Cellphone Selling - Words to the Wise

We've all heard these statements before while cellphone selling; "Whoever is calling from their car, please go on mute!"; or, "hey, can you speak louder?  I'm in my car and I can't hear whoever is speaking!"; or, my personal favorite, "Sorry, I'm in the airport and I can't find someplace quiet".  (I'm sure you've got some great lines too and I invite you to share them in the Comments section)

This is not rocket science folks.  We all think that because we are all busy, EVERYONE will give us a pass for being rude and not respecting our prospect's time.  Bad audio on a phone call is like taking a test on a subject you don't know anything about; you eventually complete the test, but most likely won't get the result you desire.

Just remember these words to the wise when cellphone selling, either 1:1 or, God forbid, on a conference call using a web platform (a post for another time).

1. Don't make a sales call from a moving car - no matter what you do, the road noise and cell tower tag will disrupt the call.
2. Even if you stop the car, make sure the air conditioning vents are not pointed right at you (unless you want your prospect to think you really like them)
3. If you're in an airport and you can't find a quiet place to call from, reschedule the call.  Or better yet, plan better and don't schedule or make a sales call when you are going to be rushing around in the airport.  Loud noises will cut your call short anyway due to your prospect's annoyance factor, so don't set yourself up to fail.
4. If you're calling from a public place you are either shouting or speaking too softly for your prospect to hear.  Either way, someone is annoyed.  Get to a "private" place, not just a "quiet" place.
5. Remember, good audio can overcame bad video, but not the other way around.  If you're conducting a sales webcast from your cellphone and PC and your slides are so good they would make Rembrandt weep, but your audio sucks, the call is a waste of time.  You'd be better served using no slides and verbally painting your presentation with a good, clear phone connection.

Being busy and being polite are not mutually exclusive.  Your consideration of your prospect's experience may be just the difference to help you win 51-49.