B2B cold calling

This is great advice!

I currently do 4-6 hours per day depending on how I feel and whether I'm strictly cold calling, calling customers or both.

Regarding "feeling a 10", I don't think it's realistic to set expectations like that. We're only human and some days are going to be better than others. If I'm really feeling crummy I won't touch my regular customers. I recommend trying to cold call on bad days for a couple hours anyway. It's a proven fact that if you force yourself to smile you can actually change your mood. Also, it can be a big boost if you get a sale during that stretch. I've had days where I'd get to work and wonder "how am I possibly going to do this today?" Uh, that was usually hungover. I'm so glad I don't do that anymore. lol

Anyway, I'd force myself to just start "smiling and dialing" and the next thing I know I'd pull a rabbit out of the hat and have a productive day. Not always, but much of the time.

There've also been days where I'd hammer the phone for 5-6 hours, not sell anything, call it a day and a little while later the phone would start ringing with people calling me to place an order. My old boss used to say "activity breeds activity" and he was 100% right.

That being said, we can make ourselves feel better by consistently treating it like a business and getting proper rest. That means having regular bedtime and wake up hours. At least a few minutes of stretching and exercise before you begin can really help reduce stress and help you get your blood pumping.

Yep. I keep the clock out of sight. It can become a distraction if it's in plain view. I just print out a list of prospects, pick up the phone and start dialing. I have a few browser windows open on my computer to my main supplier sites, the two most popular product pricing spreadsheets and one of the most popular sites in my niche (they offer everything) that I can use for quickly referencing stuff that my primary suppliers don't offer.

Side Note: Although these guys are competitors I also do a lot of business with them. They buy in huge volume and I can get certain items from them cheaper than buying direct.

Exactly. I almost always spend at least 5-10 minutes chatting with my regular customers each month, sometimes much more. I try to ask as many qualifying questions as possible with new prospects as well so I can get to know them a bit and target their needs better before I go into a presentation.

Anyway, HTH.

Aside from things like exercise and meditation which I do weekly anyway, I find that nothing prepares you more for calling than actually picking up the phone.

There has been so many times when I have felt like crap and not wanting to make the calls but I pushed through and ended up feeling fantastic. Not feeling like making calls is not a valid reason IMO. Waiting to feel good or not discouraged is like waiting to feel motivated or inspired, this is putting the cart before the horse.

More motivation leads to more energy which leads to more motivation that pushes you forward. In other words, you need to start the task first before you can expect your motivation to keep you going.

You start off slow, very slow. Celebrate each conversation you have and push each call a little beyond what you are comfortable with in your present state of mind.

The key is to find enjoyment out of a 30 second conversation. It seems almost delusional, but you are building momentum to put yourself into a flow state of peak performance.

Because you are entitled to the process but not the result.

The flow state contains your best mental faculties when there is a big enough challenge for you to activate it. If it's too hard or too easy you won't be able to tap into that unconscious competence. This is why we build our emotional state in a calling session deliberately and slowly, one step at a time.

We make sure not to let negativity in and focus on just doing the process. This is where meditation helps because it forces you to be present even in the face of uncomfortable emotions, boredom, physical pain etc. Meditation and cold calling builds your prefrontal cortex like a muscle that governs your willpower and mental tenacity to keep moving forward.

Lowering your expectations of success, staying focused and celebrating each result regardless of outcome is what breeds excellence and a positive association to cold calling.

I am a programmer so usually I am focused on code : so shouldn't be better in my case to find a sales for this purpose or reserve Friday for cold calls?

I would like to know how many times (after the first cold call) you have to call them? I am planning to apply a similar approach where the first contact is through linkedin then I will also have call them normally just once.

Certain approaches are very specific to the market you're working in, the cost of the item or service you're providing, the type of individual you're speaking to and more. There isn't really a "one pitch fits all" approach in telemarketing. If that were the case there'd only be one script that everybody in every industry used, right?

I've sold several different products and services in both the B2B and B2C markets, but mostly B2B. Some scripts can be similar, but I'm not always going to approach a dentist the same way I approach an owner in a blue collar industry, the same way I approach a homeowner, etc.

The ticket size of the product or products you're selling can make a difference in your approach as well.

My point is that we're not all in the same markets and there are going to be differences in how we do business.

I hope that makes sense? Not everyone here is in the "sell website services to business owners" niche, though it seems like most people are.

People that are established in what they're doing should stick to what works for them. Others that are new to telemarketing should find a mentor that is successful teaching the style that best suits their industry.

My two bits.