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Call Reluctance

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Feb 12, 2009 12:30 am

Just started cold calling, but some days I get call reluctance real bad…

  any ideas..
Feb 12, 2009 12:50 am

~Set a specific amount of time call call aside and do nothing but call during that time.

~Set a specific number of calls to make and don't waver. ~Call with someone else to help make you accountable. ~Tell your manager and ask them to hold you accountable. ~Make it fun and compete with someone - PM me and we can compete.  
Feb 12, 2009 2:48 am

When i was a rookie I had an agreement with another rookie regarding cold calls. The agreement was that any day one of us didn’t have 25 CONACTS by lunch time he owed the other guy a dollar. The agreement also extended into the afternoon with 50 CONTACTS being the minimum. No cry babies, meaning NOTHING was a reason to not have those contacts. In a meeting with clients, pony up, out of the office on appointments, ante up, got a touch of Hantavirus or Bluetongue Hemmorhaggic Fever, one dollar please! If we both missed we still had to pay off the other out of our pocket. We shared an office and would tape the dollar bills to the wall. What a stupid little thing this was. But did it ever motivate us and the no cry babies rule kept us focused on the fact that no matter what , no prospects equalled no money. Ths went on for well over a year before my partner in calls transfered to NYC. At the time i had about 25 of his dollars taped to the wall and he had about 10 of mine taped to his side. So with 2 dollars on the line each day for each of us and about 250 work days in a year we had a better than 95% success rate. Of course the numbers showed up in the new accounts as well.

  The phone can weigh 1000 pounds or it can lead you to a new life. It's up to you. The result of not making the call is the same as a no, you don't make money, so in making the call you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.   The biggest practices on the street were built through cold calling. Believe me when i tell you this- for those guys- the phone also weighed 1000 pounds. The difference? The picked up the phone and dialed.   Lastly, you may be afraid of rejection, failure or even success. All are reasons for phone reluctance. Figure it out, and get over it. Or  figure out other ways to drive biz through the front door.  
Feb 12, 2009 8:54 pm

I’ve found momentum has alot to do with the cold calling mind game. The first 2 calls are the hardest every day, then you get on a roll, don’t you? Cold calling rewards effort, but punishes lack of effort.

  You need to start early before your negative self talk sets in. I listen to music and read from a file I've assembled over the years that inspires me when I need it. Many times calling can yield no results after hours of effort, then bam- you  set 3 appointments in a row. You just don't know which calls will yield opportunities. (Please tell me you are calling to get appointments, not just selling product over the phone).   Cold calling is a means to an end- Having a wonderful life for yourself and your family. Just like the ditch digger, his labor is his means to an end, a guaranteed paycheck, albeit a meager existence.   Bottom line, your success will depend on how many people you talk to every day. The most efficient way to do that is through telephone contact. Not seminars, not door knocking, not networking, and certainly not direct mail. Pay no credence to those negative on cold calling, for their reality is spent mired in rejection and call reluctance which breeds more negativity and feeds on itself.   I opened an account Monday from a cold call that will result in commissions of over $25,000, net to me. I have a prospect pipeline of about 100 people who are in various stages of closing, almost all from cold calling. You must call every day or else you will lose your edge. Just like the professional athlete or musician, you must practice daily to develop the skill- don't lose your momentum.   Now, I'll excuse you while you get back on the phone.   Stok
Feb 13, 2009 12:17 am

As always stok, good stuff!

Feb 14, 2009 1:56 am

I've experienced a lot of cold calling reluctance recently. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

I'm just staring at the phone watching the time tick by. I'm finding many reasons not to call even though I think it's a great time to prospect. I built much of my book and have established many good client relationships through calling.

 

In the past I mostly called indivduals, at home, with a product pitch (local utility prefered or related yield product). This worked before but I'm not sure it's worth doing now due to the DNC.

 

When I don’t use the DNC results are good (I mail to a list for a few months then call) but I’m afraid of fines and bullsh-t. You know if you call enough without a screener you’ll get nailed.

 

I've never really called business owners, executives or people at work etc.  I'm willing to do it but I'm struggling with the approach. Do I call with product like I did before? Or should I go with the financial planning pitch and try to set an appointment? How about inviting them to a seminar?  How do I get through a screener? Do I leave a voicemail etc. Next thing I know three hours have gone by and I've done nothing.  Then the next day same thing.

 

Assitance appreciated. Give me a suggestion  or approach idea and I’ll report back on how it worked with numbers.

Feb 14, 2009 2:07 am

One more question:

  I read an article recently that said when the economy is bad people have more interest in attending seminars?    Seminars working for anyone?      
Feb 14, 2009 2:28 am

[quote=Herman Munster]

I've experienced a lot of cold calling reluctance recently. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

I'm just staring at the phone watching the time tick by. I'm finding many reasons not to call even though I think it's a great time to prospect. I built much of my book and have established many good client relationships through calling.

 

In the past I mostly called indivduals, at home, with a product pitch (local utility prefered or related yield product). This worked before but I'm not sure it's worth doing now due to the DNC.

 

When I don’t use the DNC results are good (I mail to a list for a few months then call) but I’m afraid of fines and bullsh-t. You know if you call enough without a screener you’ll get nailed.

 

I've never really called business owners, executives or people at work etc.  I'm willing to do it but I'm struggling with the approach. Do I call with product like I did before? Or should I go with the financial planning pitch and try to set an appointment? How about inviting them to a seminar?  How do I get through a screener? Do I leave a voicemail etc. Next thing I know three hours have gone by and I've done nothing.  Then the next day same thing.

 

Assitance appreciated. Give me a suggestion  or approach idea and I’ll report back on how it worked with numbers.

[/quote]   back when starting out, pre DNC list used to call on muni bond or something and get great response or contacts.  Then got to point where did not need to call and stopped.  At times would call business owners or people at work and could not stand it.  In this crap market need to start calling to replace accounts that are dormant or cashing out, with DNC do not know what to do either.  Couple in the office that do call say only chance now is not to call on product, but appointment.  They say they get clobbared on anything but appointment.
Feb 14, 2009 3:03 am

Fritz:

  I hate to sound stupid but what's the script when calling for an appointment. Is the objective of the appointment to sell a product? Or are you trying to review their financial plan or portfolio?    I need some kind of basic attack plan. I also need to grow my book and think that this is a great time to prospect. Frustration is setting in because I'm floundering on the approach.   I need to come in and be on the phone within 30 minutes or it's over. Like Stok said in a prior post you need to start early.  The later it gets the less likely it is that I'll do any prospecting.   Also, I'm thinking that I should be doing seminars as well but find them time consuming and costly so I'm being reluctant twice. 
Feb 14, 2009 1:44 pm

Leverage your current client base for referrals. If you have 75-100 decent clients, you shouldn’t have to cold call ever again if done properly (other than the initial call to the referral which is considered warm). Have your best clients sign a letter that you have created that looks as if it is coming from them stating that you will be calling them to meet. The letter will introduce you to the referral. Easiest way there is to build a business.