Effective communication is at the core of any business within the accounts receivable management industry.
Every Friday we meet as a group to look at new ways in enhancing our talk-off techniques.
In our recent training class we discussed the over use of: Filler words
What are filler words?
Everyone has their own filler word nemesis.
For some it might be a few misplaced ‘um’s or ‘ahh’s’ and others it might be a consistent overuse of phrases such as ‘ya-know’.
From a Sales, Service or Collection perspective what filler words convey to the listener could be perceived as a lack of product knowledge or confidence which is impactful.
For example - If you walked into a Mercedes dealership for a very expensive purchase on a vehicle, but when asking a technical question, the salesperson responded with a lack of confidence and an ‘um’ every time before answering, you may be less likely to invest in such a heavy purchase, right?
Filler words are a signal on what we are saying is getting ahead of what we are thinking or even worse, the sales rep is just guessing.
Three tips to help mitigate the use of filler words:
1. Accepting Imperfection
Perfectionism is the enemy of personal growth, its ok to make mistakes. When we learn to live that we are fallible but eternally capable, success is much easier.
2. Reward Yourself
Put in place a reward that you will give yourself when delivering a good talk-off with a dramatic reduction (or even elimination) of filler words. Managers should make this a priority with staff.
3. Create Positive Habits
The use of filler words can easily become an undesirable habit. We can best circumvent this by taking action in three parts:
· Pause more - doing so will allow you to think about what you will say next without filling the space with words.
· Slow down – this technique will help minimize words that don’t have value.
· Hear recorded calls with your manager - A great way to develop a sense of awareness of filler words is to record yourself, you’ll be surprised how often they surface.
I hope you’ll explore these methods to minimize your use of filler words, remember, it’s not perfection we seek on any learning journey but progress. Let us know how it goes in your comments below.
Peter Manianis
Vendor Manager 3rd Party Collection Agencies
Mobility Marketing – Strategic Planning & Execution
TELUS | the future is friendly
Mobile: 778.877.6198
peter.manianis@telus.com