Cold calling doesn't work... when you do not know what you're doing!

Cold calling works. That has been shown time and time again. Yet so many salespeople say the opposite. Why do you think that is? -Seth

Fear of the unknown, IN MY OPINION.

Aloha.... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

Fear of the unknown like talking to strangers or not knowing what to do? -Seth

In my opinion, take your pick. FEAR. Fear of rejection. Fear of confronting strangers. Fear of not knowing what to do... aka being unprepared. My collegue in AFLAC says that there are only two reasons people are unsuccessful in sales... 1) Failure to Launch and 2) Failure to Follow up.

As simplistic as this is, I sorta agree with him. Positive mental attitude means taking the first step. Getting Started. Making that first call, the first thousand even. Not being prepared. Not having a script to follow. Not being prepared for stalls, objections, or inquiries. Failure to Launch.

Failure to follow up. That pretty much is self explanatory, and in sales there are acres of diamonds that are not dug up because of no follow up.

Fear of success. I've heard that before, and I think I've even seen it in action, people who for inexplicable reason get started then become mired in quicksand.

Lots of fears out there. Positive mental attitude, on the other hand, ignores the fears to the extent that they immobilize the individual, and says, "Ok... yes I'm afraid, yes, I'm scared, yes, I'm uncomfortable, but like any muscle, you can only strengthen it if you excercise it, so here goes.... "knock knock"....

Aloha... shds; ;bg -rattus58

I agree with your slant on the subject, Tom, but I have never bought into the notion of "fear of success." I realize full well that it became a pop psychology buzz term but I don't believe the concept holds up.

Somebody--mighta been me--asked this forum quite a while ago if anybody had that fear. Nobody raised their virtual hands. -Ace Coldiron

Hi Ace...

I realize that fear of success might be really meaning something else, but I don't know what you call someone who gets started, makes the right moves, breaks into the backfield than slows down enough that he gets stopped before the endzone.

I've seen salesmen get into the business, make calls, make sales then sit around and drink coffee gloating over their "successes", which I encourage... maybe not the gloating part, but feel rewarded, accept that feeling, learn to love that feeling, savor it, and become addicted to that feeling... but no... they become addicted to the coffee instead... I don't know what it is... but if it's not fear of success it's certainly an aversion to it.... :dun

Aloha... Tom... shds; ;bg -rattus58

It's often--not always--an Underlying Commitment that conflicts with, or appears to be obstructed by progress in a given area.

The fact that those internal commitments seldom rise to the surface often causes speculation. "Fear of success" is a neat and quick label but as a diagnosis, it doesn't segue to a cure. If a person has the ability, or outside help, to sort out their priorities, there is a very good chance that he/she will move forward.

I'm not playing psychologist here, but I've seen many situations such as I describe. A common "underlying commitment" has to do with feeling the need to be completely accepted by less talented, or less motivated peers. Sales expert, trainer, and author Joe Girard spoke of not joining "the club." It's similar to gifted adolescents in school who refuse to show their gifts for Fear of Rejection. -Ace Coldiron

Hi Ace... :)

I think that Joe Girard was also saying, get off your butt, don't "hang" with the unmotivated. I've not ever met someone who was gifted but wanted to fit in and so "dumbed down" or ran with less creative or disciplined I don't think.

Those of whom you speak are not those of who I speak. I speak of people that seem get started successfully then for some reason just stop doing what they need to do.

I'm sure that those of such that you speak can use help that will over time help to motivate them towards success and maybe give them the self confidence that a Dale Carnegie Course gave me as a young teenager.

Aloha... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

Fear of success in my eyes is fear of what you think will happen if you succeed. An example might be that because of your success you will need to spend more time away from your family to maintain your new position. -Seth

Putting one's family ahead of a new position sounds more like priorities than fear. -Ace Coldiron

Who fears the consequences of change brought about by success? Bad health...a tumor...financial meltdown, divorce...etc....but success?? I don't think so.

So long as some people attribute their failure to the fashionable excuses, those same people will continue to fail.

A lot of people fail because they either won't get off their rear end or they've got their brain turned off. Nothing to do with fear. -Ace Coldiron

In answer to the original post. . . . .Do salespeople REALLY say that cold calling doesn't work?

Or is it a bit more like . . .well it obviously works for SOME people.....but just not for me?

Bad cold calling certainly doesn't work.

But if the salesperson gets as many of the 'success factors' going as they can then they will see big improvements.

The success factors are:

1. How do they dress? Is it appropriate for their market/product/environment? How many salespeople even consider this aspect. I think virtually none of them....and yet it is of the utmost importance when you are cold calling.

2. Manner. What is the correct manner during the approach. Does it fit with the appearance? Is your demeanour fitting with your appearance and situation? If you are selling plumbing supplies to plumbers....how should you dress and act?

3. The words that you use. Do the words you use fit with the other 2 factors? The old song says two out of three aint bad. In sales two out of three is a disaster. -helisell

One reason many salespeople think cold-calling doesn't work is that they believe the abundance of so-called "experts" claiming it doesn't. These "experts" tell people what they want to hear, such as "decision makers hate cold calls, it has a low success rate, it's ineffective... buy my program instead, so you won't have to face any rejection, you poor thing..." -John Tabita

This thread appears to have ran its course. I am going to close it down. -Jeff Blackwell