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Utilize this Conversations Guide as your exclusive tool to handle, maneuver,

navigate your phone conversations to be much more genuine, fruitful and enjoyable.

Remember, they are a generic yet specific tricks of the trade that I have picked up

and applied. They can be subject to change depending on how you go about it.

However, this is to give you an in-depth understanding of how it all really goes!

What is a Conversation?

It’s your pathway to build bonds, relationships, connections with people! We have forgotten what

a conversation is. We now know the secret sauce of becoming a great conversationalist:

Listen.

THE ART OF Conversational Assets

PHONE
Here are some important points that interviewers keep in mind. It’s probably everything we all

have heard, read, watched, learned, known, but it’s all pointless, cause very few of us really

implement it. But let's change that through this workshop material.

Be Present. It is that one technique that can single-handedly help you enjoy conversations and

CONVERSATIONS
build connections. How can you be present? Simple. Don’t multitask. How’s that? Now, I don’t

just mean keep your phone aside. I also mean that thoughts will be coming into your head, let’s

say a friend says, I ate samosa today, so you think - “What will I have for dinner?” (OR) “I have

to complete a bunch of things”. Well, go with the flow. Let these thoughts go out as well. You

- VISHAL BAGDI
probably also might think of a very clever question or a statement that you want to make, but

when you do that, you tend to break the flow and make it about you. It feels disjointed, and the

speaker feels like they’re not being listened to. 

Don’t pontificate. Ponification means to speak or opine in such a way that shows that you
cannot be contested/challenged. If you want to state an opinion and not be open for a

discussion or pushback or a difference in thoughts then, write a blog and switch off the

comments option. But if you’re in a conversation, be open. Look forward to learning something
new every time you enter a conversation.

Have you ever noticed that when you ask a complicated question, you get a simple answer,

probably a yes or a no. For example, “Were you terrified?”, the listener will respond to the

Let them describe it.

powerful word, which is terrified and will answer it with a - yes or no.

They felt it, right? There’s no need for you to categorize! Ask them an open ended question.

For example, “What was it like?”, to fetch a much more interesting answer because they will

think about it. (Contd.)

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You must’ve heard this a lot - One should try to relate with the other person. It supposedly

makes the conversation smoother, but rarely. Don’t jump in to equate with the person on the
grounds that you’ll sound empathetic. For example, If someone tells you that they lost a family

member, don’t start talking about the time that you did too. When you do that, it belittles their

experience and undermines the impact. Honestly, have you ever noticed that happening with

yourself? Does that ever make you feel better? It just makes you feel weird, right? Understand

that we all go through completely unique individualistic experiences. Humans are the
epitome of variability.

We tend to repeat ourselves a lot. We restructure the sentence, paraphrase, come up with a
similar thought, or maybe an analogy, but it doesn’t register with us as repetition. Why?

Because we feel we’re justifying and explaining. Beware. It stands out. Whenever you know

you’re doing this, stop yourself from repeating.

THE ART OF
So many important people have said innumerous times how important truly listening
really is. It’s by far the most important skill to have for anything you’ll ever do. But why do we
not listen to each other? Well, we’d rather talk. We’d rather be in control. An average person

talks upto 225 words per minute, but we can listen upto 500 words per minute.  Just listen.

PHONE What is Sales?

CONVERSATIONS
Forget everything you’ve ever heard of, learnt, picked up, or have a fair amount of belief in

because if it’s not leading you to have a mindset as the following, it’s probably doing you more

harm than good. Together, let’s make this mental shift. There’s just one simple answer:

Sales is not selling, it’s solving a problem.

- VISHAL BAGDI Quick Fixes of Cold Calling

Following points are important for your cold call to be effective. This is a step-wise flow to help

you get the basics right.

Energy matters. Since you’re on a call, it’s very difficult to pass on a vibe of excitement and
wonder through body language. Everyone talks about being energetic during a call, now in

most cases if you believe in your product, which is how you do sales, btw, you will be excited.

But the foolproof technique that I have come to internalize is using a high-pitch voice while
talking. You sound excited by default. Why is it important? A Harvard study suggests that
within first 5 seconds, an impression is formed. If negative, it takes 8 consecutive positive

impressions to get the person back to square one. (Contd.)

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| | @baggu_bullshit | |
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What do you do when you have to borrow someone else's stuff? You take permission, right? So

you do the same with someone's time. Time is money. Value their time so that they do the
same with you. Seeking permission helps in two ways: You know your efforts will not be wasted

and you come out as courteous, and the other person will also not regret later for not being

able to pay attention. What I suggest is - be proactive. If I hear any background noise, I
address it. For example - “Hey, I can hear kids in the back, is this a good time for you to talk?”

DON’T use phrases like - “I wanted to call you because..”, “The reason I called you..”, “I just
wanted to follow-up..” Would you ever respond to someone with a motive? I don’t think so. So

don’t sound like you have a motive. It sounds sneaky and well, it can instantly put somebody on

defense. The guard goes up and it’s so difficult to pierce through.

