Archive for the ‘Fear of Sales’ Category

Tricks to Getting Your Calls Returned

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

Anxious about making calls because you have to leave a message and then it doesn’t get returned?

Stop wasting your time and start leaving messages that are more likely to get a response. Here are some keys:

  • Be upbeat, energetic, and friendly. Whether you are leaving a voicemail or message with a receptionist, a cheerful and polite message is much more likely to be returned. A trick to sounding cheerful is smiling while you speak.
  • State your purpose up front. Make your message very clear and concise and say why you are calling right away.
  • Say what’s in it for them. For example “I am hiring a contractor for my house and would like to speak with you about a potential contract” or “I was impressed with your credentials and would like to speak with you about potential collaboration.”
  • Keep it quick. Don’t talk too fast but keep your message short and succinct. If it helps to write it out ahead of time to organize your thoughts, do so. I don’t recommend reading it because it can sound mechanical but organizing your ideas can be very helpful.
  • Talk loud enough and do not mumble. Nothing is more irritating than a soft, garbled message. Do not make this mistake.
  • Repeat your name and number twice. You want someone to call you back right away so you don’t get onto the bottom of their long “to do” list. If they do not hear your number and need to go back and listen again, you are less likely to be called.
  • Give a deadline. Say, “I need to make a decision by this Friday, so if you can call me back by Thursday afternoon, I will be able to consider you for the project.” Behavior is motivated by incentive and a time deadline is a strong incentive to call now.

Tags:
Posted in Overcoming Call Reluctance | No Comments »

Call Reluctance: Overcoming the Fear of Making Sales Calls

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

 Do you dread making sales calls?

 Do you get nervous or lose confidence when you need to pick up the phone to call a prospect?

Do you easily find excuses for putting off sales calls?

If so, you’re not alone. The fear of sales calls is very common.

Here are some tips to overcoming call reluctance:

1. Understand why you’re reluctant to make sales calls. Once you know what’s driving it, you can begin to overcome it.  There’s a great book called The Psychology of Cold Call Reluctanceby George Dudley and Shannon Goodson. Chapter 3 outlines the 12 types of call reluctance.

2.  Reframe your goals. Maybe you’re uncomfortable because part of you realizes that your goals are unreasonable. Sales is typically a relationship-building process which takes time. Thinking that you’ll close a sale on the first call may be like proposing to someone on a first date. Reconsider the real goal of your call.

3. Do your homework. Do not even plan to pick up the phone before you’ve researched your prospect and have some understanding of their needs. Again, you may be anxious for a reason if you’re going in to calls unprepared and unlikely to have a positive experience.

4. Get comfortable on the phone.Some people are great with in-person sales conversations but tense up on the phone. If this is the case for you, gain experience with speaking on the phone in general, outside of a sales context. Call your mom, your brother or sister, and so on. Once you’re more comfortable on the phone make busines calls that are easier, such as calling your colleagues, and work your way up to sales calls.

5.  Gain some positive experience. Like any form of public speaking, the more practice and the more positive experiences you have. the better. Consider how you can have some great experiences. For example, call people who have already purchased from you and check in to see how things are working out.

6. Reverse your sales cycle. If you are making a lot of cold calls and feeling like you’re pushing yourself on others, reverse your sales cycle by focusing on marketing and drawing others to you. Establish your expertise or the crystal clear value of your product and put valuable content out (through your website or blog, social media, and so on). It is much easier to call someone back than to call them cold.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. If so or if you have any questions, please leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Fear of Sales, Overcoming Call Reluctance | No Comments »