Jon Carson Consulting - January 2021

Jon Carson Consulting - January 2021

January 2021

MAKE 2021 THE YEAR YOU SECRETLY SHOP

YOUR OWN BUSINESS ON THE PHONE

Is the person or team that answers your phone actually trained to do so successfully?

Probably not, if statistics are correct. Research consistently shows that we spend less than four hours a year coaching our reception team on how to correctly answer phone calls. Since companies spend millions of dollars trying to make the phone ring — but then lose the prospect at hello — now might be a good time for introspection. What should you look or listen for when it comes to incoming phone calls? • The phone should not ring more than three times before being answered. A live person should answer the phone. Your intake person (or as I like to call them, the Director of First Impressions) should always ask for:

1. 2. 3.

First and last name

Phone number

How they heard about you or your company

These few tips are just the basics. The most important aspect is to invite that person in or make an appointment with the prospect. Less than 25% of the people who call you will make their own appointment. If your team is not trained upfront on how to do that, however, the money you spend on making the phone ring will go straight down the drain. Is your team trained on how to answer the question, “How much does it cost?” without losing the prospect or forcing them to “shop” you to the competitor? Oh, by the way, this doesn’t even include dealing with upset customers, asking for a five-star Google review, or making follow-up phone calls. You have to walk before you can run, and, in this case, you must answer the phone before you can ever have a conversation. Keep in mind these numbers that do not lie: On average, you spend less than 20 minutes a month coaching your front desk or phone operators — who are talking to 99% of your prospects and customers.

on how the call goes and if they fulfill the basics (answer before three rings, ask my name, number, how I heard about your company, and invite me in for an appointment). We normally charge $199.00 a call for this service, but I want to start 2021 with some good news for you.

You might be saying to yourself, “Isn’t that call going to be bad news?” It might be, but our motto is: Bad news isn’t like wine, it doesn’t get better with time.

Take this phone challenge and let us secret-shop your business this month. You can also listen to your own phone recordings at the office. If you are not recording your calls, you should be. You must inspect what you expect all the time. In this day of sending texts and emails, it’s time to pick up the phone and tell your customer “thank you” — and also tell your prospect to “come on in.”

My offer this month is to secret-shop your business for free . It includes two calls and a grade. Your team will receive a grade of A, B, C, or F, depending

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-Dave Tester

BUSINESS BUDGETING FOR 2021 YOU CAN STILL PLAN AROUND UNPREDICTABILITY

This is the time of year when businesses would usually be looking at their budget and planning for the coming year. But COVID-19 has made the future entirely unpredictable, which makes properly planning your budget difficult. But all is not lost — there are some basic budgeting tactics you can implement to face 2021 with confidence. CREATE A FORECAST If you’re not entirely confident in your ability to forecast sales for 2021, you’re not alone. But you do still have options. If 2020 went great, perhaps try setting your sights up 10% from last year. If you want to play it safe, keep your forecast on par with 2020. If even that doesn’t feel reliable, then jump back to 2019 and use it as a base for creating your budget. You can ramp up 10% or 20% from there. Don’t just forecast this year blindly — use >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

www.godavetester.com

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