Mastering the Blocking and Tackling of Cold Calling

If you are a sports fan or if you have ever coached a sport of some kind, you will know that usually above all else the first thing that is taught and stressed with participants in that activity is success on the fundamentals. As it pertains to fundamentals, these are the building blocks on which all further skills and techniques can be learned and built upon. For instance, when it comes to football, in order for a team to be as successful as possible, each play on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball must be executed to perfection. On the offensive side, let’s say the coach calls for a handoff to the tailback to run the ball directly up the middle. If the offensive line and fullback cannot execute proper blocking technique, the tailback will have nowhere to run and will … [Read more...]

Think back to your dating days for a moment. For some of us, it was many, many years ago since our last date and we have forgotten all about what the dating scene was like. For others, perhaps those who are recently married, or are still single, we have fresh reminders of what it’s like to be on the hunt, as it were. What are your favorite things about that time of your life? What are the things that caused you stress, anxiety, and worry? The further removed you are from that time in your life, the more that time has dulled the acute nature of those feelings, but I am sure that we have some remembrance of what that time was like. Imagine two scenarios, if you would. In the first, you are on one side of the bar and a very attractive person on the other side keeps looking at you. This … [Read more...]

I am constantly amazed at how often sales training programs, especially those involving cold calling, fail. Not only do they fail, they often fail quickly and spectacularly. Think back to the last cold call training session you have attended. How did the training go? What activities did you undertake? How outside of your comfort zone did the instructor take you? Although he is not known as a bastion of intelligent quotations, arguably my favorite quote is from boxing champion Mike Tyson. Mike once said, “Everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth.” A more appropriate quotation for life I cannot think of. This quotation is one of my favorites because I think it is applicable to all facets of our life. We have a plan for how our marriage is going to turn out, until … [Read more...]

I am constantly amazed at how many people make excuses for their failures. Do you know someone like that? This is somebody who is running fewer appointments than they would like, making less than ideal money, and is stalled on one of the rungs of the Moving Up In the Organization Ladder. If I had a dollar for every time someone gave me a tired response in defense of their ongoing mediocrity, I would have retired to my own private island in the Caribbean by now. It usually takes one form or another, but it sounds an awful lot like these: “If only I knew people that could benefit from the services that I provide, I would be killing it” … [Read more...]

Do you know what I don’t understand (don’t ask my wife this question about me because hers will turn into a three-day answer)? Why so many hardworking, dedicated, ambitious professional sales people pay for “qualified” leads. If you don’t want to keep your food down and would like to see what you ate for lunch yesterday, do some research on what organizations will charge you for access to this information. In one gut-wrenching example, a company that I will not name in the confines of this article charges their customers $2,000 to schedule each appointment on their behalf, plus has the nerve to request a portion of the commission once the deal is closed. Imagine that! On what planet is that a good financial deal for the hardworking, day-to-day salesperson just trying to make it in a … [Read more...]

How smart would it be if, just before the gun went off to commence the race, a runner strapped lead weights to her ankles? How intelligent would it be for a contractor who needed to hang dry wall first put a sleeping mask over his eyes? Finally, how ingenious would it be for a radio show host to, just seconds before he were to go on the air, take a huge bite out of a peanut butter sandwich? I think any reasonable person could agree that in all of these examples, the individuals in question would not only be doing themselves no favors, they would be committing an incredible disservice and would make the successful outcomes they are hoping for that much more difficult to reach. Basically, they have lost before they even started. The same is true for 95% of sales people that engage in … [Read more...]

With all due respect to the red-headed step children in the audience, cold calling is exactly that in the world of sales. It appears that every pundit, consultant, and bottom-line-enhancing guru is calling for the end to this once in vogue methodology. What did cold calling ever do to you? Outside of the constant rejection, debilitating phone phobia, and self-esteem cratering reprimands we receive from our potential clients on the other end, not much. With gifts such as these, who can blame a sales professional for giving this method the (excuse the pun) “cold” shoulder? Not this guy! However, in cold calling’s defense, I would argue that it’s not so much the game as it is the player. When done properly, cold calling can be the best weapon in your arsenal. When nurtured and given the … [Read more...]