Worst Bad Sales Habits, Part 2 - A Freeze on Cold Calls
Most sales people would rather jump into a cold Lake Michigan than jump into a day of cold calls. When reps start their careers, they make colds call because they have to. Over time, as they build a base, the urgency of cold calling fades. A day of cold calling becomes half a day. Then it becomes a hit or miss affair. There’s plenty of excuses …
- I’m too busy taking care of customers.
- I’m selling more to my existing customers.
- My customers are getting busier, so they’ll buy more.
- I’ll make cold calls next week.
But next week never comes, and one day, three months or six months or a year down the line,
BOOM!
Customer activity grinds to a halt. Customers start shopping your business and drive your prices down. They move a product here and there to a competitor. And suddenly, sales are down, with no infusion of business in sight, because there aren’t any prospects in the pipeline.
New Year’s Resolution!
I won’t just do cold calling, I’m going to love cold calling. It’s going to be part of my daily routine.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my dentist. He told me up front about all the recent innovations in dental care, and how minimal the pain factor was these days. He even pointed out that if necessary, they even could use “gas” to keep me relaxed.
“I’m going to make you love coming to the dentist!” he exclaimed enthusiastically.
Ever since then, we always end my visits with the same lines:
“Thanks for taking care of XXX, doc!” I say.
His reply: “You’re welcome! But did you LOVE it?”
So far we ain’t there yet.
Bob, let me know when you do love it, and I’ll start going to your dentist!
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