It’s understandable for sales professionals to dread cold calling. Many are apprehensive of the potential rejections despite the time and effort they put into preparing for a conversation.
The anxiety surrounding cold calling has also intensified thanks to other channels competing for prospects’ attention; modern decision-makers frequently interact with businesses asynchronously through social media, instant messaging, and emails.
Despite the intimidating nature of cold calls, top-performing sales reps still excel with this technique. Instead of hesitating, they deal with cold call reluctance head-on to engage prospects, generate high-quality leads, and boost sales revenue.
Tips For Dealing With Cold Calling Reluctance
If you avoid it, the reluctance to pursue cold calls can persist and potentially hinder your productivity by making it difficult to hit your quota. To address this concern, CEO of SalesRoads David Kreiger offers these valuable tips for overcoming cold call apprehension:
Don’t take rejections personally
The outcome of a cold call conversation is a top worry for sales professionals, as prospects may flatly decline to engage with them. Internalizing these negative responses can then amplify their fear and discourage them from taking action, creating a vicious cycle that ultimately paralyzes cold callers.
It’s essential to understand that the rejection is not of you as an individual, but rather of the product you offer. Further, the refusal doesn’t automatically mean your product is undesirable; it merely suggests the prospect doesn’t need it at that moment.
The research found over half (60%) of leads typically say “no” four times before agreeing to engage in a conversation.1 Each rejection thus draws you closer to a positive outcome and strengthens your resilience (which is a major skill for successful cold calling).
Prepare thoroughly
Comprehensive preparation is a powerful antidote to cold call reluctance since much of the anxiety attached to the practice stems from a lack of readiness.
Establish your approach well ahead of the call. Plan the direction you want the conversation to take, outlining your goals and strategies for gathering information and building rapport. Craft a script to guide the call, including potential responses to objections that may arise. Having a cheat sheet highlighting key features of your product or service can also be beneficial.
Pre-call research is a crucial aspect of outreach preparation. You’ll feel more confident about dialing a prospect if you’re familiar with their company and unique interests. Having a solid understanding of the lead’s business also lends credibility to your conversation and makes them more receptive to your pitch.
Keep in mind that the goal isn’t perfection; it’s comprehensiveness.
Practice regularly
Confidence correlates with consistent practice, and roleplaying different scenarios is an effective training strategy for this. Sales development representatives (SDRs) can simulate these calls with their managers and colleagues, then incorporate the constructive feedback they receive to fine-tune their approach.
Regular practice enables SDRs to become comfortable with their technique, thereby reducing their hesitation to call prospects. For inspiration, watch sales coach Matt Macnamara roleplay cold call objections in this video:
Trust in your offering
You must believe in your product or service and its potential to improve a prospect’s business. When you feel certain your product or service can be a game-changer for potential customers, you’re more inclined to reach out and offer help. Rather than seeing your call as an interruption to someone’s day, you adopt the mindset that you’re providing invaluable assistance.
To develop that unshakeable faith, you need in-depth knowledge of your offering and its benefits. Study it inside and out, paying special attention to its strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling points.
Relax
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Carrying excessive pressure to win a positive result can deepen your hesitation to pick up the phone.
After a series of rejections, give yourself a break. Engage in an activity you enjoy, like taking a walk, playing with your pets, or speaking with a loved one. Return to your outreach only when you feel refreshed and invigorated. As salespeople, prioritizing self-care is important to achieve excellent results.
Bottom Line
Cold calling reluctance can inhibit sales success. However, you can mitigate this fear through proactive measures like in-depth preparation, regular practice, and adopting a positive mental attitude.
Salespeople need to broaden their cold calling goals beyond making sales and focus on having meaningful conversations and nurturing relationships as well. With a confident mindset and a foundation of robust strategies, you can overcome the fear of cold call rejections and transform a profits-focused practice into a genuine problem-solving strategy.
