You may use this image in your ezine or website if you choose to publish my article. Click here to see the picture full-sized.--- Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

When you review your list of phone calls you have made to 
prospective clients, you note these initials, or similar codes, 
that you wrote beside numerous names every month: HCB (He’ll 
call back) and SCB (She’ll call back).  But do they, without 
additional prompting from us?  Often they do not.

So we wonder, "How can I increase the percentage of prospects 
who return my initial phone call?"  After eight years as an 
entrepreneur, I have discovered a few strategies that stimulate 
callbacks.  Here are the tips that work best for me, whether I am 
leaving a voice mail message or talking to the office gatekeeper:

ONE: More than once, state the name of a prominent person who 
referred you.  Open the call, not with your own name ("Hi, I’m 
Bill Lampton"), but with the referring party’s name:  "Harley 
Smith suggested that you might be interested in hearing about my 
services."  Then close with, "As I said earlier, our mutual 
friend Harley Smith prompted me to call you." 

TWO: Mention a specific point you want to talk with them about. 
"I’ll appreciate the chance to hear your feedback about the bid 
I sent you last week." 

THREE: Mention how the call will benefit them.  "When you 
return my call, I will explain how my services can improve your 
company's employee morale and customer service at the same time." 

FOUR: Suggest a specific date/time: "I will be in my office 
tomorrow morning between 9:00 and 12:00, and I hope you get an 
opportunity to call me then."  This suggests that a returned call 
in that span wont initiate long-term telephone tag. 

FIVE: Give the recipient the privilege of setting the preferred 
date/time:  "I’m going to give you my E-mail address now.  Will 
you please send me a short message, mentioning what day and time 
are convenient for us to talk?  I will keep my line clear for 
your return call then." 

SIX: Promise to keep the return call brief:  "When you return my 
call, I promise to take no more than three minutes of your time. 
You can hang up if I’m not finished by then." 

SEVEN:  Confine your message to three or four sentences, even 
with a receptionist.  If the executive assistant or voice mail 
message identifies you as longwinded, you are less likely to get 
called back. 

EIGHT:  Say something that connects you with their organization: 
"I know your company quite well, because I did an internship 
there during my years at the university." 

NINE: Give your phone number at the start of your message and 
again at the end.  If the person missed jotting it down the first 
time, she has a second chance without replaying the message. 

TEN: Say, "In case it's better for you to return the call after 
hours, here is my cell phone number."  This doubles your access, 
and indicates you give service beyond closing time. 

Having shared these tips, I will ask whether you are enjoying 
return-call success using strategies I haven’t mentioned.  If so, 
please share them with me by E-mail. Like you, I remain open to 
any legitimate approach that strengthens my business. 

Bill Lampton, Ph.D., wrote The Complete Communicator: Change 
Your Communication, Change Your Life! As a business consultant, 
speaker and coach, he helps organizations improve their 
communication, motivation, customer service and sales.
His Web site: http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com 
E-mail: mailto:drbill@ChampionshipCommunication.com