You know how critical it is to follow up your initial contacts or mailings with a personal phone call, but somehow your list of calls to make always seems to get longer instead of shorter. Days or even weeks go by before you place important calls, and there always seems to be something more important to do. Why not make this the month you get off the dime and get on the phone? Here are seven steps to make it easy for you:

1. Know why you are calling
2. Prepare a “script.”
3. Get in the mood
4. Speak briefly, then listen
5. Make it a conversation
6. Be yourself
7. Ask for the next step

Your next step might be an in-person appointment, sending information, placing a call to someone else, or calling again after a length of time. Whatever it is, be clear about it, and get the other person’s permission for what you plan to do.

businessknowhow.com