http://www.sellingwithoutwrestling.com/psychyourselfupebook.pdf
one of the most useful psyche-up books out there, and FREE!
one of the most useful psyche-up books out there, and FREE!
Prospecting Phone Calls
- Thread starter insuresu
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insuresu
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Thanks for your input
One of my first sales jobs was a financial advisor for Mass, I now own a software business but one of the things I'll never forget when I was starting out is a lesson I learned from my Fiance who has never sold a single thing in her life.
I was very young, hated calling, hated calling referrals and cold leads just hated it, and I said to my Fiance "I'm not making the money I want to make, If I don't make more money I'm going to back to my old business and grow that"
I'll never forget she looked at me and said "I mean, Max, you just need to make more calls, we both know you barely make any calls"
I didn't know what to say, I laughed because she was right I always had an excuse.
The truth is if you can't make some calls on a very subconscious level you aren't sold on your own product. I'm not saying you have to make 200 per day but if you can't find 3 hours a day to call referrals and cold leads and get good at it your just not sold on what your selling and you need to figure out why.
I was very young, hated calling, hated calling referrals and cold leads just hated it, and I said to my Fiance "I'm not making the money I want to make, If I don't make more money I'm going to back to my old business and grow that"
I'll never forget she looked at me and said "I mean, Max, you just need to make more calls, we both know you barely make any calls"
I didn't know what to say, I laughed because she was right I always had an excuse.
The truth is if you can't make some calls on a very subconscious level you aren't sold on your own product. I'm not saying you have to make 200 per day but if you can't find 3 hours a day to call referrals and cold leads and get good at it your just not sold on what your selling and you need to figure out why.
Various ways of dealing with call reluctance:
-Points Systems like OCS
-Rewards Systems (golf on friday)
-Snowball Activity System (do very small number of calls and let the momentum build)
-Pomodoro Technique, break every x minutes
-Put leechblock on your browser
-Stand Up with Headset, get energetic
-Have a Mirror nearby to smile into to track your emotional body language
-Find someone to be accountable to and get them involved (sometimes you need another boss/boot up the ass)
-Play the White Knight and see how many people you rescue from low rates/inferior products/bad seevice
-put put in office set-up or nerf basket ball
-Psych Up Music before calls like this lol https://youtu.be/oomCIXGzsR0
-Vision Boards and Goal Setting (dont laugh)
-Picture of your kids/family next to a 3rd world starving kids picture, like this: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Disturbing Truths/afghan_children_poor.jpg (randomly picked google pic)
-Points Systems like OCS
-Rewards Systems (golf on friday)
-Snowball Activity System (do very small number of calls and let the momentum build)
-Pomodoro Technique, break every x minutes
-Put leechblock on your browser
-Stand Up with Headset, get energetic
-Have a Mirror nearby to smile into to track your emotional body language
-Find someone to be accountable to and get them involved (sometimes you need another boss/boot up the ass)
-Play the White Knight and see how many people you rescue from low rates/inferior products/bad seevice
-put put in office set-up or nerf basket ball
-Psych Up Music before calls like this lol https://youtu.be/oomCIXGzsR0
-Vision Boards and Goal Setting (dont laugh)
-Picture of your kids/family next to a 3rd world starving kids picture, like this: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Disturbing Truths/afghan_children_poor.jpg (randomly picked google pic)
- 11,277
One's mindset towards prospecting is key to your success.
Sometimes, when I read about 'prospecting', it regresses my psyche by turning us into cavemen or other neanderthals... particularly with phrases like "you eat what you kill" or "a sale is made on every call - either you sell them on why they should, or they sell you on why they can't."
The truth is... I HATE prospecting. When I think of the word prospecting, I think of a gold miner. However, if one finds gold, you don't need the gold's consent to dig it out. It's just there. You dig through dirt and you pick it up.
When I think of prospecting, I often think of hunting. However, you don't ask the animal for their consent before killing it. You just kill it. But human beings are not animals to be hunted.
When I think of prospecting, I often think of fishing. However, you use a lure and bait to deceive the fish into biting it so you can have the fish. But human beings will see through any deception on your part.
