Freight Broker & Freight Agents we make our living and grow our business by being on the phone but alot of time we make some bad mistakes lets look at some as one of the people I follow Art Sobczak and I suggest you do to.
Greetings!
In today's constantly-connected and always-communicating environment, why is it that--it seems to me, anyway--communication skills are worse than ever?
Perhaps it's because of the texting, tweeting, Facebooking, IM'ing, emailing and whatever else people are hooked on, that causes their actual speaking skills to erode, or perhaps they were not refined to begin with.
In cleaning out the idea file I carry with me (yes, it's actually a paper file) I notice that several of my points are regarding poor speaking habits. Let's look at a few.
"May I Ask... ?"
Here's a common one: prefacing questions with "May I ask...", as in "May I ask how many locations you have?"
When you analyze it, this is a waste of words and also implies that the inquirer is tentative and not confident in asking for the information. Those who are guilty might argue that they don't want to appear pushy with their questions.
Nonsense.
As long as you've shown the prospect what you can do for them, you've earned the right to ask for information.
Plus, you can make your questions sound non-threatening with your tone of voice. In a sincere tone, simply say, "How many locations do you have?"
"Can I Ask You a Question?"
IS a Question!
Here's another slightly different, but related offense:
"Can I ask you a question?"
If you say this, you just DID ask a question! (Plus, it should be 'may." If you are able to speak, you can ask a question.)
The problem here is that their thinking now focuses on whether or not they want to answer any questions.
However, contrast that with, "Tell me about how your organization is structured by region." Now they aren't debating as to whether or not they want to answer your questions. They're thinking about the answer to your request. That's why questions are so powerful.They prompt the person to think about precisely what you ask them.
Do you Do This, Or........?
Another habit annoying to some is asking a question, and then ending with the "hanging or," giving the impression that they have more to say, when in fact they've stopped. For example,
"Would you say your department will meet your objective for this fiscal year, or ...?"
"Is that something you'd like to take a look at, or . . . ?"
This can confuse the listener, and as with any poor habit, can be irritating if it's persistent. Instead, ask the question, then, shut up.
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