Brr-ing! No matter whether you hear the ring in the boardroom,
the bedroom, or the bathroom, self-styled telephone experts tell
you, “Smile before answering.” Some pros even suggest you perch
a mirror right next to your phone to monitor your grin.
Been there, done that, doesn’t work. One evening, in the mid-
dle of my weekly mud-pack facial, the phone rang. The horror of
seeing myself in the phone mirror made my voice as hideous as
my face. I immediately trashed the pro’s advice along with the mir-
ror. Who wants to sound like a dizzy Pollyanna?
A no-brain
Cheshire cat? A lonely recluse whose life is so dull that the big
thrill of the day is a phone call? Any phone call? From anybody!
Big winners don’t smile before answering. They put a smile in
their voices after they hear who is on the line. That’s when it
counts. Answer the phone unemotionally, professionally. Say your
name or the name of your company. Then when you hear who is
on the line, the little trick is to let a big smile flood over your face.
“Oh Joe, [smile] how nice to hear from you!” “Sally, [smile]
how are you?” “Bill, [smile] I was hoping it would be you.”
My friend Steve lives in Washington, D.C., and heads a major
trade association that lobbies on Capitol Hill. Whenever I call
Steve, I never know which of his dozens of assistants is going to
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How to Make ’Em
Happy They Called You
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answer. Nevertheless, whoever answers gives me the same warm
response.
First he or she says, “Cable Telecommunications Association,”
the individual’s name, and “How may I direct your call?” No fake
friendliness. No prefab smiles in the voice. I am sure the assistant
is not beaming back at his- or herself in any mirror.
When I say “Is Mr. Effros available? This is Leil Lowndes call-
ing,” that’s when the employee becomes superfriendly. “Oh yes,
Ms. Lowndes,” he or she purrs. “Definitely!
Let me put you right
through.”
Wow, does that make me feel special! As I’m waiting for Steve
to come to the phone, I fantasize him sitting at the head of a long
mahogany table in his weekly staff meeting. I can just hear him
instructing his staff, “Now if the president or some higher-ups in
the White House call, put them right through. Oh, and of course,
if that important
woman Leil Lowndes calls,
put her right
through, too.”
While visiting Washington last year, I had lunch with Steve.
I took the opportunity to tell him what a pleasure it was to call
his office and how I appreciated his staff ’s warm phone reception.
I thanked him for familiarizing each with my name and men-
tioning I might be calling from time to time. Steve looked across
the table at me and blinked. “Leil,” he said, “you teach telephone
skills. Haven’t you caught on?”
“Huh?”
“Forgive me if I’m bursting a bubble,” Steve said, “but every-
one gets that reception, no matter who’s calling.”
“Oh!”
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