With these analogies, it removes the professionalism and the respect for others. I don't know how to make a sale without gaining consent and buy-in from another person, do you? Plus, it implies that selling is a "win/lose" proposition - that I will win and you will lose. I am a civilized professional, and I don't like thinking that I have to revert to being a caveman in order to succeed in selling something as complex as insurance & financial planning. Kind of like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities. I'd rather pass on that.
So yes, I hate "prospecting". So I don't do it by thinking of it in that way. I call it something else.
I call it "surveying" and I am a "surveyor".
- To me, it conveys a sense that I'm out to ask questions (at least 1) and that I will LISTEN to the other person answer my question.
- I'm not looking for "my next kill". I'm looking for a potential advisor/client relationship. That involves asking questions, listening, and some negotiation skills. You don't need that when prospecting for gold, hunting, or fishing.
- If I hear a no, it's not taken personally because my motives were to see if there was potential for a relationship. It's not like I was all psyched up to reach my goals and every no is saying 'NO SALE FOR YOU!' or 'NO DREAMS FOR YOU!' I'm just surveying those I call or door-knock and let the cards fall where they may.
If we can take the 'savageness' out of the mindset of salespeople, we'll elevate the profession AND attract to us more business because of our personal professionalism.
----------
So, stop thinking about "Wall Street" with 'money never sleeps pal', or "Glengarry, Glen Ross" and needing 'brass ones'.
Professionally introduce yourself, who you are and what you do, and ask them if that sounds like something that would be worth sitting down and talking about. Treat every answer as 'feedback', not 'success/failure'. Just collect results and stop judging yourself as you collect every single result. Wait until the end of the day to evaluate.
Sometimes, when I read about 'prospecting', it regresses my psyche by turning us into cavemen or other neanderthals... particularly with phrases like "you eat what you kill" or "a sale is made on every call - either you sell them on why they should, or they sell you on why they can't."
The truth is... I HATE prospecting. When I think of the word prospecting, I think of a gold miner. However, if one finds gold, you don't need the gold's consent to dig it out. It's just there. You dig through dirt and you pick it up.
When I think of prospecting, I often think of hunting. However, you don't ask the animal for their consent before killing it. You just kill it. But human beings are not animals to be hunted.
When I think of prospecting, I often think of fishing. However, you use a lure and bait to deceive the fish into biting it so you can have the fish. But human beings will see through any deception on your part.
With these analogies, it removes the professionalism and the respect for others. I don't know how to make a sale without gaining consent and buy-in from another person, do you? Plus, it implies that selling is a "win/lose" proposition - that I will win and you will lose. I am a civilized professional, and I don't like thinking that I have to revert to being a caveman in order to succeed in selling something as complex as insurance & financial planning. Kind of like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities. I'd rather pass on that.
So yes, I hate "prospecting". So I don't do it by thinking of it in that way. I call it something else.
I call it "surveying" and I am a "surveyor".
- To me, it conveys a sense that I'm out to ask questions (at least 1) and that I will LISTEN to the other person answer my question.
- I'm not looking for "my next kill". I'm looking for a potential advisor/client relationship. That involves asking questions, listening, and some negotiation skills. You don't need that when prospecting for gold, hunting, or fishing.
- If I hear a no, it's not taken personally because my motives were to see if there was potential for a relationship. It's not like I was all psyched up to reach my goals and every no is saying 'NO SALE FOR YOU!' or 'NO DREAMS FOR YOU!' I'm just surveying those I call or door-knock and let the cards fall where they may.
If we can take the 'savageness' out of the mindset of salespeople, we'll elevate the profession AND attract to us more business because of our personal professionalism.
----------
So, stop thinking about "Wall Street" with 'money never sleeps pal', or "Glengarry, Glen Ross" and needing 'brass ones'.
Professionally introduce yourself, who you are and what you do, and ask them if that sounds like something that would be worth sitting down and talking about. Treat every answer as 'feedback', not 'success/failure'. Just collect results and stop judging yourself as you collect every single result. Wait until the end of the day to evaluate.
- 318
Treat every answer as feedback. I like that. I mean, I know already that's what it is, but I don't usually think of it that way consciously.
- 11,277
The other thing to remember about 'no'... is that it almost has NOTHING to do with you.
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