Cold call reluctance

Do you get cold call reluctance? -Thomas

If I'm not feeling my best or am having what I refer to as a low energy day, I have a lot of reluctance to do cold calling. Sometimes I'm even reluctant to pass out my brochures. I do my best work when I feel good physically and mentally. -ozzie

Call reluctance (fear of failure or fear of rejection) comes in many shapes and forms (stage fright, over-preparing, ...).

IMO, most if not all salespeople encounter call reluctance in one form or another and not just when cold calling. -BossMan

What are the different types of call reluctance? -Thomas

Some days it’s easy, other days it’s way too difficult, on those days I do something else.

It's all about attitude and mindset;co -Tony Dunne

I have a great reluctance to cold calling. Some days I have problems making any sort of call. I find email far easier.

However, I also realize the importance of cold calling in many industries. In a retail gift store, I didn't find it nearly as important a sales tool as I probably should have.

Once I force myself to make cold calls, I find I'm rather good at it, and if I let myself, I actually begin to enjoy it.

In manufactured home brokering, I will be using it quite a bit. I've been thinking quite a bit about various sales tools, and this seems to be one that will likely be extremely effective.

In a retail store in a mall environment, all I had to do was wait for a customer to walk in the store. In bokering manufactured homes, I can't wait and hope that someone will just walk in.

I think I'll be fine with cold calls this time. I have a great confidence in the importance of the service I'll be offering. The biggest difference is I see it as a necessary step in the sales process.

Pam -LadySmith

This may sound too simplistic, but really..... if you don't like cold-calling, don't do it.

After years spent in the recruitment/staffing industry, I always found that if people would allow themselves the freedom to focus on the activities they LOVE doing, their performance sky-rockets.

Yes, cold-calling still needs to get done. But, if you don't like it, partner with someone who does! There are actually people out there who LOVE cold-calling. If you're at your best being in front of people, spend your time doing that instead. -Terri

Don't most people usually find at least one aspect of a job that they don't want to do? -Gilbert

Yes, most people usually find at least one aspect of a job that they don't want to do. That's why most people are not top performers. Most people put in the time for an average performance. My point is to focus on what you love and to surround yourself with others who have complementary strengths. Everyone (you, your colleagues, your clients, your company) wins using a model like this. -Terri

Is this an option in most sales jobs? What would an example be for retail sales? -realtor

Yes, this is an option in most jobs.

For people committed to excellence, the starting point is to have a frank discussion with your team members about your strengths. People usually only know their own strengths and have a vague sense of the strengths in others....in fact.....I think most people expect their bosses to "just know" their strengths. <ahem> They don't.

A frank discussion of strengths will allow everyone on the team to know where they can rely upon each other. If management hasn't hired a team with complementary strengths, there may be some overlap of skills and competenices in some areas and a severe deficiency of skills and competencies in other areas.

If a person wants to rise to the top of their profession in their chosen field, they have to take responsibility for it. The easiest way to do this is to have a "strengths-based discussion". -Terri

Terri,

I agree with many of your statements in theory, however I think it's a bit too simplistic approach.

What about someone like me that will be running a one person business (at least in the very beginning)? I'll have to be chief cook, bottlewasher, and cold call expert. After I do expand to have employees, I'll still have to be able to do cold calling, and understand the mechanics involved in making it an effective sales tool, otherwise, I'll never be able to properly train my employees.

I also think that many times we have no idea of our strengths. Many people make the mistake of basing their strengths and weaknesses on their comfort zone, not on reality. I have a great cold call reluctance because it's outside of my comfort zone. However once I get going, I find I'm rather good at it (even if it continues to be outside of my comfort zone). If I stuck to my reluctance, I'd never consider it a strength. However, as I get into it, and shake off that reluctance, I find it is one of my strength areas. If I'm very honest with myself, it's my reluctance that's the weakness, not the cold calling.

I've worked very hard to access my strengths and weaknesses because in the business I will be starting, I won't have the liberty to hire someone whose strengths complement all of my weaknesses.

My feeling is if I have a perceived weakness I'm not completely willing to overcome, I may as well not jump into this business. I'll have many thousands of dollars of MY money on the line...money, I'm not willing to throw away by refusing doing a very important part of the job to keep in my comfort zone.

Pam -LadySmith

Hi Pam,

First of all, congratulations on your decision to launch your own business! As you have already experienced, it's a ton of work, but so rewarding, don't you think? I absolutely agree that you have to understand the mechanics of something to evaluate whether or not it is working; but understanding the mechanics does not necessarily equate with a top performance.

It is so true that many people do not know their own strengths. Whenever I hear that in my coaching business, I always encourage people to answer three questions:

• Which activities do you look forward to doing?
• What are you naturally inquisitive about?
• Which activities cause you to lose track of time?

I always find that whatever activity you perform where you lose track of time is a fairly good indicator of where your natural abilities lie.

I appreciate your saying that your reluctance is your weakness. Many people feel like that. In North America, we're brought up to believe that we can be anything/achieve anything/do anything with perseverance and pit-bull determination.

I just think.....really......why bother? I know that runs contrary to what societal expectations are.....but that's my opinion.

I don't believe in boundaries or limitations. While cash-flow when starting a business is tight and can certainly prevent you from HIRING someone, there are creative ways to get around that obstacle. Joint Ventures, Partnerships, commission-based relationships, etc, etc. In fact, I am personally talking to a company that outsources their sales team. The deal I'm going for is to have them do it, but as a JV partner. No cash out of my pocket.....we'll just share in the profits. Cross your fingers for me!

I guess, my bottom-line business philosophy is that we all do a better job when we're engaged in activities that use our strengths. My business is an online training company......and guess what? I don't know ANYTHING about website development or html coding. What I do know how to do, is make creative win-win situations for people that I partner with. I have been blessed with a terrific webmaster who is supremely patient, flexible and knowledgable. At this point, I will not sacrific my short-term goals to learn about web development. I plan to "understand the mechanics" of it soon, but not just yet.

I actually wrote an e-book that I distribute for free and speak about building strength-based teams. Anyone who is interested can download it at http://www.SellingADifference.com.

Best wishes to you, Pam, as you develop and grow your business!

-Terri -Terri

When possible... accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives. ;) -Jolly Roger

Do you have an examples of this being used in retail sales Terri? -realtor

I don't see how that would apply to a retail sales position Realtor unless you could work out an arrangement with a co-worker that management didn't have a problem with. -Jolly Roger

The poll results are interesting. So everyone feels reluctance to cold calling?

I dont know if I should be pleased that there are others out there like me or quite scared that we are all doing something that we dislike! LOL!

Seriously, I know that once I just get on with the job I can do it and do it well. My problem has always been getting started. There are always so many other things that need my attention during the day and I find myself drifting into those rather than getting on with it.:dun -Julian

I'd think that many if not most sales people aren't excited about picking up the phone to call a stranger especially if the salesperson beileves the end result will most likely be negative.crp1; -Calvin