How to Take the Suspicion out of your Cold Calls

Why do cold calls based on the old-school traditional mindset break down so quickly?  Because we usually start with a predictable introduction and a mini-sales pitch. Right away the other person puts up “The Wall” and we’re trying to scramble around it.

None of us intentionally want to create uncomfortable situations with other people. It's against our nature as human beings. But that's the core reason why many of us who make cold calls get that knot in our stomach, even if it's just for a fleeting moment. 

We naturally want to avoid making the person we're calling feel uncomfortable -- and also to avoid doing anything that will cause that person to reject us.

However, our attempts to cope with the internal stress we're feeling can actually cause us to tense up when we make our cold calls. So we find ourselves talking more loudly, more

enthusiastically, and with a lot of "forward energy momentum."

It’s almost as if our bodies are getting ready for battle, and the tension we're feeling gives us the energy to push ourselves forward on the call.

But most cold calls break down the moment our prospects feel that forward momentum.  Why? Because they don’t know us. The momentum we’re trying to impose triggers suspicion and puts them into a defensive place as they try to protect themselves from a potential "intruder" whom they suspect has a self-serving agenda.

The people we call reject us when they feel sales pressure from us…it's that simple. Telling us "no" or even hanging up are simply self-defense mechanisms that people use to protect themselves from what they perceive as an invasion or an attack.

People reject us when they feel pushed by someone they don't know. Especially when that person knows nothing about them or their world, and who clearly wants to sell them something.

So how do we eliminate or diffuse rejection? In keeping with the new cold calling mindset, we do this by not creating any sense of pressure. By our never being focused on our own needs, goals, or agenda. And by communicating to the other person that we're calling with 100 percent of our thoughts and energy focused on his or her needs.

You might be thinking, "That's great, Ari. But that's already how I approach my calls. I try to ask people questions about their needs, but they still don't seem to trust me. They still try to end the conversation by saying no or raising objections. And I end up feeling disappointed and frustrated."

Why are you still experiencing the frustration of not being able to create trust with potential clients on cold calls? The answer may be that you're still caught up in the traditional sales mindset. Your attention is still on making the sale although you're using the “asking questions strategy.”

You may be asking questions to learn about the person’s needs, but you're also thinking, deep down, about leading the conversation to a "next step" so your sales process can begin.

Can you see the problem here? You're trying to do two things at once. You're caught up in two patterns of thoughts that go in opposite directions, and your potential clients can feel the misalignment. They feel suspicious and react by holding back the truth about their situation. They simply don’t trust your intentions.

The new cold calling mindset solves this problem because you'll have only one focus for your thoughts: your potential client’s world. You release any hidden agenda having to do with moving your conversation toward a close.

When people feel that you’re completely focused on their needs and issues, they begin to feel they can trust you, and this dissolves any sense of sales pressure.