“I hate cold calling. But I love to Sell. Am I doomed?”

If you’re like me, it’s not so much the fact of “cold calling” that you hate, it’s the results (or lack of) that has you filled with despise. If 8 out of 10 cold calls resulted in a sale, I’m sure you would have a different view of making those cold calls.

So let’s fix the problem.

Why Your Cold Calls Are Failing

If we are going to come up with a solution, we first need to identify the problem. And when it comes to cold call failures, there’s a whole list of possible culprits.

Here are a few…

You’re calling the wrong prospects.

What makes the lead you are about to call at least “pre-qualified” to be considered a suspect? Leads should meet at least two to three specific criteria for your industry before being called. No, more dials won’t lead to more sales. Your % will still be about the same if you continue to call the wrong leads.

Right prospects, wrong message.

Assuming your leads match the specific criteria needed to be considered a suspect. If you’re getting shut down right out of the gate, your message or OVS (Opening Value Statement) is most likely the problem. Instead of piquing interest, you’re creating resistance. That needs to change.

Right prospects, right message, wrong strategy.

So you’ve got the right prospects, the right opening value statement message, but sales are still not increasing. Your strategy may be off. There are usually three factors that come into play here.

Timing

It’s possible that if you are cold-calling, that even with the right prospect and the right message, that your prospect’s timing might not fit with your need to close by the end of month/quarter etc. This is why it’s important to make sure you keep your dials up at all times. Top salespeople are “farmers,” and they are always planting their crops.

Trust

Maybe you’re hitting the right prospects with the right message, and timing is right; however, they don’t trust you! So my question is this… What have YOU done to build yourself up as a trusted advisor or SME (Subject Matter Expert) in the field you are selling in? Sales are a lot easier when your prospects get to “know you” from a distance and see that you know what you are talking about and can help them get what they want.

Need

There’s a reason why top BRANDS advertise over and over again.

They know that not everyone who sees their ad in a particular moment will have a need. But they keep advertising, knowing eventually, consumers will have a need. When they do, they will remember whom to call.

So how does this knowledge help inside salespeople? Well, hopefully, it changes one’s mindset from win/loss sales calls to a broader timing period. Just because you got a “NO” now doesn’t mean that that “NO” is forever.

So when you use tools like LinkedIn, Newsletters, Webinars, and Blog Posts to get on your prospects radar continually, you build trust. They will know whom to call when the timing is right, and they have a need. Thus turning that one-time cold call into a hot inbound opportunity.