Awkward Networking Question
So I schedule the networking phone call and I'm fine with that. I'm fine with the meat of the phone call. But one thing I'm awkward with is starting the phone call, it's either one of two scenarios:
I call them (the more common situation)
Them: Hello?
Me: Hi, this is Steve Smith.
Awkward pause....
They call me
Me: Hello?
Them: Hi, this is Jon Doe.
Awkward pause...
Anyone have natural phone starter conversations...
WTF
So what happens after the awkward pause? Do you just hang up?
Hahaha
"Hi Steve smith I'm Name who [emailed you before?], is now still a good time to talk?"
And then do your thing.
Yeah I struggled with that too. I would just bring up the points of the previous cold email that led to the call and then it usually goes well from there.
Awkard pause and then they say "so thanks for getting in touch with me" or I say "thanks for taking the time this morning to talk" but it's after a good 2-3 second pause, yes yes I realize it's somewhat insignificant but I'd like to make it somewhat smoother...
Hahaha. First, ask if this is still a good time for them, and then go straight into the thanking part. Then the convo begins.
I will post a sample conversation intro. The participants are Steve Smith, a BSD at Piper Jaffray, and John, an undergraduate from DeVry.
phone rings at Steve's desk Steve: GO FOR STEVE John: Hi Mr. Smith, this is John from DeVry who e-mailed you the other day, is now still a good time to talk? Steve: Sure. Thanks for reaching out. John: And thank you for taking the time to chat with me, I really appreciate it. So to give you a little background on myself, I originally attended Wyoming Horseback Riding University and just transferred to DeVry to study Basket Weaving...
That's how the bulk of my calls went.
This exactly this. I never have an awkward pause unless we both start speaking at the same time. Then I say "go ahead". if they say no you, give them your background. simple, sharp, quick.
you get this right and the call is typically smooth sailing if u have enough questions
If someone calls me, I assume they have a purpose for the call and will have something to say. Awkward pause is them waiting for you to explain why you've called, which you can do through the suggested scripts others have posted.
Make sure you make it clear upfront why you are calling. If I get calls from people launching into a pitch who haven't told me (even if briefly) why they are pitching, 20% of my brain power is listening to the pitch, 80% is thinking "what are they trying to sell me?".
Similar to what theHill say.
Introduce yourself. Ask them how they are or if it is a good time to talk. Thank them for their time.
They'll probably respond yes, and you can start with wanting to know more about xyz
Don't forget to thank them for their time again before you hang up
Establish some sort of personal connection immediately after saying this is so and so from so and so. Ask them how they are, are they enjoying there Thursday, any big plans for the weekend or anything like that. If you're clever enough, try to incorporate humor into your question. Then go into detail about your background, what you want from them, etc. It makes the conversation flow a lot easier when the person likes you and you actually get some real feedback / info.
Then follow up immediately and make a remark or comment or question about something you talked about during the phone call. Maybe ask what the next steps are if you didn't discuss on the phone call or even just to clarify afterwards.
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