How can you stay motivated when cold calling?

The goal of cold calling is quality conversations. You can control who you call and what you say, but not whether the timing is right. So focus on having as many conversations as possible knowing a big chunk of your dials lead to voicemail and a big chunk of your conversations lead to bad timing. That's okay, embrace it. Build quality follow ups so that in 3-6 months you're dialing a bunch of people you already spoke to and the timing is now much better, leading to more meetings and pipeline.

A great author Jeb Blount talks about time blocking in his book Fanatical Prospecting. Break your goals into “doable doses” Instead of setting out to make 100 dials a day use short sprints to do 30 dials in 30-minutes. Have a banana and a walk for 15-minutes Come back check LinkedIn and email for 15-minutes Then do another 30-minute dial block Not only will it suck less but you’re far more likely to keep your moral up and be effective on the phone. Focus entirely on making those dials and having great conversations. Avoid multitasking, it’s the killer of productivity.

In our first month of cold calling, we booked just 1 meeting. So we switched things up by scheduling virtual call blitzes together. This was game-changing. One of us booked 5 in a single hour, and these early wins were hugely motivating for everyone else to keep going until they got a meeting too. You don't feel the drive to cold call until you start doing it together. This way, you sell as a team and learn as a team. Learn what lines stick and what openers fall flat, and use this to improve every single time. By definition, iteration is motivating.

Cold Calling is a vital component to any sales cycle. However, it needs to be strategic and it needs to be intentional. Understanding the strategy helps you determine the 'why'. Once you understand why you need to do it, helps you stay motivated and optimistic. It's all about perspective!

Always cold call in time blocks. Set 2 hours and do nothing but dial in those 2 hours. No emails, checking phone, taking a water break, etc. Just focus and dial. The reward yourself at the end of the 2 hour block with whatever of your choice. Try having 2-3 cold calling blocks a day if you're a heavy cold caller, or 2-3 a week if your light.

I find going in and asking for your decision maker is powerful. Phones are not the best way these days to make a connection. When you make the extra effort and you can get somebody face-to-face, there's more of a genuine conversation made with a higher opportunity for a meeting.

For SDRs, sending follow-up emails or updating your CRM is a huge waste of time. Focus on cold calling, and let the gazillion automations/templates/tools out here take care of the manual work.

You know when you do your best work, look at when your energy and focus levels are highest and block your deep focus work for those times. Personally I have better cold calls in the late morning and afternoon, so I’ll block 30-minutes of dials for those times. Whilst stuff like admin (CRM notes) can be done in the morning when I have the most amount of focus to get it done quickly. Keep in mind who you’re calling and what time zone they’re in. So in the morning you can call EMEA and East & Central NAMER. Then in the afternoon you can call West Coast / Mountain NAMER.

1)Time block your call blitzes as well. It’ll increase your efficiency tremendously. 2) Lead with relevance and honesty Always be prepared for common objections.

Use lines from your customers' testimonials in your scripts. Always lead with "You know how..." or "Customer X said..." instead of "I am ..." or "We do ..." Remember – prospects need context on *why* you're calling, not *who* you are or what you do.

I love getting a "no" and understanding why. When an executive tells me not interested I always ask, "One thing before I let you go... Out of curiosity what is taking up your time and effort right now? What's priority?" I then use what they say on my next call. I know some executives are preoccupied right now with [insert whatever I just heard]..." It makes me sound sooo informed when I'm just parroting the info I gathered from another executive. Each call should increase slightly your learnings and understanding of the persona you sell to.

One of the most effective way for me to hone my cold calling was recording my calls and listening back to them myself. I’d also have my colleagues, manager, and trainer review them so they can point out improvements I might not have noticed. Don’t just focus on critique, look for areas you’re doing well that you can double down on. It’s also crucial to look at your call data: - If your connect rates are low maybe your data is bad or you should try calling at a different time. - If you’re getting lots of connects but not having many conversations then you should tweak your opener. - If you’re having lots of conversations but not booking many meetings then work the questions and proposition you’re using.

Don't record your calls and listen to them later – it never happens IMO. Grab a colleague or manager to listen to your calls as you make them live, and get their thoughts immediately after before you move on. Works like a charm.

It's important to celebrate the little wins with colleagues. No matter how small. Things like: - Finally getting through to a hard to reach decision maker - Flipping an objection into a follow up - Getting past a gatekeeper creatively - Finding some amazing research on an account and using it to get a response - Getting a semi-warm referral from a cold call Etc. These things are the stepping stones to great outcomes. Learn to reward yourself, otherwise sales will just burn you out.

If you’re working remotely it can be helpful to have a slack channel with your colleagues that you send wins to. Together you can celebrate one another’s success and learn what’s working. However, don’t stop dialling when you book a meeting. Double down, if you’re riding a high from a successful call there is no better time to make more calls and capitalize on that confidence. I like to do a little celebration fist pump, this helps me physically acknowledge my success which adds to your mental confidence.

In my experience, incorporating the idea of small wins. When cold-calling it can be difficult to even get someone on the phone. So when you do, that's a small win. Unable to connect, you leave a crisp Vm and then see they've opened your email or visited your LinkedIn profile, that's a win. In addition to practicing the positive habits listed above, I've found this thought process key to keeping a positive mindset and something I often reference with my team. Happy hunting! You got this!

Cold calling is hard. Being rejected, torn down, verbally abused is going to wear you down. But remember times where you’ve had success doing it. I find “gamifying” it in my mind helps me stay positive and prevents me from getting down. Don’t take it too personally or let any rejection get to you. Often when people are cruel or unresponsive it’s less a reflection on you and more one on their mood and how they perceive other sellers who have called you. Listen to some music Stand up Move around SMILE Break up you call blocks Remember the worst that can happen is someone is mean to you (it can’t hurt you) All of this should make sure you’re at your best on the phones and prevent you from feeling miserable / dreading calls.

To handle the challenges of facing sales objections, SDRs require a high level of mental fortitude. Staying positive is so important to overcome the frustrations of not being able to connect with people you wish to. SDRs should keep reminding themselves that they have the toughest job in sales and hence some days are going to be hard. They are the foundation of the whole pipeline.

Remember your "why"! Want a new car? Put a picture of it on your desk. Want a house? Find your dream home and set it as the background on your computer. It's much easier to accept rejection when you remember what success can bring!

Personalisation and research is so important because the goal is to have conversations and not book meetings(no matter your KRAs say). If you can hold great conversations with business leaders at early stage in career, you are growing as an Individual and that matters, crushing quota is a byproduct.