Not too long ago someone reached out to me to have a meeting and discuss my services. He wanted to know how I could help him market his business online.
We set up a meeting and met at a local coffee shop.
There we were about twenty inches away from each other. We had a small little coffee shop table between us. About ten or fifteen minutes into the conversation, his phone rang.
He looked down at his phone, told me who it was, and then answered it. Then he started talking to the other person.
I’m sitting there thinking, “Okay. What am I supposed to do? We have this meeting to discuss his needs and how I can serve him, and he’s on the phone.”
I opened my computer and I started typing away. I acted like I was working on things I wanted to do. Secretly, I was looking at his Linkedin profile that he had just told me was “Awesome.”
After a while, he got done with his phone conversation and hung up. He then started to try and pick up his conversation where he had left off with me.
I let him talk for a while, and then finally I closed my computer, and brought my attention back to him again.
Should You Answer Your Phone In A Sales Meeting?
The question today is should you answer your phone in a sales meeting? I am going to give you three reasons that you absolutely should not answer your phone in a sales meeting.
#1. Out of Respect
The first reason is out of respect. You are called to respect people. When you have a meeting with someone, you are there to talk to them one-on-one and strengthen your relationship with them.
Suppose someone came up to your table. And you turn your back on the person you are talking to, and start talking with the new person. Your back is now turned towards the original person.
How would that make them feel? That would make them very disrespected, right?
Your phone is that third person. When you answer it, you’re turning your back on the meeting, and talking to a new individual who was not invited to the conversation.
That’s disrespectful.
So, the first reason you should not answer your phone in a sales meeting, is out of respect.
#2. Professionalism
The second reason is to be professional. You’re a professional. This other person is a professional. And you’re having a professional meeting.
It’s unprofessional to answer your phone in a meeting.
It doesn’t matter if you’re the best of friends. You can be best friends that go clear back to childhood. It’s still unprofessional to be having a meeting with someone else and then answer your phone.
#3. To Develop Trust
The third reason is trust. A sales meeting is supposed to build trust in the mind and heart of the person you’re meeting with.
Meetings are more about trust, than they are about content. It’s not about just getting through your content. It’s that unspoken sense that happens between two people, which helps the person determine whether they can trust you or not.
For instance, let’s pretend you are my prospect. I’m having a meeting with you, and you answer your phone. Because this phone call interrupts our conversation, my trust in you will go down. It makes me wonder what you’re going to be like as a client of mine. And vice versa… If you are meeting with me determining whether you can trust me to handle marketing your business for you, and I interrupt our conversation with a cell phone call, your trust of me will go down. You will begin to question what it would really be like to work with me down the road.
Conclusion:
If you struggle with answering your phone in a sales meeting, my counsel for you today is … Leave your phone in the car!
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