When should you address prospects by their first names?

• If you and the prospect are about the same age and you have a solid referral, you might feel comfortable using the person's first name from the start. Careful, though, for many people in any generational cohort, familiarity IS contempt.


• If you don't know the prospect, or the person is older than you by several years, using Mr., Mrs., or Ms. is courteous and business-like.

Try this! Customs vary on this from place to place, so you'll have to use your best judgment in each situation. If you want to get on a first-name basis quickly, but also want to be safe, why not start conversations this way?

"Is this Mike Green? May I call you Mike?"

(Wait for a response, then continue.)

"The reason I'm calling is..."

On the other hand... ALWAYS ask prospects you do not know if they have time to talk with you. This is just common courtesy. If not, say, "Sorry to trouble you. I can call back in 30 minutes, or tomorrow morning, if that would be better. Which would you prefer?"

Common courtesy alone will separate you from most of the other sales people and telemarketers operating today. Just get a specific time to call again when it's convenient for the prospect.

You can bet this approach will be a first for many prospects. For example, AT&T and GTE telemarketers (who should know better) simply confirm the victim's name and launch into a cold sales spiel. Compounding this rudeness, these calls inevitably come during the dinner hour! Another CLICK!