When I work at home,
I work with the radio on.
I also have a cluttered desk
(the variety of stuff
helps with creativity).
When I make an important call,
however,
I turn off the radio
and I clear my desk of everything
except for what I need
for the call.
Why?
Because if I don’t,
I get distracted
while listening.
If I get distracted,
the other person knows
(if this happens while talking to my mother,
I get an almost immediate
‘are you listening to me?’,
my clients/prospects aren’t so obvious).
Not only that,
but I miss valuable information.
The Sales Hunter
has a great post on exactly this.