How can experts best prepare for a call?

Having a good conversation with a member will help you get higher call ratings and reviews, which will result in better Clarity search rankings, which will result in more calls (and money) for you and your charity. All good things! Here's a few suggestions about having awesome conversations with members:

Send the member a message before the call.

Once you schedule a call, sending a message to the member asking if they can message back with some bullet points of any topics, questions or background info really helps economize your time on the call together. To send a message, go to your Calls > Click on the call > Click "Send A Message" > Type the message in the Inbox > Hit "Send"

Here's an example of a message you can send to a member who's requested a call with you:

"I'm looking forward to our call. I've found that if you put together a few bullet points and message me back with them before the call really helps our short time together more productive. That way, I can scan for additional context on your situation, look at some challenges you may be facing, as well as your specific questions before the call. Talk soon!"

Break the ice, but know when to move on.

It's good to start with some small talk to break the ice. Get comfortable, but move on as quickly as naturally possible to the meaty part of the conversation. Remember, for them, time is money.

Set aside time.

It's easy to overbook yourself - not cool to do this when a member is paying for your time. Block off your schedule. The member might be on a tight budget, and she's putting it all on you with this call. Getting on the call while racing around, going through dead spots and dropping the call every 3 minutes isn't good. Most experts find it best to get ready 10 minutes prior to the call and get ready in a distraction-free location with good reception.

Move at a good pace.

If you're going over a lot of new information with the member, be careful not to go too fast. They may be scrambling to take notes, and if you're flying too fast, they may lose track. 

Finish it off classy.

If there's time left on the call, verify with the member that you've covered everything. If you feel that it was a good conversation, and you wouldn't mind having another Clarity call with them, tell them so. Suggest a Team Call if you think it would help.

Connecting with and helping another person over the phone is a great experience when things go well. We hope these points help you have great Clarity calls. It'd be great to hear a success story or two from you. If you have one you'd like to share, shoot us an email at support@clarity.fm and keep us posted!