Nervous Before Making Sales Calls? Here’s How to Fix That

“I get nervous before making a sales call… Any suggestions?”

If a salesperson is “really nervous” before making a sales call, that is only happening because one of three things are at play:

You’re a CAPTAIN WING-IT

You pick up the phone and say whatever “feels right,” which often leaves you battling the “No, Thanks,” “Not Interested,” or “We’re All Set, Thanks!” responses.

You have no sales path to follow. There’s no structure to your call or set of goals or list of achievable objectives laid out before you that would help you smoothly and calmly navigate successfully through each step of the sales call. You pick up the phone and hope for the best. And your results show it.

You have a game plan, but it’s flawed

Instead of eliminating common objections/blow-offs/stalls, you use a sales plan that tries to “overcome” them, and your sales call sounds like all the others your decision-maker gets every day.

The Right sales process. Poor execution

You haven’t taken the time to master the sales process. Role-playing should be a weekly if not a daily activity but is rarely done by you.

Honesty is Step One

If you want to swap “really nervous” with “extremely confident” when it comes to your sales calls, you need to start with being honest with yourself and identify which of the three is your primary reason for your situation. And then fix it instead of blaming the leads, the economy, pricing, competitors, or management.

Good Vs. Bad “Nervousness”

Not all “nervousness” is bad, mind you.

That feeling you get just before you “hit the stage,” if you will, is healthy.

You never want that to go away because it helps you stay on your toes. But there’s a big difference between being nervous and being unprepared. One you want to keep. The other, you’ll want to fix.

– Michael Pedone

Michael Pedone teaches inside sales teams how to pick up the phone and close business. He is the CEO/FOUNDER of SalesBuzz.com – An online sales training company.