Guest Post: Do you get the shivers when you cold call?

One more perspective from Jennifer Neal of K9 Design, this time comparing swimming to sales and marketing.

Last week, I took my kids to their first spring swimming lesson. We picked a new rec centre this time because the water was said to be warmer and for the little ones that's very important.

So, first day there, first toe in and guess what? It's freezing! O.K maybe not freezing, but 80 degrees indoors, when it's minus 5 with a wind chill outdoors, is not tropical. This is Canada guys -  Pump up the heat!

But, with a lot of coaching and cooing, my 4 year old is in, albeit one toe at a time, and soon splashing around like an old pro.

I am often the same when it comes to making my cold calls. When I think about that first call of the day, I get the shivers. (Maybe that’s why we call them COLD CALLS.) So, of course, I have recently likened them to swimming. Once I get m6y toe in, I’m already deciding whether to put the rest of ME in. But, when the water's a little warmer, it's never quite so bad.

I am always trying to make this "marketing thing" easy for me. So one of my latest tricks is just that: start with a "warm call".

We all have these...these are the people who were nice the last time or for some reason you don't have that much invested in them. Last week, my "warm call" was a referral to another person (a purchaser of my services) in the company. Although I had not spoken to HER before, I feel, I sort-of have a mini-endorsement from another staff member at the company.

Sometimes my "warm calls" are contacts that are just guinea pigs for the real calls. (Ilise calls them “practice prospects.”) These are the contacts that I really don't care about messing up on for some reason. Once I get a few of these warm calls under my belt - I'm more than ready for the ones that really matter to me - the ones I don't want to screw up on or sound nervous on.

Sometimes you just need to get your MOJO going for the day and I use this little technique to help me do that - plus I’M TALKING TO PEOPLE. I bet you forgot that part - that's the whole point.

What are you doing to get on with the calls? And if you are one of those that are still making the excuses from last post - try this....find a way to dip your toe into warmer water.

Comments

[MrAchievement.com (Stanley Bronstein)]

The trick to cold calling is to offer something of value to the people you are calling.

When I say value, I mean value TO THEM, not to you. If you give them something of value, then that differentiates you from your competition and they won't hang up on you.

Once you get past the first 30 seconds, then you have a chance . . .

That's been my experience.

Stanley F. Bronstein
MrAchievement
Attorney, CPA, Author & Speaker
Official Guide to Achievement on SelfGrowth.com

[Jennifer from K9 Design]

Hi Stanley,
What do you calls sound like - I'd love to know how you make them work? Sounds like you have a trick too.

[Jennifer from K9 Design]

Hi Stanley,
What do you calls sound like - I'd love to know how you make them work? Sounds like you have a trick too.