Cold calling anxiety

I wished I had said this first David, I couldn't agree more.

I have taught a lot of sales students in the past and I struggled for some years in my own sales endeavors with "just making the call." (Phone or on foot.) I still do struggle a little if I don't have a plan, and my plan includes scripting every thing and I mean everything by the numbers. Even if I have done it 1000's of times.

Now using the internet more in my sales and marketing I even script my audios and videos. When I don't they end up a mess! I script sales copy. How I produce a web site, how I do SEO and so on. Warriors this is how the people in this business that you look up to, the big names, do it. Those that are always looking for a secret, that is it. That's the plan. If anyone wants to argue it, go ahead but your argument will not hold water.

You may not have a complete plan from scratch for yours sales operation but spend a little time at first and make an outline. Make presentation materials, flip charts, use white boards, brochures, ipads,and etc. Always when on a call have something to show the client that they can follow along with.

It gets more of their 5 sense gates to function. It also gives you a track to run on and also keeps you on that track.

Use sales aides the same way any master craftsman uses their tools. They are not crutches but if you need a crutch to get you going they will do that too.

I'm sure David is extremely successful because he knows better than to try and wing it. The next time you fly do you want your pilot just to wing it? Or your DR. to just wing it? I could go on but you should be getting the point.

The best benefit of having a script and a toolbox full of sales aides however is not what it will do for your prospect/customer but it is what it will do for and to you. It will give you confidence. When you are sitting there looking at your phone that is really what you are lacking. When you are sitting in the prospects lot in your car and looking at the door that is what you need, confidence.

I obviously could go on, but if you get it, I don't have to. If you don't go way back up to the top starting with David and read to here again. If you still don't get it, my contact info is provided. Ask for help or maybe just a vote of confidence. And yeah even we Old Dogs sometimes need to do that also.

This ain't rocket science folks! Just go do it, you're not alone....

ld Dog...



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Well, I guess I am not alot of help....I have made one call this morning and now reading the forum too (LOL).

I am not a "phone" person for any reason, so it takes some self talk to get me motivated to call. My goal is just to find out of they offer their employees health insurance, but goodness it is still difficult for me.

HAHAHA who are you?

I don't see how hanging up after they say they are not interested is putting in a negative state of mind. When I say okay thanks goodbye they are already gone most of the time.

Your completely MISREADING what I wrote. I don't hang up on them so I can say I made my calls and did my work to my boss. I AM THE FREAKIN BOSS! Sales Source (in the sig) is MY company I OWN it.

I close 40% of my sales appointments. For my industry that's above average.

But when I used to cold call for myself (I havn't in a long time) why would I stay on the phone with someone who isn't interested even for a second longer?

I know anytime there is a thread like this (rarely are there interesting and appropriate threads of late) there are always a few who will argue the point that any real professional will use a script when cold calling. It should even be used for referrals because they haven't heard what you know either.

The counterpoints are almost always identical to the above and almost always say, "I'm rarely at a loss for words" and that's fine and may well be true. I get many calls from that kind of salesperson who is also at no loss for words. The problem is that their words follow no organized train of thought.

They yammer away on the phone as if their goal is to let me know they are not a typical salesperson, because they want to be my friend. They have no real understanding of the sales process and are anxious to prove they are better than what the believe is a typical salesperson.

Their ease with words almost always lead to inappropriate remarks. They rarely make a sale on the first few calls but feel good because they believe they've established a relationship and believe that the prospect thinks highly of them since their main objective is to establish the fact that they are not a typical salesperson.

They may eventually make a sale, but it's often because the prospect feels sorry for them. I have many associates who have told me they feel sorry for salespeople who have so few friends they have a need to make friends with every prospect they call.

Like most business people, I'm busy and I have friends of my choosing. I find nothing horrific about what many here refer to as a "typical salesperson" and have little respect for those that think it shows more intelligence and professionalism to be unlike a salesman.

This business of not appearing as a salesperson has also been a subject of many threads and the fact of the matter is that the most successful people in the world are salespeople. Now I'm sure there's someone champing (yes its champing not chomping) to write a post about Bernie Madoff....problem there is Bernie ripped off his friends and people wanted to be his friends. Greed is powerful no doubt.

Enough time has been spent on this forum trying to get people of this mindset to understand the value of sales and salespeople. But people of this mindset will never recognize this as fact. Those times when I feel like I shouldn't bother, I realize there are a few people who are struggling with sales may gain some insight. It's for those people that I and some others like Old Dog will continue to write and offer help.

I think it's interesting how threads like this so easily get off point. As I understand it, the op was asking how others of us who include cold calling in our marketing strategy, deal with the common problem of lack of motivation to stay on the phone or get on the phone. In addition, how do we break away from many of the nonproductive time wasters that make the problem worse.

The idea was not to find other ways to find business. Of course there are other ways to find business, most of us are fully aware of them, and most likely many of us employ them.

Inevitabley, someone pops in letting us know that they don't like to cold call, never will cold call, think very little of people who cold call, etc.

I realize that I may have opened up another can of worms here, but if someone can give me an intelligent reason as to the value of posts that berate and belittle a long standing and proven method of marketing, I'll glady back off.

But if the purpose of this forum is to share ideas and offer help, the least we can do is keep the posts within these threads on topic.

Oh, you mean you wanted us to stick to the point of the thread?

The simplest of solutions is to lock yourself in a room with nothing but your list and a phone. Got a wife or a girlfriend? Give them the key.

Are you motivated more by rewards or punishments?

Tie your performance to the more motivating of the two.

Wanna go extreme?

Pre-sign a check for a given amount.

Leave the payee blank.

Hand the check to someone who cares enough about you to not buy into your BS.

If you meet your goal IN THE ALLOTTED TIME, you get the check back... best to spend it on something rewarding.

Don't meet your goal?

The check goes to someone or something you HATE.

You pro-life? Miss the mark, and the check goes to Planned Parenthood.

Right-winger? Barack Obama Re0election fund.

Like women's rights, do ya? Check goes to Larry Flynt.

Animal rights fanatic? Check goes for a product that's tested on animals.

You get the point.

Hi TrumpiaTim,
I'm the original poster and I'm sorry to see this turn into one long soliloquy after another.

I'm not scared. I asked about occasional performance anxiety. And I'm selling your white label service.