Many of us who have spent our career in professional sales have little experience with cold calling, either by design or thru happenstance. I’m a mix of both. I came up through the ranks in account management, so little “business development” style calling was necessary.
In general, sales calls were not terrifying for me. I can run with the best of them. But there was something about those unscheduled calls that would get my heart racing, and produce those sweaty palms and clammy neck that signal we are uncomfortable with what’s going to happen next.
Now that I am consulting, I have to undertake “business development” work that involves what most would term as “cold calling.” I still don’t like it.
My inbox today had a link to a recent blog by
Wendy Weiss (self described as
“The Queen of Cold Calling™”). In it she shared her
1. Make the calls. The unknown is terrifying. So don’t let it be unknown. I have found that by overcoming the fear of the first couple calls, they all become easier after that. Seriously.
2. Make a lot of calls. Try to schedule a number of calls in a block of time. A single call can paralyze you; needing to make a lot of them will help (see #1). The more calls you make, the more success you will have (and the better you will feel).
3. Prepare. Prepare for cold calling the way you would for any major presentation. Know what you want to say, how you want to say it and how you want to represent yourself, your company, your product or service. And know the goal of your telephone call. I write some key words out on a pad and have it in front of me to help me stay on track. (Don’t write it out in full, however…you may find yourself reading it and sounding “canned”.) Have some similar notes in the event that you roll into voicemail, so you can leave a compelling message. (see my blog posting
The Perfect Voicemail Message).
4. Practice. It can’t hurt. Practice out loud. Role-play with friends. Practice various scenarios. This way you will not have to worry about what you are going to say, you will be prepared and you can focus in on your prospect.
5. Start with the less important leads. Its good practice and much less stressful. As you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important calls.
6. Stay calm. Remember: Its never personal. If the prospect is rude, so be it. Maintain your calm perspective and NEVER ARGUE. Calmly ask if you may call them at a specific time to discuss your matter. Regardless of their answer, terminate the call as soon as you can to avoid creating a longer term issue. Again…it’s not personal. Move on.
7. Realize your priorities and your prospect’s priorities are different. Be professional, respectful, and deferential. Don’t read too much into their responses. Don’t naturally assume that they are avoiding you if you can never reach them. Be clever and crafty by calling before 8 or after 6 when they have to answer their own phone. Or go in thru their switchboard so your caller ID doesn’t come up on his screen.
8. Accept that some things are out of your control. Sometimes you just get a “no” and the contact moves outside your control. What you ultimately control is your motivation to continue prospecting and making calls. The more calls you make, the fewer “no’s” you will get (because you’re getting better at managing the call!)
9. Play a game. Set a point value for each call, and a goal. Once you hit your goal, give yourself a bonus (go out and get a coffee, take a break, take a walk, watch Oprah, etc.)
10.Have fun! It ain’t life or death, and it ain’t rocket science. The fate of the free world does not rest on you and your telephone call outcome. Loosen up, be creative, have some fun!
“Enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is quality most
often makes success” --- Dale Carnegie