Instead, start with - “I think you might be interested in this” and directly briefly mention about
your product. Some statements that I use are - "Can I interest you in an opportunity? Can I

introduce you to something cool?" You have to sound like you’re introducing them to something

THE ART OF
that is going to benefit them.

What we usually do is dump all of the features of the product, usually in a haphazard manner.

It’s almost vomiting. We know we shouldn’t do it, but then we still go ahead with it, right?

Understand this, you do not have to talk about everything. For example, when you walk into

PHONE
a mobile store to buy a phone, and the salesperson ask you what are you looking for and you

say - a fast phone. Then, do you really care about the processor and the other technical

features? You only care about the speed.

CONVERSATIONS
Over a call, you don’t really understand what the other person might be engaged in or might

be doing in the background. Even we scroll through instagram while talking to friends, right?

So, how does one avoid losing the other person’s attention? Easy. To gauge where they are
placed in the conversation, keep them engaged with questions. Relevant questions.

- VISHAL BAGDI
Every word that you speak, will be registered in their brain. They will not process everything
consciously, but will remember it subconsciously. So, it’s always great to be sure of what you’re

saying and stating. Everything, even a small, “uh”, will leave an image in their head. So, be

aware of whatever you say, you're on record.

| Vishal bagdi | Vishalbagdi94@gmail.com | +91-8793062095 |

| | @baggu_bullshit | |
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Consolidated Steps To Keep In Mind

These are all the mistakes I’ve made and I’ve seen people make and end up creating a bitter situation

for all parties involved. So let’s have a look at these key points:

Having a flow/structure written down, in-front of you, because our human mind tends to put us off
track, and we stray from what we need to mention, often garbling/jumbling up things. Would you pay

attention to someone who sounds lost or is not confident enough? But do not stick to a script
either, because it's like going into a boxing ring, having everything planned out, but it doesn't work

that way, does it?

Play with the information that they give out. Connect the dots. If you let the other person talk openly,

after you’ve asked them a question, they will give you enough information to be able to pick and

THE ART OF
choose what you want to use to pivot around your product. Just pivot, don’t rush for a close.

Listening rates drop significantly after first 5 minutes. Avoid calls longer than 10 minutes. Make sure

you follow up after sending the details. Ensure you get them on the same page, by following up.

PHONE
Build a conversation. Don’t talk about features, talk about how it will help them. People want to
know what is in it for them. People want to know how they will be benefitted. Please remember, it’s
always about them and what their gain will be. So, talk about things that will help them with your

product/service. Also, you don’t have to talk about all the features. Infact, don’t mention features,

CONVERSATIONS
just talk about the value gain. For example, do we really bother about the how the food item reaches

us? We care about the taste and the process. Tangible. Talk tangible.

People remember stories, not facts. Being a storyteller is a gift. It doesn’t mean you talk about
your saga, full on gaga. Include short snippets, short incidents that helps them put things in

- VISHAL BAGDI
perspective and feel relatable.

What if people reject you? What if they say no? It happens sometimes! I wouldn’t wanna lie, it

happens most of the time. The reason being, a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, fits only in a few key

possible places, correct? If it fit everywhere, would it really hold value? So, it’s alright. Accept the
NO gracefully. Be grateful for their time and make sure that you keep in touch with them.

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| | @baggu_bullshit | |
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How To Handle Rejection?

People think that if you ever get rejected, it's the end of the world. Well, atleast our brain definitely

makes us think that. So what is so difficult to process about rejection? Let's find out how you can go

about it. Below are some of my suggestions:

"I don't have time right now/I don't have time for this": Remember this, if they pick up your call and

say this, just realize that it's all made up. If they're actually busy, they'd never pick up.
Tackle: "That's amazing, busy people are the best! Becuase you mean business. I believe we're all
striving to be less busy and do things effortlessly." (Then take the conversation accordingly towards how

your product/service is a way for them to be a better version of themselves.)

"I'll call you later/I'll get back to you": Now, these are the people, who are indecisive or may also

THE ART OF
not be interested, but they will never be straight enough to tell you this and leave you hanging!

Tackle: "Hey, what other time can we speak today?" (OR) "If the next 30 seconds, do not interest
you, I'll hang up on myself."

"Send all the details/proposal to me via mail/message": At this point, they are just looking to not

PHONE
sound rude, and are showcasing that they are willing to consider, but in reality, it never pans out.
It's just a much more amicable approach to avoid being sold to.

Tackle: "Awesome! Please share your contact details. What are you expecting to see in the mail?" (OR)
"Also, I'd like to know what I can put in there that will interest you, or what is it that you need or are

seeking." (They've told you exactly what you should put in the message to get their attention. Be smart.)

