Asking for Favors on the Phone

By | December 1, 2013
Let them know why you're calling

Let them know why you’re calling

Over at his blog Both Sides of the Table Mark Suster writes about effective phone calls. As a venture capitalist, Suster gets a lot of phone calls asking for favors, advice, or recommendations. Suster doesn’t mind this, it goes along with his line of work, but he does have some recommendations for those who are calling him:

Let them know why you’re calling – When you’re ready to pivot the conversation your next line should be some derivative of, “listen, the reason I’m calling is … blah, blah, blah.” 25% of people or less actually do this. They just talk and I’m not really sure why they called.

If you’re calling for a reason, the sooner the recipient knows the sooner they can help. If the clock runs out they’re not going to be able to help.

In your life as a new dentist there are bound to be some high-stakes phone calls, whether you are calling a dentist who might hire an associate, a lender who might fund a practice purchase, or a mentor who might help you get to the next level in organized dentistry, there’s no avoiding making these calls.

What steps do you take to ensure success when you have to ask someone for a favor over the phone? Anything you’ve tried (or that someone has tried on you) that doesn’t work in a phone call? Leave your answer in the comments.

One thought on “Asking for Favors on the Phone

  1. Larry Picard DDS

    I am one who like to have someone get to the point when asking a question or favor. I feel that I can help them better if they do not drag out what they need to say.

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