Page 240 - ConvinceThemFlip

convince them in 90 seconds or less
On the phone, your tone
and pacing are just as
important as the words
you choose.
out before Christmas? This
will need due diligence and
. . .” Bill knows he shouldn’t
respond in kind, but he
can’t help having some of
his frustration come out in
his voice.
“I’m so tired of excuses,” Dennis bellows. “We’re under
pressure to get things done, and all I hear is reasons
why they can’t be. You can’t do this but you can do that
crappy deal with the Dutch that leaves us with huge lia-
bilities. You can rush to do something lousy but you take
your time to do something good.” Dennis doesn’t wait for
an answer. He slams down the phone as soon as the last
word comes out of his mouth.
Bill, one ear aching, wishes that he’d never picked up
the phone.
Sound familiar? It didn’t have to be that way. If Dennis
had taken a few deep breaths before picking up the
receiver, he might have chosen a more fruitful approach.
Because Bill could not see Dennis, Bill’s imagination was
available for stimulation. This is the time for metaphor
and sensory-rich language. Here’s how this phone call
could have gone:
“Hi, Bill, this is Dennis Evans, upstairs. It’s time for the
dreamers and the doers to get together.”
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