Starting Out With The Cold Call

Cold calling is the hardest part of the sales cycle - especially when cold calling feels like torture. In reality, experience cold calling may help you for a life time, especially if you are in sales. (Or someone like myself - beyond sales just helping people buy stuff.)

Cold calling is negative. There is no way around it. The experience is one of negativity and rejection over and over and over. Learning how to survive and thrive in such a negative environment, in particular staying positive, is a real skill. It applies to life in a big way.

Cold calling is a game of perseverance. It is a numbers game fundamentally so you simply must keep dialing!! Or "just keep swimming" as Dory says. Life is also a game of perseverance. Few things of worth come without perseverance over time.

Cold calling is a game of timing. What? Yes. Cold callers call and call and call, until they get a receptive voice. But only the good callers act (vs. reacting) and have the timing to take advantage of an open ear. Life is also about timing. Listening for opportunity or missing it.

Cold calling brings direct and indirect results. Having made over 10,000 cold calls myself, I know that I must pick up the phone to start. I've found however that cold calling brings many indirect opportunities - simply because you are putting it out there to the universe you are open for opportunity.

Cold calling is an opportunity to improve your brain power. How? Mindfully calling. Each call is the opportunity to practice of mindfulness and focus. Sounds strange, but if your are a robot on the phone - you'll be a robot in life. If you are mindful you are masting your mind.

Cold calling is not for everyone. But if it is what you do everyday - use it as a tool to improve your future in more ways than one! Each (answered!) call can be better than the last.