Slaying the Cold Calling Dragon

Before you read any deeper into the paragraphs below, understand that I am writing this article directly to myself. I am writing for selfish reasons and with selfish gains in mind. Should you find any wisdom or inspiration interwoven into the words and phrases that comprise this little “talking to” that I have orchestrated for my own selfish benefit, then you are whole-heartedly welcome to that byproduct. But, this is for ME! Enough preamble. Where’s that mirror? Curiosity beat me over the head, wrestled me to the ground and pinned my shoulders to the mat for a full three count earlier today. I was trying my best to justify my disdain for cold calling. I’ve reasoned. I’ve whined. I’ve created things to keep myself too busy to make time for it. When none of that works, I bring out my greatest weapons: Logic and Common Sense. With those two atom bombs at my disposal, I can talk myself out of it every time. The bottom line is that I don’t like cold calling. I don’t want to do it. I never look forward to it. And, I can’t get myself motivated for it at the drop of a hat. Proudly, I declare: I’m not alone. I’m not even in the minority. I’m sufficiently dead central on task with vast multitudes from all business backgrounds and philosophies. None of us have it at the top of our list of favorite things to do when we have a little spare time. So how did curiosity beat me to a pulp? I made the mistake of researching the last twenty accounts that I’ve serviced. These were new clients, freshly acquired within the last year. And, I should have never done this. Some things you’re just better off not knowing, and this “thing” falls onto that list in big bold type. Twenty Clients: Two were given to me by someone else who opened the parent company account and needed someone to service the outpost in this area. Three were from referrals (Special thanks to the wonderful people who introduced me to these clients). Fifteen, that’s right, FIFTEEN of them were a direct result of the one thing that I actually spend time avoiding: Cold Calling. Seventy-Five percent of my business comes from the source that I avoid like the plague? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, cutting your nose off to spite your face, and pouring cold water on your own campfire. How can I grow my business when I work so hard to make sure that the seeds of growth never get planted? It’s obvious that I need to rethink this. Without question, Cold Calling is the greatest resource of my business. And if that’s the case, I must do it effectively every now and then. The stark truth that I had uncovered inspired me to reexamine those fifteen clients for some additional data. I gained these fifteen accounts through Cold Calling. How exactly did I do it? The list fell definitively into Four Categories: <ul> <li> Those who became friends (4) – These were folks that I didn’t know initially, but I met them while cold calling and gradually got to know them. Eventually they said, “Yes”</li> </ul> Observation: I’m there to make a connection that will lead to a relationship. Business is a byproduct of that relationship. <ul> <li> Those with prior knowledge (3) – The decision maker and some of the employees were familiar with the product and wanted to take a closer look at it again.</li> </ul> Observation: You can’t be “at the right place at the right time” if you’re not “there” Get out of the office! <ul> <li> Those who were neglected (6) – In this case the company had been visited by a rep prior to my call that stirred their curiosity, but the rep never followed up.</li> </ul> Observation: “Come see me in 3 months” doesn’t always mean “I’m not really interested. Go Away!” <ul> <li> Those whose needs had changed (2) – This is the hardest one to deal with in my profession because it unfortunately means that someone suffered a life changing accident or was diagnosed with a potentially terminal disease.</li> </ul> Observation: Values and Priorities are sometimes realigned based on things experienced either by us, or someone close to us. Some final thought fragments: Fishing is like Cold Calling. My brother loves to fish. Redfish… Flounder… Whiting… Sheepshead… I don’t think it really matters to him. If it’ll “bite-n-fight” he’ll fish for it. The secret is in knowing where to go, when to go there, and how to bait your hook. His success is christened with the phrase, “That’ll get the grease dirty!” Which means another keeper just made it to the cooler. Likewise, know your target market when cold calling. Go at the right time and bait your hook properly. Gambling is like Cold Calling. I have a friend who loves to Gamble. Fruit… Bugs… Bars… Sevens… As long as three of them line up, she doesn’t care. She once told me that sixty cents out of every dollar that goes into a machine, stays in the machine. The secret is in knowing when the machine is keeping the sixty and when it’s giving away the forty. Don’t overstay your welcome at the goat race. Likewise, don’t overstay your welcome when cold calling. Get in. Get the information you came for and get out. You were, after all, an uninvited guest. Handle this part properly and you’ll likely find and open door when you call again. You didn’t stop to complete a sale in the first place. So, don’t kill any opportunity you have by staying too long. Shopping is like Cold Calling. A friend of mine is known as the “BOGO Queen” (Buy One / Get One). She just can’t resist an opportunity to shop or take advantage of a sale. A mutual friend teases her that she had said, “Yes,” when her husband proposed because she can’t say, “No,” to anything that’s half off. Her philosophy: if she’s there for one thing, something else she wants or needs just has to be on sale. Why rush? Likewise, you don’t have to set aside the whole day for cold calling when you habitually look for opportunities. If you’ve driven a few miles to see one client, why not take the time to meet others in the neighborhood? You might end up meeting a future client while calling on an existing one more often that you’d ever imagine. BOGO! 2009-02-17T01:14:35Z

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slaying-the-cold-calling-dragon

2009-02-17T15:57:47Z

I don’t like cold calling. And, I’m not alone. I’m not even in the minority. I’m sufficiently dead central on task with the vast multitudes. Sword, please?

Slaying the Cold Calling Dragon

2009-02-24T09:49:24Z