Cold Feet on Cold Calling

Members of the ISP-Marketing list shared hard-earned secrets to overcoming the first-time salesperson's fear of making telemarketing calls.

[May 13, 2002]

On the ISP-Marketing list in April, RF queried,

"Can anyone offer some advice on cold calling? I came from a technical background, and trying to take that step into the salesman's shoes is hard. I like telling people about my service and encouraging them to try it, but I have a hard time picking up the phone and calling people. Any tips on how to get over that?"

A number of respondents suggested that it's all about learning to deal with rejection:

[JB recalled] "Being in IT sales for years, my mornings were dedicated to cold calling. I set aside an hour or two a day, and demon-dialed until I received an interest in what I was selling. What you have to remember is that they are not saying no to you; they are saying no to your products or services. Knowing this should help with the rejection factor."

[IS agreed] "Always remember that, on average, you have to make 20 calls to find one person who's just interested."

Others offered some ideas on how to get started:

[JR suggested] "Take a week off and work for a boiler room doing cold-call long distance sales. That'll make any sales calls you have to make seem easy in comparison: it'll help to callous your sensitive skin into tough salesman hide."

[MS offered] "I would suggest picking up a book on cold calling. A good starting point is your local bookstore, or sales-related websites like www.justsell.com."

[DS added] "Create a phone call template. Get some people to read it, and see how it sounds—then put it to the test. Just pick up the phone and call someone! Like the saying goes, you will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take."

Still others shared some advice on where to look for telemarketing personnel:

[JB advised] "Remember, telemarketing is the least expensive way of getting your product line to the public. Bring in a few college kids several nights a week, and pay them minimum wage, plus a flat fee of $30 or so for every customer they bring you. I would target marketing students; it might look good on their resume. Try setting up an internship program for them with the local college or university."

[DS agreed] "With the state of the economy today, lots of students are looking for jobs. Put a commission-based plan in place, and they can even work from home."

[DM added] "Actors and drama students can be great telemarketers as well. They're much less self-conscious about working with the public, although some may need a little more sales 'coaching' than marketing students. I used to work for a firm that specialized in Executive Market Research, and some of our best 'performers' (sorry: couldn't resist) were from the local Fine Arts High School."

—End