Call To Action Take a deep breath - it's time to overcome your fear of cold-calling.

About 10 years ago, a sales manager-turned-entrepreneur gave metwo pieces of advice for people about to start working at home:Stay away from the refrigerator, and avoid the television. He couldhave easily added a third: Learn how to use the phone.

You probably think you're pretty good at using a telephone;after all, you've been doing it for years without thinking toomuch about it. However, as a homebased business owner, cold-callingis so central to your business's success that just being gooddoesn't cut it. In addition to telephone prospecting,you'll probably be acting as your company's sole telephonevoice (that is, if you haven't enlisted a spouse or a friend tobe the voice of your "personal assistant"). In fact, asowner, president, CFO and head of marketing, everything you likeand dislike about using the telephone is magnified.

Still, regardless of your skill or comfort level, you canimprove your phone skills. The first step is recognizing that youcould use some additional training. The second is to put thattraining to work. We can provide the guidance--the rest is up toyou.

Get Dialed In

When you set out to improve your phone skills, start with thebasics. Write down every fact and figure you hear on the phone asif your business depends on it. It does. Verify your appointments24 hours in advance. Get used to being put on hold when calling aprospect or customer. Read information back and slow down when youwrite it.

Be unfailingly polite to every secretary or administrativeassistant you talk to. In the past, you may have sidestepped mostof these people when calling clients. But not anymore. Just as whenyou're making a sales call in person, these people aregatekeepers by phone, too. Tick off a secretary who has his or herboss's ear, and you've created a huge barrier for yourself.In fact, when calling a new prospect, you may want to make apreliminary call to the company's general number to get thefull name of the secretary--and, of course, check on the potentialclient's name and title.

Be smart when using this information, however. Don't createan artificial relationship or use first names with people you arecold-calling. Sounding too cheery and familiar with strangers willimmediately put people on their guard.

Before picking up the phone, set goals so you know exactly whatyou want to accomplish. If you have more than one or twoobjectives, write them down. Acknowledge your client's busyschedule by being polite and sticking to the point.

Unless you're in telemarketing or sell exclusively over thephone, in most cases, your goal should be to set up an in-personappointment. Normally, that's when you're going to makemost of your sales and establish long-term relationships withcustomers.

Regardless of your goals, however, stay away from a script.It's possible to be prepared and yet not have every wordmemorized as part of a canned presentation. It's hard toimagine that any successful entrepreneur starts every phone call byasking the listener how they feel that evening.

Remain professional and be relaxed when you make calls as wellas when you receive them. You probably didn't pounce on everyincoming call at your office; don't do it now. Picking upduring the first ring sounds too eager, and it doesn't give youtime to collect your thoughts, particularly since there's nosecretary to identify the caller. You may be in the middle ofsomething; give yourself a few seconds to focus on the call.

Remember to maintain a professional work area and be disciplinedwhen making calls, telemarketing or otherwise. You can't makeeffective sales calls with one eye on the television or whileminding the children or answering the door. When you're makinga business phone call, you have to be as psychologically detachedfrom your home as if you had driven to an office.

Schedule your calls. This means two things: First, set aside atime during the day when you're going to concentrate on makingcalls. Stick to this as much as possible. Not only will it help youfocus, but it will force you to make calls you don't want tomake but need to. Second, when you can, make phone appointments.Particularly if the call is going to go beyond a few minutes, calla day or so in advance and schedule an appointment to speak withyour prospect at a later time, just as you would for a face-to-facemeeting. This will give you time to plan the call, and you know youwon't be interrupting your prospect or client'sschedule.

Scheduling calls also helps eliminate phone tag and ensures thatyou are the one initiating the call. There's a certain comfortlevel in being the person making the call rather than receiving it.You're more prepared, and you're taking the action. Onenote on preparing: Remember your prospect's point of view.Don't just make a list of what you want to accomplish andbarrel through. Be empathetic, and show how the phone call canbenefit the potential customer.

If you're going to spend a lot of time on the phone, planbreaks. If you don't, you'll fall into a rut, wonder ifyou're repeating yourself or sound bored. Similarly, don'tlose track of the time. When working at home, remember that most ofthe business world works on a regular schedule. While it's OKto stay late at your home office, don't continue to make callsafter 5 p.m.--unless you're speaking to prospects in differenttime zones.

Listen Up

Becoming a better listener is crucial to making sales over thephone. While it's an important part of sales in general, beingan excellent listener is even more critical when you'reconversing with customers by phone. Because you're not face toface with a prospect, listening carefully is the only way you canpick up clues about your customer. The first step is to prepareyourself to listen. Don't look at papers on your desk or scane-mail messages. People can always tell if you're doingsomething else while talking to them, and at best, they'll findit distracting.

Even though you have goals in mind, concentrate on what theindividual is saying. Interrupt as little as possible. Not only isthis polite, but it will make the phone call shorter. At the sametime, however, give the other person feedback. Simple encouragingremarks, even innocuous phrases, such as "That'sinteresting," lets the caller know you're payingattention.

Don't be afraid to take notes when talking to a potentialclient. If warranted, jot down what's being said. If you'reunclear about something, don't hesitate to ask the person toclarify his or her point--with you, of course, takingresponsibility for any misunderstanding. Taking notes also protectsyou--not in the legal sense, but in case you ever have toreconstruct the conversation or are just trying to remember whatwas said.

Forget secret words. Some books and articles on telephone salesclaim there are "magic" or "secret" words thatare guaranteed to close the sale. They don't really exist or,at best, might work only every once in a while, particularly ifyou're in a business that doesn't rely on repeat business.It's more important to be relaxed and professional on thephone. The purpose is to let your personality and sales skillsshine through, just as they would if you were meeting the client inperson. Relying on gimmicks won't help--especially if your goalis to build a long-term relationship.

Keep a phone log. This requires nothing more high-tech thanusing a spiral bound notebook. Record every call you make andreceive, and the date (you can keep a separate notebook for phonecalls that require extensive notes). It's not complex, but itwill help remind you of when you spoke with clients. Unless thecall already requires notes, after you finish, write a one- ortwo-sentence summation of the conversation.

While call-waiting is fine for the home, you should have twolines for your business--and, ideally, a voice-mail system. Mostbusinesspeople think call-waiting is unprofessional, and it willmake your small firm seem even smaller. Two lines are worth theextra cost.

Finally, don't get discouraged. In sales, statisticallyyou're going to fail more often than you succeed. Brush it off,do what it takes to forget about it, and pick up the phone and callagain.

Quick Tips

When it comes time to pick up that phone and start making salescalls, don't forget these tips:

*Set specific goals.

*Be patient and unfailingly polite.

*Stay away from scripts.

*Relax.

*Schedule your calls.

*Take notes.

*Plan breaks.

*Be a good listener.

*Forget gimmicks.

*Get two business phone lines.

*Don't give up.

Bill Kelley is a freelance business writer in Arcadia,California.