The Subtle Art of Cold Calling in Sales

“For a Salesperson, every minute spent sitting in office, is equivalent to a Dollar lost in Revenue” -- Harmit S. Choudhary

Companies expand when they pump in sufficient money. Companies shut down when they run out of money. No business can survive without money. So, how do companies generate sufficient revenue/money? The Answer is simple. SELL. And Sell BIG. Companies that are unable to sell their products/services/ideas in huge quantities and in short time will be completely crushed. That is why Successful companies have successful salespeople at the core of their foundation. They push the sales. They generate the revenue. But at the same time, not all salespeople are successful. The top-performers are only 10%. What about the remaining 90%? Why do they fail? Why they are still “average”? The answer is simple. They have forgotten the subtle art of cold calling. 

So what is cold-calling? For me, it’s all about stepping out of your office, moving from market-to-market, from one commercial complex to another, knocking on doors, shaking hands with strangers on the roads and eventually creating sufficient pipeline of prospective buyers who would be interested in buying your service/product/ideas. With the advent of technology, we can also generate a list of potential clients/buyers by cold-calling over telephone/mails. I shall be covering about the (Online) cold-calling in my next article.

So, let me provide you with two tips on how to conquer the world of cold-calling and become a Champion Salesperson:

1)     Feel the fear and do it Anyway

A lot of salesmen dread making cold calls. They fear rejections. They cannot take a “NO”. Thus, at times the fear of rejection, the fear of door being slammed on their face, the fear of client turning them away, pushes a lot of salespeople to the point where they “FEAR” making cold-calls.

Let me share this with you.

I came into this profession of selling by chance. I am the first-generation salesman in my family. I had no clue about sales when I entered this field. I still remember my first day at job when I was doing cold-calling. I was literally scared to death. I couldn’t gather the courage to go out and face rejections. Remember, in Sales you will face lot of rejections before someone buys your service. Thus, over a period of time, I learnt something important that helped me overcome the fear of making cold calls:

• Fear of rejections while making cold-calls will always be there. You cannot do anything about. You have no control over it. The only thing you can control is your emotions. Thus, if you ever feel the fear, go ahead and make that cold-call. Feel the fear and just do it anyway. Yes, that’s the only way to CRUSH your fear. There is no other shortcut. There is no other scientific theory. Feel it and Do It. PERIOD.

2)     30 Seconds: SELL IT or KILL IT:

You have always waited for that day when you are in a lift with some CEO of a big organization and he gives you 30 seconds to pitch your idea. But for it to be successful, you should be ready with a “KILLER” 30 second pitch. And that’s where cold calling will help/groom you. There will be numerous occasions while making cold-calls when you would have to pitch your service to the decision makers in the company within a short-span of 30 seconds. At times, you might not even get a chance to sit and talk. 30 seconds. That’s all you have. Sell it or you end up killing your sale. Thus, I would highly recommend that you should prepare/rehearse your sales-pitch every day. Get in front of the mirror/record your own videos/ listen to your voice and no force in the world can stop you from becoming a CHAMPION in making cold-calls and closing BIG DEALS every day.

“A person, who goes out on the streets making cold-calls to sell his products, can eventually do anything in this world. Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE for such a person.”

-         Harmit S. Choudhary