Cold Calling Tips

For most direct sales consultants and network marketers, just the thought of cold calling prospects or customers causes anxiety levels to rise and confidence levels to fall. It's one of the most dreaded aspects of sales. In her article below, KathleenGageSpeaker offers tips and information that will help you overcome your fear.

The 3 C’s of Getting Your Foot in the Door of a Prospect

Are you frustrated with cold calling because of all the rejection, phones slammed in your ear and being told to never call again? Wondering how some sales professionals seem to always be at the right place, at the right time? Feeling like you just can’t seem to get your foot in the door of any new prospects? You’re not alone. These seem to be universal concerns for many sales professionals.

Getting your foot in the door of a prospect often reaches beyond what most have been taught in sales training seminars and books. It is a state of mind, emotion and action.

As you think of prospects you want to meet and connect with consider the following…getting your foot in the door takes courage, creativity and consistency.

Courage – It has been said that courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to identify one’s fear and walk through it anyway. Where does the fear come from when you try to get your foot in the door? Perhaps it is fear of rejection. Maybe it is fear the client is too busy. Perhaps one fears the client won’t want or need the product or service that is being offered.

A powerful way to overcome fear is to take action. The action can be to gain a greater understanding of the client’s needs and situation. Perhaps you need to know more about your product or service. Maybe it is simply to pick up the phone and make the call. It is in the willingness to take action the fear will lift.

Creativity – Many people read a book on the “skills” of cold calling and selling. Do Step A and you get Result B. Fact is, there will be times getting your foot in the door is about trusting your creativity.

How often have you gotten an intuitive thought or a feeling to try something different? And how often does reason take over intuition? Some of the most successful sales professionals trust their intuition and inner knowing to lead them to step through the door of the unknown.

It is in the willingness to explore unique methods for approaching any given situation the magic of selling will occur. The next time you “get that feeling” be willing to explore the creativity of your idea and watch the magic happen.

Consistency – Success is often not the result of big actions, but rather one tiny action at a time. It is in the consistency of our actions on a daily basis; making the call, following up on a regular basis, inputting the names into the database, and having a system that allows us to free our minds of unnecessary concern and clutter. When the mind is clear, there is more opportunity to be creative and walk in a place of courage. This allows for truly serving the needs of your customers and clients.

Selling is not about closing the deal. It is about the desire to serve others through the products and services we provide. Serve well.
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Kathleen Gage is an award winning keynote speaker, author and business advisor specializing in marketing and promotions. She is the recipient of the Utah 2004 Giant Step Award for business creativity and success. Access Gage’s FREE eBook Street Smarts eMarketing Tips Guaranteed to Jump Start Your Internet Presence to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition at http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

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