I hate for that to be the introduction to this post but I thought it best to put it right out there. Better you hear it from me now than from your future empty bank account.
So what are some of the factors that cause call reluctance in the first place?
First, let’s talk about your personal sales-esteem. When I say that, it’s about your self-confidence when in a sales scenario. Maybe you’re new to sales, or you’ve got experience but you’ve heard ‘no’ a lot or had people take out their frustrations on you when you’ve called before. If your sales-esteem is low, that would make it hard to pick up the phone, no doubt.
Naturally, another factor is not knowing what to say. Those first few seconds on the phone (or in a first face-to-face meeting) can be a little chilly or awkward if you’re not ready with something to say.
If distractions are in the way, like tweets singin’ your name or email pinging you or even a root canal at the dentist, it’s hard to focus and make things happen with calls.
Another good one is if you don’t have the contact information in front of you and you have to hunt around for it. That extra step is enough to put off making calls – believe me, I know.
Maybe you think you need to have more discipline… and, if that’s the case, I’m here to tell you that discipline is over-rated. Why? Because if you want something bad enough (think Chunky Monkey ice cream late on a Saturday night), you will get it done. When your desire is bigger than whatever is blocking your path to it, you will make your calls.
If you aren’t dialed into the fact that you are making it possible for people to live in their dream home because of that call you’re about to make, that’s a problem too. You have the potential to change people’s lives. When you really ‘get’ that, there’s no phone big enough to stop you from making that call.
When you find your groove on making calls, you find your sales rhythm and you create momentum in your business. You find that you look forward to making sales calls and having conversations that matter in the bigger picture. You finally figure out that this isn’t about you – this is about what you can do for the person on the other end of the phone. And when they know that, your business will grow naturally.
I’ve been a mortgage loan officer for a long time now, so I can tell you one of the biggest secrets that I know absolutely works to be successful in our industry – be humble. Just show up. Get out of your own way by focusing on the other person. Share how you can help someone get what they want. And make the calls.
I am so passionate about this topic that I sat down with one of my friends – Kevin Gillespie, one of the top trainers in our business – and we wrote a book. In fact, it’s a best-selling book. And you can get it here: www.CrushingCallReluctance.com.
If call reluctance has ever been, or is right now, a factor for you, I’d love to hear from you. I want to know your story about it – how it showed up, what it did (or is doing) to your business and how you overcame it (or why it’s important to you to overcome it right NOW). I’m serious – let me hear from you below.
And, if this is something that’s up for you right now, I really want to hear from you. Know that you can get past it – I promise you. Every great salesperson has had at least a brush with this, and a good many – including me – have gotten smacked by a big heavy dose of it. Maybe it’s a rite of passage… in any case, don’t let it kill your business. Instead, consider this your invitation to crush your call reluctance – I’m here to help.
Carl White, Chief Officer of Coolness
Article Originally Published on LinkedIn
