Know Who You' Re Calling

Business, Sales.

How to get past call reluctance and make your calls more profitable - getting past call reluctance is one of the keys to successful cold calling. The three main causes of cold calling reluctance are lack of a plan, attitude and fear of rejection. Understand what' s causing the reluctance and work on a solution.

Cold Calling Tip# 1: Have A Plan. - know who you' re calling. Planning is a key to success in anything you do in sales. Write a thumbnail sketch of the people you' re calling. How old are they, what kind of work do they do, where do they live, and what kind of challenges do they have. What I mean is get specific about the group of prospects in your target market. The better picture you get of who you' re calling the better you' ll understand and relate to them.

Why are you in sales and what benefit does your product or service bring to your target market? - the second part of this cold calling tip is know what the big picture is for you. Decide what your objective is for the call, name, get the appointment, etc. Have a written script that tells you exactly what you' ll say. Plan out what you' re going to say. Know what objections may arise during the conversation and how to handle each one. It' s not just picking up the phone and hoping for the best.

Understand how and when to close. - put your plan on paper so you can see it and internalize it and your cold calling success rate will increase. Improve your attitude and you' ll improve your results. Cold Calling Tip# 2: What' s With Your Attitude? I' ve seen a dramatic difference in my phone success based on my attitude. When I' m feeling good, my success on the phone goes up. When my attitude is bad, people are less receptive and my success rate goes down.

I guess it' s not that everyone else is having a bad day. - make a decision to have a good attitude. Work on your attitude everyday. If you have a bad attitude don' t pick up the phone. Have fun on the phone, make someone smile. Stop watching the news and start reading positive books.

Cold Calling Tip# 3: Don' t Take It Personal. - so be prepared for rejection and understand they aren' t rejecting you they' re only rejecting the offer you' re making them. Remember, not everyone you call will be interested in what you have to offer. Thank them and move on to the next. If you expect and prepare for the best, you' ll have a better chance of the best happening. Cold calling is time consuming and nerve racking for many sales people.