Take the Sting Out of the Ring

“Hey Worker Bee,” a reader calls in from Fort Myers, “Um, wait, is this the right number? Yeah, who is this? Oh, right: Worker Bee. Yeah. What was I calling about? Hold on, let me give you my assistant.” Click. Buzzzzz.

As you may have guessed, this caller has a lot to learn about using the telephone. (Unfortunately for the Worker Bee, that was his editor, so she’s still going to get a call back.) In your professional life, a bad impression created during a phone call can cost you clients, the esteem of your boss, and sometimes the willingness of the other person to ever talk with you again. Let’s examine how to avoid a hornet’s nest of professional phone call problems.

Make an Impression — Don’t Do One

First of all, always make your own calls — having your assistant do it implies that the other person is not worth your time. By the same token, don’t use a funny voice to try to make someone think it’s your assistant. He’ll just retaliate by using a funny voice when he calls you back, and then you’ll both be stuck doing that forever. And that’s silly.

Atten-Hut!

No matter how uninteresting your caller or his topic is, pay attention to the conversation. Saying things like, “yes,” “uh-huh,” and “certainly” have a tendency to sound false, so even if you’re not riveted, force yourself to be attentive so you can replace them with more specific responses, like, “You’re a damned liar,” or, “No, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

Normal Bees-ness Hours

Take other people’s schedules into consideration, and phone them during normal business hours. Leaving that 3 o’clock in the morning message isn’t going to seem like such a great idea when you realize the person you’re calling works out of his home.

Don’t Multi-Task

Avoid trying to accomplish other tasks while on the phone with someone, like reading your e-mail or constructing a replica of the Taj Mahal out of Post-It notes. Remain focused by visualizing your caller doing the things they’re talking to you about. For instance, if he says it’s raining in his part of the country, imagine him holding an umbrella. If he speaks of shipping orders, picture him driving a mail truck. If he tells you he feels naked without his cell phone, quickly go back to reading your e-mail or working on your replica.

Snack Daddy

Especially on long phone calls that threaten to postpone your normal lunchtime, it may be tempting to quietly munch on an orange. But then you run into the age-old question of whether the sound on the inside of your mouth is the same as on the outside. (It has something to do with the Doppler Effect, especially if you’re in a car.) But unless you can arrange in advance to have exactly what you’re eating delivered to the office of the other person — which is hard when you’re on long-distance and not exactly sure what you’re eating since you found it in someone else’s desk — then it’s best to save the snacking for a later time. (Also, are you sure that’s actually food? It looks like a stapler.)

Bee In Touch...

Got a work-related question for the Worker Bee? E-mail it to him, care of Managing Editor Jennifer Workman at Jennifer@businessnewsnow.com.