Got a job, have to talk.

[HolaChau]

Hello poeple!

So I got my first job! That's quite nice. What I have to do is sell things by telephone, which means I'll be talking (almost) six hours a day, six days a week. My concern is that it may hurt my voice. Is six hours a day too much? I probably won't be doing this job for more than a few months, a year max. Also, should I do any exercises before I get to work and after I leave? Which ones?

Thanks!

[Felipe Carvalho]

Hi there!

Yes its quite a lot... But it will depend on how you speak. Speaking on the phone can be quite demanding depending on the subject.

Exercises are a hard call. You would benefit from warming up/down, yes, but without trainning, chances are that you will create problems rather than relax. I dont recomend that you look for it on your own.

Instead, learn a few exercises to relax yourself, carefull neck stretchs are a good idea too.

After a few days on work, pay attention to how your voice behaves. IF you get sore or hoarse on the end of the day, then something is not right and it may well turn into a health condition. If your voice is not affected, you should be fine.

On the phone, do not try to alter your voice, speak normally.

Should you feel that things are not fine, INO getting sore or hoarse, look for a professional for help. Probably you will need to do exercises to correct a wrong posture rather than simply learning how to warm up.

Almost forgot! You must drink water! Have a bottle near you and drink as often as possible.

GL

[HolaChau]

Thank you for the answer!

I start tomorrow, so I'll see how it goes. Sunday is day off, so I'll rest that day, and see how my voice fares a whole week

[ronws]

My work day is at least 10 hours long. I am office manager and operations manager for an electrical subcontractor. I am constantly on the phone talking with builders, clients, suppliers, the crews in the field, my bosses (the two owners of the company,) my assistant. And I can't just bellow into the phone. But the key is to relax. I don't force my voice to do anything. Let it rise and fall as it will. Varying intensity but not overblown. I have a soft speaking voice, to begin with.

There is always some kind of beverage on my desk. When I worked in the field, it was to stay hydrated because of exertion. Now, it is to stay hydrated, just generally.

It's a deal with the devil. I'm an old guy with no family to financially back me up. So, there will be a risk of tiring the voice. That's just the way it is. Now, if I were a professional singer on tour, sure, I could afford to shut up and only open my mouth when vocalising or singing.

Just remember, if it feels like your straining and tiring, it's because you are. The best thing you can drink is water. Sometimes fortified water that has electrolytes and stuff in it. But, mainly, water. And you don't have to drink a bunch of it all at once. Just sip when you need to.

[WebAndNet.com]

Why not try to make your job more interesting?

Speak with more resonance. Put more feelings into your talking. Try some rhythm too. And above all, observe how your vocal tract moves. And sit with a good posture.

Yes, I'm being serious.

[Joanna]

not much to add, I agree with all of the above. Telephone sales is as vocally-athletic as singing, the demands are just more about endurance more than wild range. Warm-up & cool down, take breaks, use energized breath & resonance, generally stay conscious about voice -- and you should do just fine. & getting bills paid sure takes stress OFF the body/mind ... :)

[random1destiny]

Get yourself a britta filter for your desk. You'll drink a lot more with a big pitcher next to you all day, and you can visualize how much you drank.

They have little desk humidifiers you can buy for extra moisture, too.

Try standing up and talking part of the day. Good for your voice and overall health, too.

Don't speak too low.

[jhonmorkel02]

I applied at Best Buy a while back and received a call within 24 hours to have an interview. The manager was late to interview me, and asked me the normal questions. Describe yourself. Describe your goals, etc. Then gave me a product and asked how I would try to sell a warranty on that product. (This was dumb). I passed with flying colors then found out the pay was something like 6.75 with no guarantee on hours. I asked if I could be promised 20 hours a week, she said the average part time associate gets a maximum of 12 hours a week..so if youre looking for a reliable paycheck..Dont bother

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[ronws]

You know, jhon, I happened across a customer forum that was totally turned off by Best Buy because the sales staff is pressured to sell you the "Warranty." Seriously, there are repercussions for associates who don't push enough warranty sales. Believe it or not, there are business managers and excecutive level people in business who don't have a clue as to how to run a retail business. Rule number one, separate the customer from their cash. This is done by giving the customer what they want without a lot of hassle. In fact, Best Buy wants to sell warranty because that's a bigger front end sale. When if they would just conentrate on customer service, they would have all the repeat and referral business they could stand.

But I digress.