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Dear Coach: Ever heard of anyone way along in a sales career catching call reluctance? Coach says: Yes, I have indeed heard of successful, experienced sales reps suddenly experiencing a hefty dose of call reluctance. Happens to me, too! The bad news is that it seems that experienced sales reps come up with more sophisticated reasons to not pick up the phone. Such reasons are harder to dismiss when we're mulling them over by ourselves. Our sense of self-doubt can go deeper, too; probably because on top of worrying about failure, we think it would be oh so much worse if we fail, compared to someone new to sales. The good news is that it's also easier for us to break through reluctance. Have you heard of "muscle memory"? The idea is that once we've learned a good golf swing our body "remembers" it. Same goes for how to ride a bike. We've got a similar memory for sales, too. Experienced sales reps know when they're on the right track again--we can feel it. Beginners have to wait for experience, which takes longer. So, what to do? Go back to fundamentals because you may have been skipping them. Have you read my book on cold calling? ("I'd Rather Have a Root Canal Than do Cold Calling!"). If so, go back to the checklists on page 139, and don't skip anything. If you haven't read my book, go get it! :) Or, read through the tips in this section of the Coaching page. Also, "act as if." Pretend you feel confident. Pretend you know you'll succeed. This will pay off in actual confidence. Put prospecting dates in your calendar, and keep those dates. This is particularly important for those of us who got so successful that we weren't making as many cold calls as we once did. Like I said: Back to basics! I recommend you set a dials goal for fewer calls than you might otherwise. Give yourself some time to remember success. Instead of 100 dials, make 75 your goal; or even just 50. Get a calling buddy. Find someone who also makes cold calls. Coordinate the calling dates, so you're doing prospecting at the same time. Before you both begin, call each other to check that you're really ready and haven't skipped anything, such as setting a reward. Make your calls, take your reward, then call your buddy to debrief. DO NOT make calling your buddy your reward! You actually asked about "catching" call reluctance. If you're surrounded by people who are fretting over cold calling you can indeed catch their attitude. Make your calls somewhere else: a conference room, home, an empty office--get physically away from those guys. And don't play along with their griping, either; it only trains your brain to be discouraged :( One last thing: If you bought my book on cold calling, or the Sales Repair Kit on CD, you have a free hour of coaching coming to you! Be sure to use it! |