How to Make Sure You Hate It

I would say that there is one way to guarantee that you will hate every minute of your cold calling career…Focus on your fear and procrastinate your preparation. Do this, and I promise you will abhor every cold call you make. These two things go hand in hand because as you procrastinate, your lack of preparation leads to fear of objections, rejections, and failure, which makes it harder to take the necessary steps to prepare next time. It’s a vicious cycle, that without a constant, conscious effort, is inevitable.

On the flip side, if you are very well prepared and keep your fear in check, you will be well on your way to success. It’s my belief that no matter how bad you are (to a point) you can be successful in sales if you put in the work and go through the numbers. Of course, it helps to be a people person, outgoing, energetic, friendly, smart, knowledgeable, and have all the “closing techniques” in your bag, but those are traits you learn, not something you’re born with.

Your Best Bet for Cold Calling Success

I would bet that if you gave yourself 1 full week to focus on the 3 basics I am about to give you, you’ll see a drastic improvement in your cold calling stats.

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare.

Know your products front and back - Know the market you’re selling in - Know your competitors! - Know your prospect (a little homework will do wonders. If you know you’ve got an Atlanta boy on the phone, a little Mike Vick joke would do just fine)

Do this and you don’t have to worry about them asking the tough questions or drilling you like a CIA interrogator. You’ll be ready for it all.

2. Plan Your Purpose.

Pick up the phone with a stated purpose. Are you trying to make the sale on the first call? Are you trying to spend 30 minutes doing a demo with an “information gatherer” (someone who can ONLY say “NO”)? Or are you trying to book a face to face with the decision maker?

Don’t stray from your plan because someone is willing to listen to your Spiel.

3. Don’t Take It Personal!

I will allow you to take it personal if you can honestly tell me that you have NEVER been rude to a salesman on the phone. OK, I didn’t think so…Everyone does it and every salesman hears it.

“We don’t need it” - click

“No Budget” - click

“He doesn’t take calls” - click

click

Most people you call think they are the most busy, the most stressed, and the most important person in the world. If you realize that and give them some room to make mistakes (we’re all human), your cold calling life will be much easier!

Related Readings

Quality Begets Quantity - And How Not To Make A Cold Call
How to Turn Your Connections Into Friends, Partners, and Customers for life
Donald Trump On Focus (video)
An Entrepreneur’s Secret To Stress Management

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I wrote a few months ago in Quantity Begets Quality - And a New Direction for TheYoungCapitalist that,

What I’ve discovered is that as my quantity goes down, the quality of my best work goes down with it. When I write ONLY when I know I’m creating great work, I find myself less creative and less motivated overall when it comes to new post, new idea, and new work.

I think this translates well into the world of sales. I find that the more cold calls I make, the better my best ones get. Make sense?

If I only call what looks to be the “best” prospects, I end up being less successful than when I get a big huge list and get cracking. In sales, my saying holds true that “Quantity Begets Quality.” Sales is a numbers game. Granted, there are things you can do to increase your percentage of successes, but 25% of 20 is still less than 10% of 100 calls. The more you put in your funnel at the top, the more comes out at the bottom, regardless of how much you’re losing along the way.

How NOT To Make a Cold Call

1. “Could I take 10 or 15 minutes from you?” - No, I’m right in the middle of something

2. “I’m calling to see if maybe you might be interested in…” - No, I’m in a meeting

3. “Can I talk to the President?” - He’s not available. Side Note: He’s Never Available.

The problem with these questions is that they make it very easy for the person on the other end of the phone to say “No.” The alternative is to ask question that either make people want to say “yes” or have to say “yes.”

1. “I was hoping you could help me?” - Ok, what can I do for you?

2. “I have some info on (new product) that I would like to pass along. Who would make decisions on (said products)?” - You can send it to VPMarketing@prospectcompany.com

3. “I just got off the phone with (friend/coworker/colleague’s name) who said I may be able help you as I helped him.”

So Begins My Series on Cold Calling

You can Subcribe Here to stay up to date. I’ll be writing on “Making Cold Calling Fun,” “Warming Up The Cold Call,” “Getting to The Decision Maker,” and many others.

Related Reading

Networking Beats Cold Calls Every Time
Building Discipline Into Your Life
TYC Sales School: Your 3 Goals
How to Ensure a Lifetime of Employability
How Do You Warm Up a Cold Call?

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