The Way To Make Cold Calling Painless
I think this will actually add something to the discussion.
For a few decades I sold in people's homes and then in businesses. Cold calling by phone (to set appointments) or in person was always part of the prospecting...even when I had enough referrals. Cold calling finds you the easy sales, and also finds you business that just using referrals never would.
I was pretty good at personal cold calling. But I never enjoyed it. Never.
And so I did what all of us do...drank another cup of coffee, checked our e-mail one more time...drove around the block to "find a better parking spot". All of it. I could write a book on excuses.
One day I figured out my One Pushup Theory. And everything changed. I still hate the idea of cold calling. But I do it (I even speak about it). and this is what gets me to call people every day.
Here is my One Pushup Theory.
Have you ever decided to start a great exercise program? One that will change everything for you? Let's say that program is to do 100 pushups every morning. Every day.
But you put it off. "Tomorrow I'll start!". Why? Because 100 pushups is a ton of work.
So you tell yourself "I'll only do one pushup today". What's different? One pushup is nothing. So you may as well do it now.
So you change into your sweat clothes, get on the floor, and get into pushup position. And you do one pushup.
But you know what happens? You're already in your exercise clothes. You are already in pushup position. One pushup didn't tire you out.
So you feel like a damn fool if you don't do another. And you end up doing 30 pushups. "Hey, that felt pretty good!"..and you do more.
And the next day you think "Well, I'm only going to do one pushup today"
For years, I dreaded cold calling. Not fear, but I just never enjoyed the idea of it. While I was actually doing it, I was fine.
So I would start my day thinking "I'm going to call until I talk to one person on the phone. Just one" And of course, that's nothing.
So I would sit down, pick up the phone and make calls until I talked to one person. They didn't yell at me, I didn't die, it was painless. And then I'd feel like a fool if I stopped after one call. So I'd just keep going.
I even trained salespeople how to cold call...knocking on doors, using the phone. I never told anyone about my little mental game.
After all, I can't tell someone I'm training that "I just hate the thought of doing this"
This works.
Years after I figured this out, I had a salesman working for me selling vacuum cleaners in people's homes. He was in a sales contest. 16 sales in the month and he got a huge bonus. It was December 31. About 6PM. There was a blizzard. He came into my office with his tale of "I only need one more sale, but I won't get it...Will you let me make it next week and still count it?" (Well, NO.)
I said "Get your coat. We are going to go out and knock on one door...just one". And one door is just nothing. So we put on our coats and drove a few blocks to a nice street. In the dark. In a blizzard, On December 31st.
Well, it took eight doors. But he got his sale.
This is real. I really think this way. Now, I cold call to book speaking gigs.
"Today I'm going to make one call. Talk to one trade association. Then back to writing that book". Two hours later, I've booked a speaking gig.
Now, I can usually just start dialing without the mental games. But some days I frankly don't feel like it. So I just sit down to make that one call.
I hope this helps someone.
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What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?