What can strike terror into the heart of even the most successful sales professional or entrepreneur?
What can crush self confidence, destroy self esteem and leave even the most seasoned quivering with humiliation and defeat?
The terror of cold calling! But cold calling doesn't have to be a scary thing. Get back on track with these ten tips for terminating telephone terror.
1. Make telephone calls. Few things are more terrifying than the unknown. The fear you create for yourself is far worse than the reality of cold calling. Once you start making telephone calls and continue making telephone calls it gets easier. You overcome fear by doing.
2. Make a lot of telephone calls. If you have only one prospect to pursue, that prospect becomes overwhelmingly important. If you have hundreds of leads, no one prospect can make or break you. The more calls you make, the more success you will have.
3. Prepare. Prepare for cold calling the way you would for any major presentation. Know what you want to say, how you want to say it and how you want to represent yourself, your company, your product or service. And know the goal of your telephone call.
4. Practice. If you are new to cold calling or uncomfortable with cold calling practice out loud. Role-play with friends or colleagues. Practice various scenarios. This way you will not have to worry about what you are going to say, you will be prepared and you can focus in on your prospect.
5. Start with less important leads. It will be good practice and less stressful. Once you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important leads.
