Business In Washington - Business Operations & Management Consulting

Sometimes I think we speak more to voicemail systems than people.  In fact, I have been stunned to silence when the person I am calling actually picks up the phone!  I usually cover my confusion with humor, my normal coping mechanism.  The person I called laughs and we move over my verbal stumble to the purpose of the call.

If we are going to converse well with all the digital receptionists out there, we need to give the process a little more thought so we can convey an image of professionalism.  We may be sitting in a home office wearing a robe and bunny slippers, but our client/prospect/colleague will never know it unless we tell them, right?

So, how does one leave a good voicemail message?  Here are my thoughts.

1. Start by identifying yourself and your company or organization.  (It’s amazing to me how often this critical first step is left out.)
2. Speak clearly.  Enunciate.  Don’t speak too quickly.  (Have you ever noticed, with frustration, that many people speak at an excellent, easy to understand pace until they get to their phone numbers?  Then they rattle the number off so fast you can’t get it written down.  Aarrrgghh!)
3. Leave a complete, but concise message.  Don’t keep rambling on.  The fine details are best left to the actual conversation.
4. Don’t leave numeric or financial details on a voicemail message!  (My partner often comments about getting detailed financial data on a voicemail message as he drives down the freeway.  Save it!)
5. Prepare yourself before you dial the phone.  If you know in advance what you want and need to say if you miss the person and get the voicemail, you are far more likely to be able to leave a brief, professional message without stumbling and feeling foolish.

Dennis got a call today from a woman probably intending to follow up on arrangements for a conference he is planning to attend, but he can’t be sure.  She identified herself only by her first name, never mentioned the organization, and simply asked if his registration was complete and his hotel arrangements made.  Then she left her phone number, speeding up to a tempo approaching the speed of light.  He had to listen to the message multiple times to catch the number.  Then he had to guess where she was from and why she was calling.  Not very professional, or even useful. 

The phone is frequently your first contact with a customer or prospect.  How you and your employees answer the phone and leave voicemail messages will leave an impression, maybe an indelible one.  How do you want to be perceived?  Think it through.  Then, once you work out how you leave messages, don’t forget to train employees so they can do the same.  Consistency, across your organization, will give a great impression!

There is a great cartoon, currently posted on our web site, that reminds us of the principle behind my comments here.  It’s from the New Yorker collection and says, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” 

Woof!

Have you ever been stuck in one of those interminable meetings that go nowhere?  Ever had one of your own meetings get bogged down and sidetracked? 

Many years ago (I won’t say how many), very early in my IBM career, I learned a valuable lesson in how to ensure my meetings were good ones.  In other words, we got things done and finished promptly.  Here’s my  “Aha!” moment.

 I was a systems engineer (SE) for IBM.  In that position, not only was I the technical half of a sales team, I was also responsible for making sure big computer systems we sold got installed properly and that my customers were satisfied with me and their IBM investment.  Tall order!

 When preparing for a large installation, it was up to me to gather all the various players involved in the project and go through a process called Systems Assurance.  These were big meetings with potentially big consequences.  They were attended by the marketing representative who sold the system in the first place, the marketing manager, the field engineering staff - customer engineers, managers, specialists - who performed the physical installation of the hardware, the SE specialists handling software issues, and the systems engineering manager (my boss!).  As the assigned “account SE”, running the systems assurance meeting was my job. 

Systems Assurance involved filling out a detailed questionnaire about the implementation plan and the progress we were making, with each item rated as either “acceptable” or “action required”.  From the “action required” items, an action plan was developed.  All managers present had to sign off on the results.

For my first big systems assurance meeting, I did a considerable amount of preparation.  I filled out the forms, answering the questions as I felt they should be answered, and developing a proposed action plan from my “action required” items.  Doing this in advance would, I reasoned, make the meeting go faster.  In this, I was mostly correct.

At the meeting itself, we had about a dozen people around the table, most with extensive experience and/or management titles.  Feeling a little intimidated, I started the meeting.  I took everyone through the questionnaires, my answers, and proposed plans.  There were a couple of tough moments and the meeting took too long, but on the whole everything went okay.  Not perfect, but not bad for a first time out.

After the meeting, one of my colleagues remained to talk to me about the meeting, since it was my first systems assurance meeting in the lead position.  He told me the meeting had gone fairly well, but he had some advice for me to use the next time around. 

“You are leading this meeting.  So sit at the head of the table.”

Aha!  Such a simple thing.  But how brilliant!  This had simply not occured to me.  Never one with the strongest sense of self confidence, I had selected a seat in the conference room somewhere in the middle of the long table.

Next time, I put my mentor’s advice to the test.  I walked in, strode to the head of the table, and took command.  This didn’t confer instant leadership status - one’s words and actions really do that - but it sure helped.  It also helped me to think like the person running the show.  A small distinction, perhaps, but one that can really help when you are learning and not completely confident. 

Think about this the next time you have to run a big meeting.  Start by assuming the leader’s position in the room and see if that assumption seeps into your soul.  You may be surprised by the response you get.

In the old time western movies, Hollywood was pretty obvious in presenting good versus bad guys, heroes versus crooks.  Subtlety was never their strong suit.  The good guys almost always wore white hats, nice clean white hats to boot.  The bad guys wore black hats, usually dusty and sweat stained to go along with the dirty-looking stubble on their faces.

Nowadays, the job of figuring out who’s good and who’s not is a lot tougher.  And it remains very important, especially for the small business owner relying  on a small staff as well as critical outside resources.  I believe the ability to determine who is truly acting in your best interests can make or break a business.  Even if your business isn’t broken, it can be dealt a pretty heavy blow by an error in people judgement.

So how do you tell?  Here are a few thoughts.

What is their attitude?  This is something to watch over time.  Few people can fake it long term.  Is the person really helping you and your business, or mostly helping themselves?

Especially for an outside resource - CPA, attorney, consultant - are they telling you the truth or just what you want to hear?  If you step back and really think about it with an open mind, this may become more clear.  Notice how other members of your staff and outside advisory team react to the person.  Sometimes a brown noser is blatantly obvious to all but the principal.

For a consultant, is the person selling a product while charging for advice?  It’s fine to sell a product that will meet a client’s need, but it’s a conflict of interest to charge for your expert advice then collect a commission for the product you just recommended.

What do you do if you are impacted by a bad guy masquerading as a guy with a white hat?  Analyze the situation, determine where you went wrong in your choice, and learn from the experience.  And don’t make the mistake of painting all other people with the same broad brush.  We had the experience of talking to a potential client once who informed us, “I hired two consultants once and they both lied to me.  All consultants are liars.”  Needless to say, we didn’t get the client and he badly needed what we had to offer.  There are lots of excellent and ethical professionals out there.  Don’t cut yourself off from needed assistance.  Just do a better job of selecting it.