The Top 10 Ideas for Overcoming Call Reluctance

By Keith Hicks / Rudder Business Coaching, Rogers

 

Few people enjoy prospecting, or “cold calling.” Yet, prospecting for clients is critical to success. Here are 10 ideas to help you mine this mother lode for solid prospecting rewards.

 

1. Focus on the client. Sales are built on relationships. Studies have shown that people can tell when a salesperson is more interested in his/her agenda than in their well-being. That’s a big turn-off. Set aside your agenda and focus on your client.

 

2. Turn off Voice Two. Voice Two is our judgmental self, which mistrusts us to do the right thing, whispering negative messages to us. In the other ear is Voice One, the real us, with all of our potential to do great things. You can't let Voice Two take over, causing you to out-think yourself at every turn. One way to silence it is to wrap yourself up in your clients and their needs.

 

3. Then again, you might not be able to help them. You are setting yourself up for failure if you expect that everyone you talk to needs what you have. There are scores of reasons people don't respond as you would like, and none of them has to do with who you are. Move on. Look for those relative few who do need your product or service.

 

4. Know your numbers. In every business, there are percentages you can count on and averages that work over time. How many calls does it take to get an interview? How many interviews to get a sale? What is the average sale worth in dollars to you? How many sales does it take to reach your income target? Know your numbers, then work them.

 

5. Set goals. There are two kinds of goals: results goals and behavior goals. You want and need results goals, such as your income target for the year. But even more importantly, you need behavior goals. To reach your results goals, what behaviors must you engage in this month, this week and today to succeed?

 

6. Pay yourself every day. Once you know your numbers (see #4), you will know the average worth of every contact. Every time you make a call, write down that dollar amount and keep track of your daily totals. They may not be paychecks, but they are promises to pay that you know will be redeemed in time.

 

7. Reward yourself for actions. One issue with prospecting is that the payoff seems so far in the future. Begin rewarding yourself in small ways whenever you reach your daily behavior target. One insurance broker increased his business more than 350 percent in the first year when he rewarded himself for reaching his 20-call target each day. Focusing on the reward takes the mind off the pain.

 

8. Visualize success. Visualization has been proven to be powerful whether playing a sport, practicing a proposal or making a sales pitch. Seeing is believing. When we create pictures of successful actions, we are more inclined to achieve that success.

 

9. Work the fertile fields. Which neighborhoods, social/economic areas or age groups are best for what you sell? Which groups are you most comfortable working with? Not everyone can be comfortable trying to list and sell million-dollar homes. Know yourself; know the marketplace.

 

10. Know your values. When the going gets tough, it helps to remember “why” you do what you do. What is your purpose? Is what you do in harmony with your values? If the answer is “yes,” it is much easier to pull up your socks and get back into the game.

 

Keith Hicks is a Licensed Professional Business Coach with the PBCA, is CEO of Rudder Business Coaching, and has 20-plus years of relevant business experience that includes positions in large CPG companies and as an officer in the U.S. Navy and Air Force Reserve. E-mail your comments to keith.hicks@rudderbusinesscoaching.com or via the website www.rudderbusinesscoaching.com.