We’ve all heard that first impressions matter. It’s true in business and in falling in love. It even matters in other areas – like web design and phone calls. In today’s post, we’re going to focus on how to make a great first impression during a welcome call with a potential client.
Table of Contents
First, you need the client to reach out to you in some way with their contact info.
No one likes spam calls, so don’t call a potential client unless they’ve reached out to you in some way and inquired about your services.
They can do this in all sorts of ways. We have a chat bot tool on our website that pops up automatically so visitors can schedule a call with us to learn more about what we do.
We suggest you do the same. It’s an easy way to get contact information.
The next step is to get them to answer when you call.
Oddly, this can be tricky. Even if they scheduled a time to talk, or gave you their phone number, life is complicated. They may be busy when they thought they’d be free. They may be too sick to talk. They may have forgotten they even inquired about your services. Or maybe they’re just not in the mood.
One way to get around this is to make sure your chat bot, and website, are equipped with the right tools to allow interested parties to schedule phone calls. Allow the interested party to be reached by phone, Zoom, Facetime or even chatting.
Have the person book the time, then automatically send them a reminder via email. Include a link for their Google calendar or Outlook calendar.
You can also ask them if they want text reminders. If they say yes, you can send a reminder directly to the number they give you.
And don’t forget to schedule the call in your own calendar. An advanced chat bot will do this for you, but you have to remember to accept the invite.
Most phones are able to display text in addition to the calling number, known as the caller ID. This is sometimes called CNAM (Caller ID Name).
You need to make sure you control the text that appears on your own phone end by making sure your carrier is doing this. Some carriers do this automatically when you port-in your number, and some do not. If you’re not sure, contact your carrier and make sure they have updated your CNAM record. Once your carrier has updated your CNAM, your outgoing caller ID will display your company name on the receiving phone.
Making sure you have a CNAM increases the chances the person will answer. That said, if they’re busy or not in the mood, you’re left with a decision of what to do next. Definitely leave a message, emphasizing that they scheduled the call with you. Remind them, kindly, that you’re fulfilling their request.
Tell them your first name, your company name and what you do.
Offer them all kinds of ways to reach you back, including your phone number, a text or email to schedule a better time. If possible, you may want to add that you’ll try to answer whenever they call.
There’s a fine line between calling back and calling too much.
If the person doesn’t answer, don’t call back right away. For whatever reason, the person didn’t answer. And they won’t answer if you try again right away. It will actually have the reverse effect – that you’re bombarding them at a time when they’re busy.
You can follow up with an email, saying something like, “Hi X Name, Hope you’re doing well. I tried calling you at the time you scheduled but you must have been busy. No worries. I hope we can chat another time soon.”
Then give them a way to rebook a call with you. It can be as simple as having them email you back with a better time or send them a link to a scheduling tool that again, will remind them of the call.
Tone Matters
You know the importance of tone and confidence in an introduction call to new clients. Without charming them and making them confident, you won’t make it to the next step in getting their business.
So if they miss a call, remain friendly.
Some people open up the image of the person you’ll be talking to so that they can remember there’s a real person, with feelings, on the other end.
Sound excited.
Remember they may assume you’re a spammer, so quickly introduce yourself, and your company name. If they inquired about your services, QUICKLY make it clear that they contacted you for more information.
An organized, upbeat call will leave a client feeling that they may have found the right agency for the job.
How Can SEO Design Chicago Help You with Welcome Calls
For years, we ourselves have led hundreds of welcome calls. We have an outline and tools on our site to make the process easy for visitors and our own employees.
Go to our site. Play around with our chat bot. And please, use it to schedule a welcome call with us.
You’ll see how we remind you, and hopefully, we can talk to you and let you know how to replicate the experience for your own business.
The first step is to allow us to help you install the right chat bot, with the right tools, on your website.
Some of these widgets or tools are free. Others are more advanced and cost a little money but they may be worth it. That’s one of the things we can discuss.
Why Is the Welcome Call So Important?
If first dates and job interviews are important, why wouldn’t welcome calls be? Put yourself in the client’s position.
It’s safe to assume that your clients have had a bad experience with other companies in your field. They need to feel particularly valued by you. Particularly cared about by you. You must constantly emphasize their needs during the welcome call by simply using one word a lot – you.
Prior experiences with other companies affects the initial call. Think about mortgages. Every time you apply for one, your phone starts ringing constantly. What makes a person choose one lender over another? Not just the interest rate. But the communication.
Every email, text, and especially that first call feels personalized.
The caller may be reading off a script, but the person shouldn’t know that. The caller must be skilled enough in vocal inflections to make the client feel valued.
Here’s the thing – the caller probably isn’t lying. You do care about your potential clients, right? Just let that feeling come through. Don’t worry too much. Just sounds joyous. Sound confident. After all, you should be happy and confident – you’re an expert.
The potential client will always check your website after a call – and perhaps during it. So make sure your website looks great, has positive reviews, shows you continue educating yourself about your industry and more.
That’s why so many companies turn to us for reliable content creation.
A blog, and regularly updated pages, shows you keep up with the latest research and trends.
You may be too busy for this constant upkeep.
At SEO Design Chicago, we can advance a great deal in early conversations by keeping main points on your website and social media. It helps the client feel confident that they’ve finally found “the one.”
How SEO Design Chicago Can Build Strong Relations with Customers
Over the last ten years, our team slowly built a set of core values to enhance communication between us and potential clients. We can pass that skill set on to you by providing content creation, tools on your website to schedule calls and even scripts for your team to have during those welcome calls.
Check out our website and AI chat bot. Schedule a consultation with us using it. See what reminders you get, and how our conversation goes, including what text pops up on your cell phone when we call.
We can do all of this for you.
Preparing for client interactions will keep you “winning” on almost every inquiry.
Studies say people make decisions about other people – whether they are smart, worthy of their time and energy and more – within 30 seconds of seeing them. On phone calls, it’s even a shorter window.
People form impressions about companies within MILLISECONDS of seeing a website.
So let us offer you some tips about how to make the most of your first impressions – from phone calls to website visitors to chat bot interactions.
We promise you’ll like us.
Contact Us Today!