Why You Hate Cold Calling But Can Change: The Myths Exposed and Truths Revealed

in Prospecting, Resources I Recommend

Most sales reps hate prospecting by phone. Part of the reason is that they believe some of the many myths that have been perpetuated over the years about cold calling.  Most of these are nonsense, and just plain wrong. Perhaps you’ve heard them:

Cold Calling Myth: “It’s just a numbers game.”

Smart Calling™ Truth: It’s a quality game. It does not matter how many calls you place; what’s important is the amount with which you have success. A baseball player could swing at every pitch, but only the quality attempts have a chance of hitting the ball. Casino games are numbers games; sales and prospecting is a quality game.


Cold Calling Myth:
“For every no you get, you’re that much closer to a yes.”

Smart Calling™ Truth: You are no closer to a yes unless you are doing the right things to get the yes. The previous “no” has absolutely no bearing on your next call. Activity solely for the sake of activity does not get you closer to success.


Cold Calling Myth:
“You need to love rejection to be successful at prospecting.”

Smart Calling™ Truth: You want to avoid “rejection.” It is a state of mind based on how you react to what happens to you.  I’m not a psychologist, but I would say it is impossible to love “rejection,” unless you have some type of mental illness.  You can get a “win” on every call — even when you get a no. For example, you can plant a seed for the future, or simply keep the door open for a future contact.

Cold Calling Myth: “The telephone is just for setting an appointment.”

Smart Calling™ Truth: Salespeople are using the telephone can to SELL every type of product or service. Limiting oneself by getting off of a call too early unnecessarily lengthens the sales process. Indeed, your sales model might involve a face-to-face visit, but that visit will always be more productive if you take your call further.

Cold Calling Myth: “Never give the screener any information.”

Smart Calling™ Truth: The screener may in fact be a decision maker, or at least an influencer, and needs to be treated like the buyer. Trying to go around or above an assistant, and being evasive labels the sales rep as a cheesy buffoon, and simply intensifies the screener’s resolve.


Don’t buy into the long time, false beliefs about telephone prospecting. Prospect professionally, the Smart Calling™ way, and you’ll make your calling easier, more fun, and successful. Get the book right now. Or, if you still need convincing, read the testimonials, go to amazon and see what even more sales pros have said. If you call for new business, this will change your sales life. http://www.Smart-Calling.com/launch.html

 

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

John Stith June 3, 2010 at 10:32 am

I agree completely. I’ve seen too many cases myself where a lead list is just a bunch of names and nothing comes out of it. Someone else can take the same list and apply their own higher quality standards and turn it into gold. It is absolutely about quality each and every call!! I’d even say it would be worth a company’s time to invest in a good quality program to help their team improve.

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Autumn Albright March 14, 2012 at 1:14 pm

I agree as well. I have seen truth in each of these tips in my cold calling days. Now I sit on the other side of the phone and receive the calls. It is fun listening to the bad sales pitches and I have recommended to a few to check out Art’s site.

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