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The fear of cold-calling has its claws deep under the skin of salespeople globally.
Phone anxiety, the yips and cold-call reluctance are debilitating.
For someone who’s chosen a profession where everything begins on the phone, being afraid of it profoundly affects your quality of life.
Yet, salespeople continue to sell fearfully when they could be selling fearlessly.
It’s shortsighted to think all fear can be eradicated.
But fear of cold-calling can be managed and mitigated through:
Understanding: Identifying why the fear exists, what the triggers are and how they’re manifested.
* The fear of cold-calling is palpable and being told to just keep calling or think positive thoughts doesn’t address underlying issues
* Like any anxietal state, knowing why you’re in it is key to being free from it.
Motivation: Having the courage to step into resolution.
* Take proper action and commit to doing the work needed to break through the fear
* Ideally, the demons you conquer from fear of cold-calling will also improve your personal life
Practice: Applying the lessons learned.
* It’s easy to ingest information but to get results, it must be digested
* This process requires being uncomfortable while you drill-down for answers
Fear on the Floor
One of the eeriest sounds you’ll hear on a sales floor is silence.
Walking into a quiet room full of people not doing the very thing they’re paid to do is surreal.
But it’s common.
Our jobs are to bang out calls and connect.
We’re responsible for creating momentum and driving revenue.
Too often though, we’re stuck in our heads and the thought of cold-calling is kryptonical.
Why Are We Afraid to Cold-Call?
The answer is different for everyone, but fear of rejection plays a part.
No one wants to hear no, especially dozens of times a day = day in | day out.
And although that’s the reality of Sales, there are mechanisms to neutralize the fear of rejection.
Until we identify the root of our fear, we’ll never operate at the levels we’re capable of.
It’s normal to want answers to our problems like we take our eggs – quick and over easy.
But, to become better versions of ourselves, we must work through malfunction.
Because when we ignore solutions, we defy our potential.
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Regardless of why you fear cold-calling, the fix may not be as complicated as you think:
- Maybe you’re uncomfortable with aggressive, never-take-no for an answer sales tactics
* Often, salespeople are trained to sell in a way that’s contrary to their ethics
* They’re forced to memorize cold-calling scripts and objection handling tricks that go against their grain.
* This exacerbates their fear of cold-calling - You don’t believe in the products and solutions you’re selling.
* Pretending to have a client’s best interest at heart when you don’t believe is a deceit trigger that heightens the fear of cold-calling
* The more you try to sell, the worse you feel about yourself
* Your conscience blocks your ability to cold-call - Lack of self-confidence (personal) and/ or your sales acumen (professional)
* Mojo comes in waves and if you’re questioning your abilities, you can’t sell effectively
* When you feel confidence wane, remind yourself of the successes that got you here
* Sales requires you to be present and always on – meaning, out of your head
Can You Fear Me Now?
I was terrified my first weeks on the phone.
Everyone on the floor knew what they were doing but me.
Luckily, I sat in earshot of my mentor blessed with an amazing view of downtown.
How the new guy got the window, I never understood, but it was a great place to hide.
Those first few weeks, I cold-called seated while facing out.
By my third month, I was standing since I’d read that motion creates emotion.
That month, I made my first ever commission check and my confidence ignited.
But, just because you were confident once doesn’t mean you’re confident forever.
Life happens along the way and kicks you down to size.
Whether it’s the market, losing a job or personal problems, it ain’t always smooth sailing.
But when you’ve identified your triggers, you have the power to adjust.
The fear of cold-calling is a killer, but it won’t kill you.
By changing your mindset and attitude, you can beat it.
Questions
- What part of cold-calling are you fearful of? Rejection, lack of product knowledge, no confidence, hate sales, terrible product?
- Is it a fear from your professional or personal life? Or has one bled into the other?
- How bad is it on a scale of 1-10? Will lose your job over your fear or just continue to get by?
- Are you willing to change? If yes, how? What are you willing to do to change?
Santa’s Little Helper
At a workshop recently, I heard the story of a five-foot nothing female sales machine who outsold everyone in her company.
This dynamo had a ritual before each call.
She imagined herself walking up a driveway to a beautiful home.
Before she reached the door, she’d put a pair of long white gloves on.
She’d then slip on a silky red hat with a thick white fuzzy stripe at the bottom.
And last, she hoisted a big red bag of gifts over her shoulder right before knocking.
She visualized Santa.
On every call, she brought solutions (gifts) that transformed the way her prospects would do business for years.
She believed in the benefits of her product wholeheartedly.
And the notion of anyone ever refusing her ‘gifts’ was unthinkable.
She slayed all company records before becoming an internationally known sales trainer.
She approached Sales from a client’s perspective.
By focusing on others, she was always giving – never selling.
It’s a real attitude adjustment and a perfect solution for mitigating fear.
Plus, you can’t help but smile when picturing yourself selling in a Santa suit.