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Technique #69
“I He ar Your Other Line”
When you hear a phone in the background, stop
speaking—in midsentence, if necessary—and say “I
hear your other line,” (or your dog barking, your baby
crying, your spouse calling you). Ask whether she has
to attend to it. Whether she does or not, she’ll know
you’re a top communicator for asking.
07 (229-264B) part seven 8/14/03 9:19 AM Page 258
The first time I saw
The Wizard of Oz
, the story bewitched me.
The second time I saw
The Wizard of Oz
, the special effects
amazed me. The third time I saw
The Wizard of Oz
, the photog-
raphy dazzled me. Have you ever seen a movie twice, three times?
You notice subtleties and hear sounds you completely missed the
first time around.
It’s the same on the phone. Hearing it is much better the sec-
ond time around. Because your business conversations are more
consequential than movies, you should listen to them two, maybe
three times. Often we have no clear idea of what really happened
in our phone conversation until we hear it again. You’ll find shad-
ings more significant than the color of Toto’s collar—and more
scarecrows than you imagined who “haven’t got a brain!”
How do you listen to your important business conversations
again? Simply legally and ethically tape-record them. I call the
technique of recording and analyzing your business conversations
for subtleties “Instant Replay.”
Having a tape recorder on her phone could have made a dra-
matic difference in the career of my friend Laura. Laura, a nutri-
tionist, had developed an excellent health drink. It deserved to be
marketed nationally.
259
How to “Listen
Between the Lines”
on the Phone
✰
70
07 (229-264B) part seven 8/14/03 9:19 AM Page 259
Copyright 2003 by Leil Lowndes. Click Here for Terms of Use.
I was in Laura’s office one day discussing her plans and I said,
“Laura, I’ve got just the contact for you. Several months earlier, I
had met Fred, a man who owned a chain of supermarkets. Fred
owed me a favor because, at his request, I’d given a pro bono talk
for a social club he belonged to. Fred was a big banana in the
supermarket world, and with one “yes” he could put my friend’s
health drink in his stores. That would launch Laura nationally.
I placed the call and, lo and behold, he was in. And, an even
bigger lo and behold, Fred sounded interested in Laura’s beverage.
“Put her on,” Fred said.
I proudly handed Laura the phone and their conversation
started out fine. “Oh sure, I’ll send you a sample,” Laura said.
“What’s the address?” Then I heard Laura say, “Uh, wait a minute,
let me get something to write with.” (I rapidly rolled a pen and
pushed a pad in front of her nose.) “Uh, what’s that again? Did
you say 4201 or 4102? [I moan inaudibly.] And how do you spell
the name of the street? [My moan becomes audible.] Whoops, this
pen just ran out of ink. Leil, do you see another pen on my desk?
[I did, and this time I felt like throwing it at her.] Sorry, what’s
that again?”
Yikes, now I wanted to grab the phone out of Laura’s hands.
She shouldn’t be bothering a busy big banana for details like
repeating addresses. She could have called his secretary back later
for clarification. But even that would have been unnecessary if she
were recording the conversation with the Instant Replay technique.
She could have merely mentioned that she was flipping on the
recorder (most heavy hitters are comfortable with that concept)
and she would have had it on tape.
Fred was nice to Laura that day. But my friend never heard
back from him. And to this day, she wonders why. She’ll never
know the confused phone exchange nixed the deal.
Was Fred being unfair just because Laura was a little slow on
the phone? Absolutely not. Fred figures, “If this woman is as insen-
260
How to Talk to Anyone
07 (229-264B) part seven 8/14/03 9:19 AM Page 260
sitive about my time at the beginning of a possible business rela-
tionship, what’s she going to be like down the pike?” Wise choice,
Fred. I still like Laura. She’s still my friend. But will I introduce
her to any other big winners who might help her? I can’t take the
chance.
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