have wanted to make a very big deal of “Tesco Law”, and yes it is a big change, and yes it has an impact for many, but if we look after our clients and provide a sound and cost effective service, are they going to look to use non-qualified service providers?

There are many tactics being put into place with this in mind. Some of my clients are even looking at trying to scare their clients by explaining the repercussions of getting inferior advice, or a poorly worded Will, etc. It’s a tactic of sorts I guess, but is it the best? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

A competitive market

It is fair to say that the professional services marketplace is already a very competitive one. There are many providers, offering different types of service to a variety of types of clients. This competition is healthy, and it is good.

My view is that before you start a campaign of new business development, make sure you are close to the clients you already have. Make sure you know them and are providing them the service they want and need from you. Be sure that you are cross-selling your services, and that your departments are aware of each other’s clients, and where the opportunities may lie.

Yes, please do go out and get new clients. Please network, build new and lasting relationships, and take time to focus on market opportunities. But, before you do, look after the business you already have. It’s the first place your next fee might come from.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

I must say I have to differ.

What a great opportunity to be networking

This time of the year is a great time and a fantastic opportunity to get out and spend time networking with our clients. After all, people are expecting to be using the pre-Christmas time in this way, so why not take full advantage of it?

Fill your diary for December. Full of appointments to catch up with clients new and old. Full of opportunities to make new acquaintances and to enjoy building relationships with those you already know. Fill it up, and start now.

Stop thinking networking and start thinking building relationships

Networking is a term that evokes lots of different feelings in people. Some with dread, some with fear, and some with opportunity. The truth is that most people don’t really enjoy networking in a formal context.

So, let’s start thinking in a different way. Start thinking about meeting people and building relationships. Think about introducing yourself to potential new clients and referrers. Start thinking about who you know and who they know, and who they can introduce you to.

This time of year is generally more social, and networking in a social context is a really good way for those of you who don’t enjoy the traditional ‘card swap’ type networking to do it in a softer environment.

Networking is all about building relationships. Starting new relationships, and strengthening existing relationships.

Top tips to help you fill up your diary 

So if you are not thinking ‘networking’ this December, here is a short check list of things to be doing to get your diary busy and get out there meeting people in what is generally a very social time of year.

• Look back though your diary and billings list, and identify who you have been to meet and who has engaged your services this year
• Block out some diary time to be meeting clients
• Get on the phone to them, catch up, thank them for the business you have enjoyed this year and organize to meet
• Go out to meet them, and enjoy it at the same time

And while you’re at it, why not think about other people in your client’s business who you would like to meet, and ask your client to bring them along too?

Have a great December.

Contact me

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathan, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to speaking soon.

Many of us spend large amounts of our time networking. We meet new people, we look for the potential to build a business relationship. And all being well, we hope that this brings us referrals.

That is a big hope, isn’t it? Its a big hope because referrals are built on trust. Trust that takes time to develop. And, if you are basing your referral marketing strategy on other people doing the work for you, you are basing it on sand.

We all like passive referrals. The kind where the phone rings, and we are told that “So-and-So suggested I call”. They are great. But, they are infrequent and they are passive. What we want to build is a proactive referral network, based on an effective system and process. One which we control.

Getting this right is not complicated, but it does require an understanding of what make people likely to give and accept a referral, and how to set and time the process so what we are asking for a referral at a time where we are most likely to be successful.

Here is my list of the top things to avoid when building a referral network.

1. Failing to ask

The number one reason people in professional services businesses fail to get referrals is that they don’t ask. We don’t want to be seen as pushy or salesy, we don’t have faith in the process, or we simply don’t know how.

These are normal human excuses for not asking, but they are excuses after all. We all know that if you don’t ask you don’t get.

2. Asking at the wrong time

Asking for referrals is all about timing. And, to get this timing right you need to set the scene with your client and sow seeds along the way.

Initially it is imperative that you position yourself as a referral based business in their minds. This means preparing the ground with a client and providing reminders throughout your service delivery that giving referrals is an integral part of your marketing strategy.

Then, and only then, when the ground is set and when you have built a high degree of confidence in your capabilities is it okay to get ready to ask. I say get ready because this is when you prepare your client and avoid putting them on the spot.

The time to ask usually comes after the completion of the work you are doing, or perhaps 2/3 of the way through a big project. This is the time to remind your client that you are going to ask for a referral. Clarify the kind of businesses you are looking to meet, and let them know that next time you speak you would like to ask.

This gives them the opportunity to think about potential referees, and then when you speak again, ask. Building this process into your client delivery should also help overcome the issues associated with (1) above – failing to ask at all.

3. Not defining a good referral 

In the point above I mentioned the importance of clarifying the kind of businesses you are interested in meeting. This is vital, and so often overlooked, skirted over or just done plain badly.

Unless our client knows who we are looking to meet, it is really difficult for them to identify they right people to refer, regardless of how much they might want to help. If they have a clear picture of our target client, they will know it when they see it, and be more inclined to let that company know about us.

