Make Money On The Side (Part Three)"/> 
How to make calls, and successfully set appointments
Before you call, it’s important to know…
When to call:
I recommend trying different times, and seeing what works best for you. Here’s what worked for me:
Monday — Thursday, 5:30pm — 7:30pm.
People are usually off work at this time and easy to reach.
Again, you can call whenever you want. These were just the times that worked best for me, and gave me the best results.
What to say when you call:
Imagine you’re setting appointments for Janet Johnson, the dentist. And the first person on your list of people to call is Mary Lewis.
Here’s what you say:
“Hey, Mary?”
“Yes, this is Mary.”
“Hey, this is [your first name]. I’m calling because you got a teeth cleaning done here at Janet Johnson Dentistry last year. And I’m just seeing when a good day and time would be to schedule a checkup for you. Do mornings or afternoons usually best for you?”
“Afternoons.”
“Okay, I’ve got some time available next Wednesday at 3pm. Does that work for you?”
“Yes, Wednesday at 3pm works!”
“Awesome! Well, thanks for talking with me, Mary. We’ll see you next Wednesday at 3pm.”
Got all that?
Good.
That’s all you really need to say when you’re setting appointments on the phone.
Now for some final tips…
Seven tips that will make you “Devastatingly” effective
1. Here’s a “little known secret” that instantly makes talking on the phone the easiest thing in the world…
(Especially, if you’re a criminally shy introvert like me)
What I’m about to show you is kind of weird….
Okay, it’s REALLY weird.
But stick with me here, because I think this will help you out a lot…
I was watching the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street.” And there is this scene in it where they start pounding their chest and humming…
Turns out this is an acting technique that makes you super confident on the phone. It zaps anyway any anxiety you feel, and makes your voice sound strong and smooth:
Give it a try.
2. Put a smile on your face when you’re talking
People can “literally” hear it in your voice when you’re smiling, and they’ll respond better when you ask them for an appointment.
3. Talk slowly
If you talk fast, it makes you sound nervous — which makes the person you’re calling feel nervous.
And then they’ll start wondering if you’re trustworthy, and if they should even be setting an appointment with you.
So talk slow. It makes you sound cool, calm and collected.
4. Sound like someone they already know
You may have noticed I always say:
“Hey! [their first name]?”
Or…
“Hey, this is [my first name].”
This makes people put their guard down (and listen to you), because they think you may be someone they know. You sound like a friend to them.
Instead of like some corporate tool who tries to sound all official by saying:
“Hello. This is Abijah Christos with Janet Johnson Dentistry. Is Mrs. Mary Lewis available?”
People already know it’s a business call, and are trying to figure out how to hang up on you.
So call them, and talk to them like you would a friend.
This one trick that has helped me tremendously.
5. What to say when people try to blow you off
Some people will say, “I’m really busy right now.” or “I’ll call YOU back when I have time.”
They say this stuff because:
(a) they really are busy, or…
(b) they think you’re trying to sell them something, and want to end the call as quickly as possible.
All you have to say when this happens is:
“No problem. Just so you know, I’m actually “the phone guy” here at Janet Johnson Dentistry. My only job is to make phone calls, so I just need to know when a good day and time to call you back would be. Otherwise “the boss” will get mad at me, because I’m suppose to write down a day and time to call back. When would be a good day and time to call you back?”
6. What to say when you don’t know the answer to their question
Every so often, someone will ask you a question…
…and you won’t know the answer…
It’s cool.
Say this:
“Just so you know, I’m not a [enter professional title here — ex: dentist]. I’m just “the phone guy” who schedules the appointments. I literally know nothing about [enter type of business here — ex: dentistry]. But [enter business owner’s name — ex: Janet Johnson] can answer those questions for you at your appointment.”
Done.
7. Don’t leave messages
People usually won’t call you back.
And it’s a waste of time, because you could have been calling someone else, instead of leaving a message that they won’t respond to.
(Believe me. Leaving messages takes up a lot of time.)
Just keep going through your list, and call them again when you loop back to them.
All right…
That’s it.
That’s the 1 (easy) good way to make money on the side.
🙂
Have a good one,
Abijah.
