Standing Tall while “Cold-Calling”

• I often hear people grudging cold calling. Its human nature … nothing out of the ordinary!!! Every human seeks comfort within the ’known’. Venturing out into the unknown & speaking to a stranger with a high probability of being rejected is brave enough! Leave alone making a positive impression, getting his attention, then influencing the person and actually selling something – wow!
• Cold calling is NOT easy and lets be frank, I have not met many people who have raved about how much they ENJOY cold calling! Meet new people – absolutely yes, meet them and sell them something – not many takers!
• After all the whining settles down lets get the baseline right – cold calling is a must & every successful sales person goes through the grind as they build their turf and throughout their tenure they set aside some time for cold calling.
• Irrespective of how rich your pipeline or account list is, it is wise to protect your territory against tangible and intangible risks. The best way to do it is by GROWING it – I cannot think of any other better way than constant cold calling
• Now that I have smudged you with the reality, let me also give you some good news! Cold calling actually becomes easier (& even challenging and fun) as you gain in experience and have some wins under your belt. The quicker you learn the skills & garner the wins the quicker the fun begins – so its good to pick up the tips!
• Start with the premise that it is okay to be fearful of doing something! Going ahead despite the fear is what bravery is all about!
• The basic human fear that comes into play is the fear of rejection. Plan your effort in such a way that you stay clear of rejection as much as possible
• Do your home work – choose your target prospect profile based on all available data regarding the typical customer of your product or service. Seek advice & guidance as needed
• Identify prospects who can be introduced to you by an existing customer – this will make things a little easier
• Learn your stuff. You should be able to articulate your offering well enough to earn your prospect’s attention and subsequently his trust & respect. This will help cement a relationship & will make the journey ahead easier
• Make your prospect comfortable – drive a dialog instead of a monolog. Get to know the person – the likes & dislikes, current challenges, goals, personal wins, concerns/risks, needs. The more you know, the stronger your position will be
• Be sensitive to your prospect’s time or the lack of it. He should want to meet you again – not get rid of you
• Do not spill your entire value proposition in the first meeting – keep some goodies for subsequent encounters
• Work towards building him a solution that addresses his problems rather than trying to sell him a product
• If through your interaction you determine that the prospect genuinely does not have a need for what you have to offer at the time you approach him – acknowledge it, let him know and walk away. Stay in touch and be assured that you will be contacted when the time is right
• These are the cold calling beliefs that shaped me – not that I specifically loved doing it, but nevertheless I did it, very seldom got rejected and built long term relationships that serve me even today.
• Knowing how to deal with the unknown, turning virtual strangers into trusting customers and friends slowly grows on you! It gets to the point where it begins to actually tickle you & challenge you. All the while helping you build the strong platform of self confidence on which your successful professional career will stand!
• Stuff we try to avoid are not all that bad after all!