Mastering the World of Selling: The Ultimate Training Resource from the Biggest Names in Sales

Chapter 27. Seven Cold-Calling Secrets Even the Sales Gurus Don't Know

Ari Galper

Unlock the Game

More and more e-mails are arriving in my in-box from people who hate cold calling. Here's what they're saying:

• "Cold calling terrifies me."

• "The phone feels like a 10,000-pound weight."

• "Every time I have to make a cold call, I freeze up."

Cold calling the old way is a painful struggle.

But you can make it a productive and positive experience by changing your mind-set and cold calling the new way.

To show you what I mean, here are seven cold-calling ideas that even the sales gurus don't know.

1. Change Your Mental Objective before You Make the Call. If you're like most people who make cold calls, you're hoping to make a sale—or at least an appointment—before you even pick up the phone.

   The problem is, the people you call somehow always pick up on your mind-set immediately.

   They sense that you're focused on your goals and interests, rather than on finding out what they might need or want.

   This short-circuits the whole process of communication and trust building.

   Here's the benefit of changing your mental objective before you make the call: It takes away the frenzy of working yourself up mentally to pick up the phone.

   All the feelings of rejection and fear come from getting wrapped up in our expectations and hoping for an outcome when it's premature to even be thinking about an outcome.

   So try this. Practice shifting your mental focus to thinking, "When I make this call, I'm going to build a conversation ...