At a conference a while back, a gentleman came up to me and said: “Nancy, I’m new in sales and I have trouble making cold calls. All our leads are cold and I’m not sure I can do this.” By Nancy Friedman

At a conference a while back, a gentleman came up to me and said: “Nancy, I’m new in sales and I have trouble making cold calls. All our leads are cold and I’m not sure I can do this.”

I was quick to tell him he needs to conquer the fear of cold calling or move on from his job. Fear of cold-call rejection is solvable. Fear of call reluctance is more difficult to fix. That’s another article.

And while supplying cold leads, the company didn’t have the training on the topic. They left new hires hanging and that’s a big issue. No support or no training. There is training for making cold calls. Some cost, most are free. Even the public library has books on this topic.

A few Nancy tips for call rejection:

  • The No. 1 reason a salesperson experiences call rejection is being unsure about their product. He is not confident and the person he’s calling can tell that with the first word.
  • The big fix here is to be 100% confident. One way is to ‘ask for time to talk.’ Asking for time to talk before you say, “Hi how are you?” is key, paramount and critical.
  • As soon as your prospect says: “Hello,” your first job is to introduce yourself, ask for time to talk and let them say “yes” or “no.” Do not wait to ask.
  • Without the introduction, and asking for time to talk, you’re behind the 8 ball.
  • Make as many cold calls as you can daily. The hockey great Wayne Gretzky said: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
  • In your case, you miss 100% of the cold calls you do not make.
  • My winning line? “Hi Bob. If I’ve caught you at a bad time, please let me know. This is Nancy Friedman, with Telephone Doctor Customer Service. Do you have a few moments for me?”

Nancy Friedman, the founder and chairman of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, is a popular keynote customer service speaker at franchise, corporate meetings and conferences around the country. She is now offering and specializing in VIRTUAL ZOOM programs and her fun WEBINARS. nancyfriedman.com, nancy@telephonedoctor.com, 314-291-1012.