CONVERSATIONS
"I don't know who you are and I'm not comfortable talking to you": This is a little tricky. They are

outright telling you that you're a stranger and that making a connection is now barely possible. You

need to push through this particular moment by turning it on it's head. #ChallengeAccepted
Tackle: Mention your name and where you're calling from. Ask them to look you up, if they need to.

- VISHAL BAGDI
What do you have to lose anyway at this point? Strike credibility, your confidence will do the rest.

"I'm not looking for this right now/I don't think it's the right thing for me": Remember how Henry Ford

revolutized the world by showing people that they do need things. Needs have to be invoked.
That's why we, as sales enthusiasts, are in business. Some people, are genuinely aware of what they

want and what they like to do, and you can always tell. But most, do not understand the
underlying benefit for them.
Tackle: "I understand that you might find this as something that's not fitting for what you want. So can I
know what is it that you're looking for?" (At this point, they will start telling you what they're looking for,

keep asking them -"Why?" until you reach a point which you can use to introduce your product's benefits

for them. Once they see the value, game is on.) "If you can allow me to tell you how it'll be helpful for

you, I believe it'll make a difference in your life."

| Vishal bagdi | Vishalbagdi94@gmail.com | +91-8793062095 |

| | @baggu_bullshit | |
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How To Overcome Fear?

This is a typical Mountain Dew ad. Fear is genuinely a mental construct which we build around ourselves

to create a sense of security and protection, and guard ourselves against apparent vulnerabilities and

danger. Fear of Sales, can be very easily tackled. There are two types of fear in Sales:

Number 1 fear is the one before the call: What if I get a no? What if I make a mistake? What if that

We're all striving for perfection and that's exactly why we get these
person judges me? Etc.

thoughts and eventually make us feel flawed! All of these questions are so daunting and yet,
valid. First of all, this is completely natural. It’s normal to feel all of these things. How do you get past

it? Let’s take an example, suppose I need to learn swimming. It’s a definite survival skill needed,

correct? Now, for me to learn how to swim, can I do it in the air? Can I do it by reading books?

NO.  I’ll have to dive in! It’s the same thing with a phone call. To arrive at your destination, you

THE ART OF
first need to depart.

Number 2 fear is the one during the call - What if after all of this, the other person says no? I’m not

saying, give up. But, NO IS GOOD! It’s brilliant, because it teaches you more than the 'yes' call. And,

PHONE
you get to understand how to filter the calls you’re making. In either case, you should be glad that

you did not end up wasting your time in someone who is not worth investing that kind of time in.

CONVERSATIONS
- VISHAL BAGDI

| Vishal bagdi | Vishalbagdi94@gmail.com | +91-8793062095 |

| | @baggu_bullshit | |
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My Discovery

Be warm. Let there be pauses, but make sure they're not long. Most people get so anxious

when there are pauses. But silence breeds thoughts. And thoughts breed further points of
action. So let some things sink in before you resume the conversation.

Will you buy a sack of cement? Would you buy a helmet if you didn’t have a two-wheeler/didn’t

even ride pillion on one? No, right? Then focus on identifying a need, invoking a need if it’s

underlying. The key is to invoke a need. Nobody will buy without a need. You’ll be able to
close easily when that is identified and a solution is provided accordingly.

Break the Fourth Wall, humanize the call! The moment you break the wall of defense within
the way you approach someone, you’ll see the conversation turn into a light breeze. You’ll be

THE ART OF
sailing smoothly though it. So, humanize the conversation, laugh, chuckle, but make it sound

like the other person is actually talking to another human! It’s easy, just let your wall down.

One of the most important things I’ve learnt the hard way, is to know when to stop. Know

PHONE
when to not push. The moment anything crosses that line, the connection, if any, turns bitter

and can hold a negative image for you. So don’t ever risk that. It’s never worth it. 

Always reinforce positively. Avoid using words/sentences with negative connotations. For
example, “I’m sorry, am I disturbing you?” or “I hope you don’t mind.” Till that point, that person

CONVERSATIONS
wasn’t even thinking in that direction, but in our chase of courtesy, we created that direction.

Instead, use, “Is this a good time to speak with you?” - Neutral. “I really enjoyed this

conversation. Thank you for your time.” - Positive.

Eat Almonds, lots of it. Memory is your best friend. People like to be heard, and a tanglibe

- VISHAL BAGDI
way to prove that is by remebering what they had mentioned. I remember almost all the people

that I’ve interacted with. Even If I don’t remember their whole name, I’ll remember what they do

and what they like. It’s something that has always made me connect with people easily, if I’ve

lost touch. Remember what people mention or talk about, it’s gold.

I thoroughly hope you enjoyed going through this curated document, hopefull full of wisdom and

something you revisit to help yourself. 

BUILD CONNECTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS!

| Vishal bagdi | Vishalbagdi94@gmail.com | +91-8793062095 |

| | @baggu_bullshit | |