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Man, you could hear a pin drop.
It was 11 A.M. in the middle of the week.
I was all gussied up and walking across the sales floor into a conference room for my second interview.
If I aced it, the Sales Manager would pull out a travel-sized DNA kit and administer a cheek swab on the spot.
What can I say.
Times were lean and the caliber of jobs I was applying to had the same Manager who interviewed me slip on the gloves and collect my DNA.
I wasn’t worried about the drug test but I had some serious trepidation around this daytime version of the Twilight Zone.
There were 40 or so sales agents on the floor that day – not a one was on the phone.
Usually when you step onto a sales floor at prime time, you’re met with a cacophonous symphony.
All you hear is the sound of salespeople selling with drive or desperation.
On this day, I heard neither.
Silent Reflection on a Sales Floor
Had I walked in during Quaker Meeting?
I spent summers as a kid at a Quaker camp, half of High School at a Quaker institution and I liked the vibe so much, I attended a Quaker college.
A common practice among Quakers is the Meeting for Worship.
This is a dedicated time each day for silent reflection and if you’re moved to speak about something on your mind, you stand up and share.
But this was definitely not that.
The interview went well and assuming the results of my swab were negative, I had the gig.
Maybe I should’ve said something to the Sales Manager about the sound of crickets, but I didn’t want to rock the boat.
I figured – if none of these folks are on the phone, I should kill it once hired.
Why?
Because I understood the only way to make Sales was to pick up Notorious AGB [Alexander Graham Bell] and dial for dollars.
Notorious AGB [Phone Fright and Anxiety]
It’s ironic.
People whose sole responsibility is to make phone calls are fearful and anxious about picking up their moneymaker.
We become allergic to our primary conduit for income.
I get it cos I’ve been there. Phone fright.
At any given time of the day, you create a multitude of tasks you’re convinced are essential to the sales process just to avoid making calls.
No salesperson wants to admit they’re scared to pick up the phone. It’s pretty embarrassing right?
But the fear is palpable and you talk yourself into diversionary tactics and pretend you’re busy.
You’ll say something like,”If I want to close XYZ, I need to research the hell out of them”.
And not just the basics like industry, revenue, latest news and executive team members.
“First I’ll need to”:
- Do a deep-dive and figure out the mascot of each executive’s Alma Mater
- Alphabetize them in reverse chrono-illogical order
- Add that data into a spreadsheet that no one will ever see
- Color code it using the ROYGBIV matrix I created during yesterday’s call time
- And while I’m at it, I’ll source a couple of cat videos, encrypt the links and send them to everyone in my personal email.
Time Blocking and Tackling
Salespeople create useless tasks when they should be on the phone then make excuses and avoid eye contact in sales meetings because their numbers are in the tank.
Phone fright is a killer. It strikes at will and with your confidence shattered, getting back to swinging is an uphill battle.
But, there is a way to curb your lack of cold-calling enthusiasm. A simple system to prevent analysis paralysis and hold yourself accountable.
It might seem juvenile at first.
After all, you consider yourself an adult sales professional who doesn’t need to be told when to make calls.
But, as a decrease in sales productivity and fear of Notorious AGB persist, time blocking could save your job and even your career.
Respect the Block
There have been moments, as recent as this year, where I pulled up my CRM’s Opportunity/ Stage View and freaked.
What happened to my Stage 3’s and Hot Deals?
I’d gotten complacent and fed on the cluster of business that was close to closing.
I was having conversations but only with prospects who were well into the sales journey.
As each deal closed, I gave myself a gold star.
But, while celebrating my victories, I neglected the practices that allowed me to secure those clients in the first place.
Prospecting, originating and time blocking.
By assigning a specific block of time each day to do nothing but make calls, you develop cold-calling muscles through repetition.
And if you stick to it, time blocking becomes a reflex which raises your confidence levels.
With that confidence in tow, you sell consistently and you sell more.
Healthy pipelines make for happy salespeople.
Always Bet on Block
You can’t ignore the importance of maintaining your call volume and time blocking regularly.
In B2B’s long sales cycle, lack of discipline in this department can mean disaster for your month or quarter.
The calls you make this week are the foundation for the business you’ll close in 60, 90 or 120 days.
And every day you slack off pushes you further away from reaching your sales numbers.
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- Carve out the time of day that you’re on and hot like fire
- Use that window of productivity to your advantage
- Close all unrelated browser windows (including email) and cold call for 30 minutes or an hour straight
- Conduct account research during a separate block of time
- Put away your cell so you can shake your moneymaker uninterrupted
Block and Spiel
I spent close to two years at that cheek-swabbing sales gig.
And admittedly, I found myself doing the very same thing I criticized others of, the day of my interview.
But before I left, they instituted mandatory time blocking sessions for calls everyday.
The Sales Manager, literally walked the aisles looking over our shoulders, to make sure we were dialing.
As much as we grumbled at being treated like toddlers, the combination of time-blocking and cold-calling was and is a highly-effective strategy for crushing it.
The cold-calling power hour worked.
The Result = More Meetings = More Sales.
So do yourself a solid.
Take a look at the Opportunity/ Stage View in your CRM.
Have you been silently reflecting in a Quaker Meeting or are you blocking time and mono-tasking like a boss?