Introduction: Managing anxiety when calling prospects
Welcome to Djaboo's weekly column, highlighting actionable tips and insights from real sales leaders.
No matter how often you contact prospects or how many years you've spent in sales, you'll always feel a little anxiety before picking up the phone. But this is not necessarily bad. If you're anxious, you're taking this task seriously.
Anxiety only becomes a problem when it impacts your ability or willingness to make calls. There are reps who will do anything to avoid making calls, which unsurprisingly hurts their ability to fill their pipeline with new opportunities.
If the fear of contacting buyers bothers you, here are five strategies to overcome it.
How to overcome the task of contacting prospects?
1. Turn the objective into a "no"
As a sales manager, whenever I wanted my team to spend more time on the phone, I organized a "no" contest by setting a quota. The winner was the first person to get 25 "no"s. Instead of feeling discouraged by each "no" from their prospects, my reps were enthusiastic.
This approach is effective because it also allows you to hear "yes" responses. One of my representatives made 28 calls to reach his quota of 25 "no" responses, because three prospects decided to schedule another appointment.
In fact, reps generally fail less when you run this competition. They are less anxious than usual, which generates apparent confidence for buyers.
Don't wait for your manager to organize this contest; you can do it yourself. Set a quota for "no" responses, grab a notepad and pen, and count the rejections you receive. When you reach your quota, reward yourself.
2. Focus on the activity, not the outcome.
Measuring the success of your prospecting activity based on the number of appointments you book can be dangerous. Let's say you're looking to run three meetings a day and you're calling 15 people. If everyone is busy, on vacation, away from their desk, in a meeting or just in a bad mood, you won't be able to organize a single meeting. In this case, you will probably hesitate to call prospects back the next day.
You can get around this by measuring success by the activity, not the outcome. This way you control whether you achieve your goal or not. Instead of trying to book three meetings, commit to asking 20 prospects to schedule a meeting.
Even if every prospect says no, you can go home knowing you accomplished your goal. And chances are some of those people will say yes.
3. Create the right environment for you.
We often find alternatives to fill our time when we don't want to do a task. This is why I advise salespeople to put themselves in an environment where they have nothing to do but call.
Prepare your list of prospects, their phone numbers, and do your research. Next, go to a conference room or other part of the office with your phone. If you're sitting at an empty table, with no distractions, I guarantee you'll make calls.
Some representatives cannot leave their office. In this case, try turning off your wifi or even blocking certain sites. Do whatever it takes to make making calls your only option.
4. Exchange your leads with another representative.
I use this strategy all the time to combat call anxiety. When you're having trouble picking up the phone, find another member of your team and swap leads with them. He will call 20 of your prospects, and you will call 20 of his prospects. If one of your leads is successful, they will return the names to you, and vice versa.
Since you're not calling your own prospects, you're not as emotionally attached to them. This makes it much less stressful to pick up the phone.
5. Do your homework.
Who wouldn't feel fear at the thought of picking up the phone and calling a total stranger? If you don't do a little research on a prospect before calling them, not only will you have a harder time establishing credibility and having an informed conversation, but you'll also increase your own anxiety.
If you know the prospect's background, their responsibilities, the details of their business, and the challenges they're likely facing, you'll feel much more confident calling them. Knowledge is strength.
Additionally, being well prepared transforms your role. Instead of being a annoying telemarketer, you become a subject matter expert with unique perspectives and advice to offer.
These techniques will help you reduce your fear of picking up the phone from a nine to a three. Your heart will probably still start beating slightly faster before you call a prospect, but remember: a little fear isn't a bad thing.
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