My latest article at Helium is about cold calling. At least we don't have to use phones like this 19th century one any more.
Here is an excerpt from my article.
If you can put your hand on your heart and say that you enjoy making cold calls, you don’t really need to read this. You are one of a small minority for whom picking up the phone to call a complete stranger out of the blue holds no terrors.
For most people, it’s not something they enjoy because they fear they will not be a welcome interlude in someone’s busy day. Let’s face it, most of us dislike taking cold calls and immediately feel an animosity towards the caller, even if it is tinged with sympathy for someone who has to earn a living this way.
Unfortunately, this kind of marketing is more essential than ever before in today’s climate of economies and cut backs. Disappearing customers and clients must be replaced. For many businesses it means they have to do it or die.
So is it a case of feel the fear and do it anyway? Perhaps it is, but only to begin with. Strangely enough, if you spend enough time cold calling, it does get easier. And when you get a positive reaction, it’s positively enjoyable. Here are some tips to help you get to that unbelievable state of looking forward to the next phone call.
You can buy the article at Constant Content here, but you can read the tips for free at Helium
Original Articles. Constant-Content.
6 comments:
Though I don't like it, as I did it for years, cold calling for me is easy. My problem is I'm not crazy about being on the phone for periods of time. That photo depicts what are now antiques and very collectible.
cold calling is a fact of life for some professions,I did cold calling as a real estate agent.it was not my most fun thing to do but I did it to try to get listings.
"If you can put your hand on your heart and say that you enjoy making cold calls, you don’t really need to read this."
Can anybody say that? I had to do cold calls for a job years ago and I still dislike talking on the phone because of it. However, I do "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" mostly because I have to. I haven't really heard that phrase applied to job situations, but it's been a favorite of mine for years--since I read the book by Susan Jeffers.
Jo - I have only met one person through my long life who said he actually enjoyed doing it.
Mike - do hope you got some good results to make it worth while.
Karrie - I've been a fan of that book for years.
I just started reading this post when the phone rang - my postcode has been chosen for special offers on home improvements, again!
I'd have no problem approaching people in person trying to sell them something, but I'd hate to do it over the phone. I'd be thinking that I'm probably interrupting them at a really inconvenient moment so they're not going to listen to my sales pitch no matter how good it is.
But I am always polite to cold-callers because I feel sorry for them. A friend of mine did it for a while but couldn't take the pressure of trying to reach unrealistic targets.
I did business to business cold calling for a few months. It was on a very low pay + commission basis and I didn't earn much at the time. About a year later I received a cheque for £1,000 - made it all worth while.
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