Ten Top Tips for Terminating Telephone Terror

1. Make telephone calls
Few things are more terrifying than the unknown. The fear you create for yourself is far worse than the reality of cold calling. Once you start making telephone calls and continue making telephone calls, it gets easier. You overcome fear by doing.

2. Make a lot of telephone calls
If you have only one prospect to pursue, that prospect becomes overwhelmingly important. If you have hundreds of leads, no one prospect can make or break you. The more calls you make, the more success you will have.

3. Prepare
Prepare for cold calling the way you would for any major presentation. Know what you want to say, how you want to say it and how you want to represent yourself, your company, your product or service. And know the goal of your telephone call.

4. Practice
If you are new to cold calling or uncomfortable with cold calling, practice your pitch out loud. Role-play with friends or colleagues. Practice various sales scenarios. This way, you will not have to worry about what you are going to say. You will be prepared, and you can focus in on your prospect.

5. Start with less important leads
It will be good practice and less stressful. Once you feel more comfortable, start working on the more important leads.

6. Stay calm
You will, for the most part, be talking to people who will appreciate your call. If a prospect is rude, remember: This is not personal. They may just be having a bad day. Move on.

7. Your priorities and your prospect's priorities are different
You want an immediate "yes"; your prospect may want to finish a report, finish a conversation, start their vacation? Be very careful not to read negative or extra meaning into early conversations with your prospect or prospect's secretary. If, for example, your prospect's secretary says that your prospect is "on the phone," "in a meeting" or "out of the office," that does not translate to, "My prospect knows that I am calling and is avoiding me."

8. Some things are out of your control
If a prospect does say "no," ultimately, that is out of your control-but what is within your control is continuing to prospect and continuing to make calls. It is also within your control to improve your cold calling skills, take seminars, read books or hire a coach-then, fewer prospects will say "no."

9. Arlene's Game
The object of Arlene's game is to focus on rejection. The goal is to reach 100 points. You get 1 point for every rejection. Give yourself 1 point for every "no" answer. If your prospect says "yes," that's a bonus! Focus on acquiring points. The more calls you make, the more points you acquire. When you reach 100-You Win! Give yourself a prize!

10. Have fun
This is not life or death-it's only a cold call. The fate of the world does not rest on you and your telephone. You will not destroy your company or ruin your life if a prospect says "no." Loosen up, be creative, have some fun!

© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach.

She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the soon-to-be-released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine, Opening Doors & Closing Sales by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com.

---

How Leaky is Your Sales Pipeline?

Does your Sales Pipeline leak? If you answered no, you... Read More

Lazy Man?s Way To Get Customers

No matter how big or small your business is and... Read More

Tips for Increasing Your Profits with Gift Certificates

Offering gift certificates is an excellent way of increasing sales... Read More

Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them

Some of the best sales people I have ever met,... Read More

Your Best Friend - The Phone

We all know that you can't earn your commission until... Read More

A Look at Child Mannequins

Not all mannequins are made to look like full-grown adults.... Read More

Consumer Effort And The Purchase Decision

It is a basic tenet of behavioral psychology that people... Read More

Do You Know When You Are Being Sold To?

Britney Spears has recently caused controversy with suggestions that the... Read More

The Force That Drives Buying Decisions

What do people buy? They don't buy your wonderful presentation.... Read More

Using Emotion for Persuasion

The other day, I received the last issue of a... Read More

What Successful Sellers Know - Others Dont ... The Subtle Art of Closing

Ask any salesperson, "At what point in the selling process... Read More

Powerful Words

Hi, I'd like to discuss the most powerful words you... Read More

An Introduction to B2B Lead Generation

It is important that organizations find other companies to do... Read More

Selling the Difficult: How to Sell What People Dont Understand How to Buy

I'll play a seller, using conventional selling methods, selling something... Read More

Three Ways to Increase Mortgage Applications

If you are in the mortgage business, the very first... Read More

Selling Is Not A Dirty Word

Selling--a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We... Read More

Chicken Little And The Disintermediation Myth

If Chicken Little were alive today he wouldn't be running... Read More

Keep the Referrals Coming

A key method of our survival in the business and... Read More

Smooth Sailing (Selling) In The Second Half of The Year

You can make a difference in the second half! You... Read More

The Answers (1 - 5) Are Here !!! - Challenge Yourself - Evaluate Your Selling Skills

"THE ANSWERS (1 - 5) ARE HERE!!!"Question 1) List the... Read More

Seminars for Prospecting

The purpose of a 1- or 2-hour seminar is to... Read More

Your Proposal Was Rejected... But Why?

When a request for proposal (RFP) comes in, you get... Read More

How To Get Face To Face Over The Phone

One disadvantage of selling by telephone is the lack of... Read More

Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials

Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have... Read More

Take the Contract with You

I learned something very interesting this week. Thankfully, what I... Read More

A Brief History of the Sales Profession

The formula for defining a "profession" is similar throughout many... Read More

Why There Will Always Be High Paying Sales Jobs

With the dot.com revolution crushing once solid business models on... Read More

How To Shorten The Selling Cycle And Reduce Buying Stalls

The main reason for buyer resistance and selling stalls boils... Read More

How to create your own Unique Selling Proposition

Why would a prospect buy from you rather than from... Read More

Selling To Your Difficult Person

We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't... Read More

Lance Has What It Takes

Lance has what it takes and then some.Did you know... Read More

Customer Loyalty in the Technology Industry

For technology companies, service after the sale has emerged on... Read More

Female Mannequins: An Overview

Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More