Most sales people - business owners included - place cold calls high on the list of things we would rather not do. It is so much nicer for businesses to rely on referrals. Having people call you and give you a name to contact is a wonderful thing! But, unfortunately, there are times that a cold call is required.
These times can include when:
- the economy is down, and you’re having to really go out and find business.
- you are launching a new product or service.
- new competition has entered your market.
- your pipeline has reached a dangerously low level.
Each of these instances will require extra effort on your part to locate new prospects and customers.
I have avoided making cold calls as much as possible for our home inventory business. The fear of rejection was so strong! Or I would anticipate people being too busy and frustrated that I bothered them. I had so many reasons not to make that cold call that I would eventually talk myself out of it.
That is, until I watched a video by Bill Bartmann that helped me change my thought process. You see, it’s all in the way you look at it. He suggests that you look at it as a “new” call, rather than a “cold” call.
When we think of "cold", we pull in, take a defensive stand, cross arms and shiver. Now, what a way to create a negative attitude for yourself just before making a phone call! And this call is going to be placed to someone you're hoping will become a customer! But in the back of our mind, we’re already telling ourselves that cold calls don’t work, that they won’t want to talk to us, that they won’t want our product or service or we are going to bother them. Then we make the call, with the outcome pre-determined. When we hang up, we wonder why cold calls don't work.
Let’s change that “cold” attitude. Put yourself in a position of anticipation for new business! Make "new" calls instead. The word "new" allows you to feel open, excited and in expectation of new things. You'll be in a much better frame of mind, and that frame of mind brings a positive attitude with it. Bartmann says we should think of our "cold" calls as "new" calls.
It's all in your head. Change the way you look at things, and you'll change what you expect from them. Change what you expect, and you'll change the results.
Now, pick up the phone and make some "new" calls!
Cindy Hartman is President of Hartman Inventory, a woman-owned business that provides business and home inventory services. She and her husband Mike also own Hartman Inventory Systems, a complete turnkey home inventory business package for those who want to establish their own inventory company. Cindy writes a blog and is also a freelance writer on topics of disaster preparedness and recovery, small business, product reviews, marketing and networking.
She also serves on the Advisory Board of the International MasterMind Group with Success Coaches Institute where she shares her knowledge and experience on topics of business ownership, entrepreneurship, having a positive attitude and the law of attraction.