Nervous for My First Cold Call. Tips?

[moff17]

I used to be very annoyed when people cold called my business. Now that I am doing more cold calling, I ask the people cold calling me how it works for them and what they do for it to work. Funny thing, it really takes these guys by surprise. And best yet, they don't call back because they know I will waste their time asking questions

I remember a guy who cold called me for his payroll company. I asked him how cold calling worked for him. He told me it works great. He told me that it's all he does to generate new business. He then rattled off a list of new accounts that he had picked up that month from just making cold calls. He swore by it.

I asked him if he was concerned that many people feel that cold calling is a waste of time and doesn't work. He just laughed and told me that perhaps many of the people who say this just hate cold calling. Kinda funny.

The biggest challenge for me is "just doing it". I remind myself that if others' hate cold calling, that's all the better for me. I am not so concerned with scripts and such; I just know the more I call, the better I will get and the more sales I will make. I had some cold calling reluctance when I started but it is true, the more you do, the better it gets.

I also remind myself of an old sales mantra "need, help, hurry". Is there a need I can help a client with? If not, move on. If I can, find ways in which I can help them. Then focus on a sense of urgency to close the deal. This mantra keeps it simple for me and has served me well.

bro..really good advice.. "Need, Help, Hurry".. btw what are the basic question you ask for Need & Help?

 

[Daytona_Guy]

I would love to know some simple do's and dont's.

At the risk of going against the grain, my opinion is that preparation eliminates anxiety. When you know exactly what you will say, each time, and you put it out there having confidence in your system, then you eliminate a great deal of worry about what each call's result will be.

I would also caution, though, that I've seen hundreds of agents preparing to get prepared to get ready to think about how they'll get started. So, only spend a predetermined and finite amount of time in the "preparation phase."

When I started my business of selling 100% over the phone, I thought I would prepare by learning as much as I could from other recognized experts in the field of selling by phone. It really did ramp up sales sooner than had I decided to just "wing it."

One such resource was Mike Brook's book and audio program called "Top 20%". See it here. Mike goes over the psychology, rebuttal techniques for any and all objections, and how to develop a script. Some of his information is business-to-business, but translates just as well when calling for individuals.

Another expert with a totally different philosophy on sales is "Smart Calling" by Art Sobczak. I got some nuggets from his material, but not as much as from Mike Brooks.

It will calm your nerves when you know that you've adequately prepared for your task, but again, do not fall into the trap of analysis paralysis.

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
— Benjamin Fanklin

"If the people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all."
— Michelangelo

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe."
— Abraham Lincoln

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
— Seneca

"Nobody's a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better. It's hard to stay on top."
— Paul Coffey
NHL star

"The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare."
— Thane Yost

"It's not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters."
— Paul "Bear" Bryant


.

 

[VaDwayne]

Jeffrey Answers A Question On Cold Calling | Real World Sales Wisdom - YouTube

This guy is a moron. Cold-calling is a great way to start your business and to gain new business. He is obviously a chickensh**.

I will admit that referrals are the way to go and much easier to close, and repeat business is even better but cold-calling helps build a customer base to receive the referrals and repeat business from.

I love people that say it doesn't work because that is just one less person who will piss of the prospect before they hear from me, if I decide to cold-call, which I don't have to do like I did for my first 2 years in the business and it will be 4 years in February,

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

This guy is a moron. Cold-calling is a great way to start your business and to gain new business. He is obviously a chickensh**.

Of course, how foolish of me! People should be comfortable ignoring a world-renowned expert on sales like Gitomer, and listening to your advice instead.

 

[Mick_Keyou]

M&M, I've read several of your posts about your view on cold calling. Is it your opinion that's it's a complete waste of time for all situations or for certain situations?

I agree that referrals should be the focus but that is impossible for someone starting out like myself.

If you were starting out now, where would you invest your time & money?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Let's define cold calling. If you're a noobie, isn't also calling your warm market cold calling? If we define a cold call as any solicitation where the person does not expect your call, then contacting "uncle Jim" or "Bob, your college roommate from 15 years ago" is also a cold call.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Is it your opinion that's it's a complete waste of time for all situations or for certain situations?

Certain situations and products.

I agree that referrals should be the focus but that is impossible for someone starting out like myself.

Impossible? Why?

If you were starting out now, where would you invest your time & money?

Prospecting tactics would depend upon my strategy (product mix, target client, etc.).

 

[fusion]

If you call to just get a sale you might do okay. If you call to establish and build a relationship you'll do great.

If you believe in your product and believe you are helping people and protecting them it should be fairly simple to be there trusted advisor.

Don't worry about "bothering people" as they shouldn't of picked up the phone if they didn't want to be bothered.

Expect a lot of no's but don't give up because you only need a few to say yes each day to be successful.

Sell from the heart and do your prospective clients a favor and provide them with advice no one else will.

 

[Full Throttle]

I remember reading Gitomer books where he preached cold calling just a few years ago. In my opinion, the guy is a hack. Entertaining speaker, but little substance. Some may disagree.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Successful telemarketing has a lot of working parts - most of which are never addressed here.

Some products are easier to telemarket. Some areas are easier to telemarket. Then the number 1 factor that's rarely discussed is the quality of the telemarketer. Someone "phoning it in" (pardon the pun) will do poorly.

For my current business, I tried to save some dough and offered $10/hr. Not really a bad rate of pay but the results were horrible.

I stepped it up to $15/hr and my ad: Telemarketer Wanted and only accepted apps from people with current/recent telemarketing experience.

I hired a lady who does it from her house for a living and most of her campaigns pay $20/$25/hr. She took on my campaign because it didn't involved direct selling.

New results? 3.5 leads per hour and cost per client is $60. That's 4 hours of calls to gain a client.