Rules to Dominate Your Next Conference Call

THIS is why conference calls are better than one-on-one conversations:

• Collaboration – We know more than one person typically touches any given project.  CC’s (Conference Calls) allow multiple people to provide input simultaneously to move the project forward.  And guess who corralled your clients together to get on task and make decisions?  YOU!
• New Contacts – Expand your relationships and meet new people when your project lead invites their peers. 
• Speedy Decision Process – Instead of 5 calls and 25 emails to secure a project approval, a single conference call can knock it out and bring everyone on the same page within 1 hour instead of 1 quarter.

1. 1 Hour meetings – why schedule a half-hour of talking about new opportunities when it could be an hour?  You can always end early but the WORST is when people can’t stay to finish the call.  Hour to be safe.  You know how to send a meeting invite out, right?

2. Meeting Invites– invite all participating parties to the call with a meeting invite.  In the body, state a clear agenda for the call with bullets.  Also include your auto-signature so the peeps you have never talked to know who is running this show.

3. Introductions on both sides – You start.  “Hi, my name is Sanjay and I am your main point of contact at X Company.  I have been supporting your company for X years/months and have been involved with the current project at hand.  I would like to let the 2 other members of my team introduce themselves then I would like to turn it over to your team to introduce yourself as well.  Bob, why don’t you get us started?”

4. Monitors Off – you heard me.  TURN OFF YOUR  MONITORS and get involved in the conversation.  It’s the only way you really listen.  Don’t look at your email- those messages will be there in 1 hour, I promise.  What if you miss hearing about project B down the road that could be an opportunity for you?  Monitors.  Off.

4. Action Items – since you have been documenting action items for your company and your client during the call, at the end of the call you will thank everyone for their time and state takeaways.  DUH.  “Thank you for joining the call today.  I will send this in an email, but here are our next steps…”