Don’t forget that no one wants to waste anyone’s time, and if they are not completely sure that the person they are talking to is a good fit for us, they may just not mention us at all.

4. Sending out the wrong message

Being referable is as much about people knowing our ideal target, as it is them understanding what we do. So often I hear people describe themselves in terms of their job title, and rarely in how they help their client base.

If you are guilty of this, and most of us are, take some time to think about what message you give the people that you meet. Do they really understand what it is you do. Do they understand what you do well enough to tell others.

John Jantsch of “Duct Tape Marketing” fame calls this your talking logo… selling what you do through telling what you do. Its a really nice way to make the point.

If your message doesnt’t work, then your message needs to change. We can’t refer business to someone if we don’t know when to.

5. Failing to differentiate

In a sea of similar looking service providers, being able to explain and demonstrate what makes you different is vital.

If you don’t know what makes you different, then you have some work to do. Being able to demonstrate the specific benefits of your service offering is not enough. Doing a good job is not enough. Being the best price to value proposition is not enough either.

To get to the heart of what really makes you different, start by thinking about what it is that makes you worth talking about. What is it about you that makes you important to your clients and your friends. What is interesting about you, what is worth noticing. As Seth Godin would put it, what is your “Purple Cow”?

Then, ask your best clients and colleagues what they think makes you different and see how the two stack up.

Remember people really don’t talk about boring businesses or people, they don’t talk about everyday businesses or people either. They talk about exceptional people. Those who stand really stand out.

If you mean, calling completely cold and hoping to sell your services there and then, well, yes it is.

If you think of cold calling as a business development tool to introduce yourself and your services to a researched target contact, then no, it is not.

Cold calling is not dead at all, but it is evolving.

In reality there are as many cold calls being made now as there ever have been. And amongst them there is a lot of good business being done. Meetings set up, follow up calls made and people kept in touch with. The difference is that style is changing and improving and so is focus.

Do NOT email – call!

I have given my thoughts many of times before about the misuse of email, but please indulge me again….

Email is a really useful tool, a great method of communicating, but not a way to build a business relationship. There is no feeling, there is no empathy, there is no understanding, persuasion, compassion….. I could go on and on.

For those who are anxious about picking up the phone, it is also the ultimate method of avoidance. Hiding behind a computer screen, tapping out and sending an introduction is of little impact, especially without follow up. Ultimately most don’t get opened or read.

Do NOT tweet – call!

The other modern enemy of business development is the growth of social media. Please don’t get me wrong. I love social media. I use it widely and I believe whole-heartedly in using it in developing a marketing strategy.

But, what is not great about it, is that it has allowed a level of laziness that we haven’t seen before. It has allowed the same consultant who shies away from the phone and emails instead, to believe that they are being proactive in developing a market.

“I’ve been on twitter” is not a valid excuse in my book. Sure this stuff has a place (as a part of a balanced strategy) but it cannot replace the old fashioned ‘introduction call’ done properly.

Quality before quantity

Quality before quantity. You need to research. You need to have a sensible target list. You need to know who you are calling and why.

Cold calling in a professional services environment is not telemarketing. It is introductory, it is well researched. It is beneficial.

And above all, done well, it works!

Contact me 

For more on developing yourself, your staff and improving the profitability of your business, please do get in touch. You can email me at james@jamesnathan.com, use the contact page on my website www.jamesnathan.com or call me on 07736 831151. Follow me on Twitter at @jamesnathanxp, connect to me on LinkedIn, or follow me on Facebook.

I look forward to being in touch.

For many of us the day-to-day routine of early mornings, making lunches, school drop offs, and rushing to get to work on time has returned. In the haze that is normal life, it is so easy to forget the good things that the summer brought.

London 2012

Top of the list for me has been London 2012, both the Olympic and Paralympic games. I love the Olympics, it’s in my blood with both my parents having once been competitive athletes. I love the build up, I love the stars, the wins and the nearly wins, and the out and out gutsy performances. Watching the best in the world compete at their chosen sport. It’s all fantastic stuff.

Ashamedly, what I haven’t taken notice of previously has been the Paralympic games. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, it simply hadn’t registered with me. But this year it has. I took my family to the athletics in the Olympic Stadium, and had the most fantastic day. Each evening we are now glued to the TV watching the day’s performances, in exactly the same way we did with the Olympic games.

Inspirational performance

Its easy to get swept away with the Paralympics, talking of heroic performances and inspirational effort. It’s easy and it’s true. Paralympians are an inspiration. They are people who are achieving what many of us only dream of.

In our work lives we often easy to forget what athletes know every time they compete. You only have one chance. At the start of a race, at the beginning of a competition, there is only one chance to achieve, and the time is now.

The time is now

If we were to treat our businesses in the same way then imagine what could be achieved. There would be no procrastination, no missed deadlines, no put off calls, no wasting time. There would be only the best we can do every time we do it.

The best, always. It’s what our clients and colleagues expect from us. The time is now to give it to them.