Tweet

Confident at Cold Calling? A Reality Check on Postive Thinking

Written by: Ari Galper

Article Overview: Before you make a cold call, do you “gear up” first? Do you get excited about your product or service, and try to anticipate making the sale?

Confident at Cold Calling? A Reality Check on Postive Thinking

Before you make a cold call, do you “gear up” first? Do you get excited about your product or service, and try to anticipate making the sale?

Well, if you’re following the old traditional cold calling mindset, that’s probably what you’ve been trained to do. But what you don’t know is that enthusiasm and confidence usually backfire on you.

Why? Because you’re talking with someone who doesn’t know you. Think about how you’d feel if someone you don’t know approaches you with a lot of zest and enthusiasm. You’ll probably take a step back. You’re a little suspicious and somewhat on the defensive in the face of all that enthusiasm.

It’s the same when you make cold calls. People don’t like the feeling of being pressured, and that’s usually what gets triggered when you approach someone with too much confidence. It’s called “positive thinking” in the old sales training strategies, but really, it’s overconfidence.

Here are two things for you to consider the next time you start to dial the phone:

1. Artificial sales enthusiasm is – artificial

When I’m coaching someone, many times I like to ask them to role-play with me. And often, just as soon as they move into their cold call presentation, everything changes. Their natural voice tone shifts, and they sound like a totally different person from the one who called and talked so naturally with me about their sales issues.

You see, sometimes just the idea of making a cold call causes you to talk more loudly, and with a lot of “forward energy momentum.”

But most cold calls break down the moment the other person feels all that enthusiasm. Why? Because with high enthusiasm, prospects feel sort of boxed in. They feel the pressure of your expectations. They feel pushed by someone they don’t know, and who knows nothing about them.

So it’s much better to talk in a natural, conversational way, just as if you were talking with a friend. When you’re being a relaxed and natural, the difference is amazing.

2. Assumptions feel like presumptions

The old cold calling approach encourages you to be confident that the person you’re calling should seriously consider buying what you have to offer. It’s a taken-for-granted assumption that if they fit your profile, your product or service should be a “fit” for them.

But really, how much sense does it make to have assumptions about someone you've never spoken with, much less had a conversation with? How much can you possibly know about their problems, issues, needs, time frame, budget, decision making process, or other key information?

Can you imagine how it feels to the person on the other end of the phone when you presume to know what’s “best” for them? They don’t know you, and they don’t trust you. So people naturally move into a defensive place.

So it’s best to move away from making any assumptions when you make your cold calls. Approach your prospects from a modest, humble position. Avoid coming to the conversation already convinced in your own mind that they should be a fit. This way, you'll eliminate sales pressure, which triggers that defensive reaction.

Completely eliminating assumptions and high enthusiasm in your cold calling will help people relate to you as a real person instead of a negative-type “pushy” salesperson. And you’ll find that they’ll usually respond much more warmly and naturally.


To your success,

Related Articles
  Stop By All That Business Your Are Driving By If You Want to Increase Sales
  Cold Calling Works!
  Is cold calling right for my business?
  How to Overcome the Fear of Cold Calling
  What Cold Calling Business Lead Management Can Do For Your Business

Article Tags: assumptions, cold call, cold calls, confidence, mindset, momentum, natural voice, overconfidence, positive thinking, prospects, role play, training strategies, voice tone, zest



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: Create your own small business reality show - That's very true. I know I would work harder. But you're right....people like to see other people fail (sad to say) so I'm sure they'd watch it either way. Reality really keeps people interested. I think it's a way for some people to escape their own crazy lives for a while and/or a way to let them know they aren't the only one having a tough time.
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


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Living on The Edge of Chaos...

Listen to Your Inner Melody

SEO and the Entrepreneur

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.