You might be able to identify with this. You're busy or running late and somebody phones. The Chatterbox! These are people who never stop talking. You can put the handset down and go off and make yourself a cup of tea, bake some scones, and return after you've had a shower and washed your hair as well and they're STILL talking and didn't even notice you'd gone!
Or your chatterbox might be a client who rambles on, gets sidetracked and seems to be more interested in chatting like old friends than achieving anything worthwhile in their session.
Subtle hints fall on deaf ears. Not-so-subtle hints are misunderstood or ignored. You're exasperated... How DO you get rid of these people, or get them back on track, if clients, tactfully?! I've thought about this a great deal and tried several successful strategies which have worked for me, and you might like to try them next time you're caught.
To begin with, once you answer the phone and identify the caller as a known chatterbox, before you even so much as say "hi", you MUST make it clear they've caught you at an inopportune moment and you can only spare a few seconds. You must get in first for this to be effective - otherwise they won't hear you! On the other hand, if it is a client calling for an appointed session, this reply won't be appropriate, but if you guide the call right from the start then you can control the amount of time wasted on trivialities.
If it is a client who "forgets" they only have x number of minutes for their call, you MUST remind them if they go off topic, and politely bring them back to the topic you were discussing. By asking them the right questions, you will soon get them back on track, talking about what they're supposed to be talking about, and not their Great Aunt Millie's carbuncles!
If your caller is easily sidetracked or interrupts with trivialities which have no bearing on their session, or rambles on over old ground you've already covered, ask them if it is relevant. It isn't rude to question relevancy or to remind people how much time is left for their call so they can make the most of their minutes with you. If the clock is ticking, as it will be on a coaching session, you have every right to ask your client to get to the point. Ask nicely and you won't offend them. After all, it's their money!
When subtlety and polite directness fail to produce the desired results, you are left with just one option. Be blunt. This doesn't mean be offensive - it just means you tell it like it is a little more strongly. You tell them that under any other circumstances, you'd love a good chinwag with them, they're very interesting and fun to talk with, but with so much ground to cover in so little time, it's best they don't waste their money and time on side issues that are irrelevant. That's not what they hire you for, etc. etc. etc. If you let them prattle on every session, wasting time and achieving nothing, what kind of coaching is that? Remind them that it's a very expensive phone call just for a chat if that's how they plan to spend their time with you!
Terri Levine
http://www.coachinstitute.com
http://www.terrilevine.com
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