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Do You Dread Cold Calling?

Written by: Marshall W. Northcott

Article Overview: If cold calling is something you must do, here are some thoughts and ideas to help you master your negative emotionals and have greater success!

Do You Dread Cold Calling?

Cold calling has to be the one activity in most sales professions that is the least desirable. I think that some people would subject themselves to electric shock therapy rather than have to make cold calls. A woman in one of my workshops stated she would rather die than have to make cold calls. I've heard the theory that as a business development activity, cold calling is slowly phasing out of existence. Some would argue that the return on time invested is very poor compared to other business generating activities but I for one have found cold calling to be an extremely powerful method for uncovering new opportunities.

There is some confusion amongst sales people, especially rookies as to what exactly cold calling is. My definition would be as follows; a face to face or over the phone activity where by the sales representative initiates contact with someone with whom there is no previous existing business relationship.

Cold calling is one of many prospecting activities available to sales professionals. In some industries there is no need for cold calling because of the nature of the business. If you are constantly calling on the same clients or the market is mature and there are no new potential accounts then obviously cold calling is not necessary. In other instances, I've encountered people who have mastered other methods like referral based selling to the extent that they are able to avoid cold calling. Then, there are those who act like cold calling is beneath them. More than once I've meet someone who felt this way about making cold calls only to discover that at some point afterwards they had closed their business or quit their sales profession because it wasn't giving them the returns they expected. If you are too dignified to make cold calls you may want to consider the alternative-poverty!

If however you work in an industry where there is untapped market potential, you are looking for opportunities to lure business away from competition or there are prospects that exist but you must seek them out because you, your product or your service is unknown, then cold calling may be an excellent way to increase your chances for success. Cold calling can be enjoyable if you are determined to make it fun.

To set yourself up for maximum results while cold calling, there are several important points to remember. Whether over the phone or in person, know what you intend to say. Have something committed to memory but be flexible so that when you are thrown a curve ball it doesn't throw you off track. It may take you many attempts before you produce consistent results. Remain professional but at the same time relax, don't be mechanical or overly rigid. Create a standard way of introducing yourself, your company and the product or service that you represent. Write down and simplify a quick and easy way of describing what you do so that when you explain it to the person your speaking with it will be easy for them to determine who to direct you towards. We call this your 30 second commercial or your elevator speech. In case you were wondering, no, they often don't listen, it's just a fact of life so get over it!

Understand that it's nothing personal when people screen your calls, they are just doing their job! It's your job to win them over, get them on your side so that you can speak to the person who makes the decisions. Don't waste your time selling to the receptionist, it's embarrassing and annoying! Once you have the attention of the person you need to speak with it better be good! The number one concern of most people you will connect with is, "Is this person going to waste my time?" Well don't! Know what you intend to say and say it. Clearly and concisely! I recommend documenting some statements that are attention grabbers so that the decision maker will agree to an appointment. These statements are referred to as; General Benefit Statements and they should be tailored to specific needs that your prospect is likely to have based on your understanding of their business or industry. Give yourself some time to see results, if your industry has a 60 to 90 sales cycle then that is how long it will take for your efforts to pay off, so be patient and give it time! If you can get past this hurdle there isn't much else that will slow you down on the road to success in your sales profession.

"Fear carries a man farther than courage but not in the same direction."

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Article Tags: Call Reluctance, Cold Calling, New Business Generation, Numbers Game, Prospecting, Sales Coaching, Sales Training



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to develop sales contacts? - Everyone has the right idea here. Depending on your business, there are different techniques that you could use. For consultants and sales heavy businesses, there are three tactics that I have found especially useful in my business: 1. Attend Networking Events 2. Cold Calling 3. Referral Program 4. Affiliate Program (most successful) The affiliate program was successful for me, as I hooked up with a franchise consultant, and he gave multiple unit businesses that needed my credit card processing services. I highly suggest you hook up with a sales partner, and give him a cut of the monthly revenue.
Re: Direct Mail Postcards - Post cards would be really expensive to send from Japan...but one way to advertise that is not expensive from overseas is by Cold Calling using cheap VoIP equipment. I know Japan has a really good internet connection, so as long as you are willing to stay up late, it might be an option. I cold call from Thailand far, far away from any city using a CDMA wireless internet connection and have had pretty good results. I find tho, that cold calling works best for business 2 business (b2b), rather than b2c products. --matt
Re: Cold Calling - As long as people are out of jobs, you'll probably have a lot of people who say they want to work for straight commission, but if they don't get paid fairly quickly, they usually move on. We've run into that and went through about 500 people (whose resumes looked really good) until we found about 3 good resellers. People just don't want to work for anything. Or they do a good job getting the business but don't do the follow up necessary to make the sale......so they move on thinking they need money NOW. Our business requires all cold calling as well. It's really tough for people to perfect that but there are a lot of good books out there. On is Cold Calling Techniques, by Stephan Schiffman
Re: Cold Calling - Cold calling is an extremely difficult job to do and unless one learns that being told no by people is not a direct refusal aimed at the cold caller but at whatever is being sold, it can be very soul destroying work to do. One needs to have absolute confidence in themselves and a pretty thick skin. MichelleJ
Cold Calling - Cold calling is tough, but it is possible. Its a shame that your employer doesn't seem to be giving you any help. I would suggest that you learn everything about the products you're trying to sell to the retailers. It wouldn't hurt to have them close at hand while you're on the phone with a potential buyer. Learn what is great about the items. What do they offer the consumer? Why should the retailer carry them? Who would be most likely to buy the items? Once you know these answers, learn about the companies you are calling. Its hard to tell a retailer that your product is something they need - if you don't know anything about their business and/or the customers. If they have a website that would be a great place to research. Shri


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