One of the biggest issues when you or someone in your company is planning to start cold calling for the first time is call reluctance. If you’d rather be doing anything but dialing the phone, changing how you view the task ahead of you might be helpful!
Don’t worry — even seasoned veterans get bouts of call reluctance.
There are three big reasons for call reluctance. We’re going to go through each one and how to overcome it.
1. You’re worried about being a bother
The first reason is this: You’re nervous because you feel like you’re “bothering someone.”
Here’s the thing. If you’ve done your research, picked an appropriate market, and are being considerate of their time, then you’re not “bothering” anyone.
It’s easier to deal with this problem if you remember that the people on the other end of the phone will benefit from your conversation. If people are acting as though you’re bothering them, the problem is theirs. As the owner or leader of a business, it’s in my job description to make or save my company money. That’s really all there is to my job. If you’re calling with a way for me to do that — even if it doesn’t work out in the end — it’s MY JOB to take the call and listen to you.
Remember, you can save them money, you can save them a lot of time, and improving their IT might actually save their entire business one day. So go ahead, pick up the phone!
Still nervous?
2. You’re afraid they’ll say no
The second reason people are plagued with call reluctance is the word “no.” What if the person on the other end says that dreaded word, no?
Well, I hate to break it to you, but even after 20 years of cold calling every day, 90 percent of the people I call still say “no” to me. It’s really not a big deal, and you don’t have to let it negatively affect you.
If you call up your friend and ask if they want to go to dinner tonight, and they say no, does that mean they hate you? Or that everyone else you call will say no to your invitation as well? Do you walk around in despair? No. You say “OK” and dial the next number, finding someone else to go to dinner with you.
Think of cold calling the same way. You’re inviting hundreds of people A DAY to go to dinner with you. Some days, you’re going to dinner alone because you’re not going to get a single yes. That’s normal. It averages out through the campaign. There will be weeks when you reach most of the people you’re trying to talk to and get enough “yes” answers that you’re going to need to rent out the proverbial restaurant.
So are you still worried about picking up the phone?
3. You aren’t confident about what you’re selling
The third reason people don’t want to dial the phone is the easiest to resolve. If you’re afraid of cold calling because you don’t believe your service offering is the number one best thing on the face of the planet, if you don’t believe that the people you’re calling will get value out of your offering, if you don’t think your services are good enough? Pack up and go home. You’re in the wrong place.