This is the blog transcript of our video “How to Get Over Cold Call Anxiety”. If you’d like to see more of our videos, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
Welcome to Episode 2 of our cold call video series! Last week, we discussed how understanding the difference between cold calls and warm calls can transform how you feel going into making them. Today, we dig into what you need to do to overcome the ever-present cold call anxiety.
Don’t worry, you’re not lone. Cold calls can be very intimidating, but I can’t overstate how crucial they are to any business. So in today’s video, I’m going to give you some tips on how to alleviate the anxiety many people, myself included feel going into the process.
The solution is actually much simpler than you might think.
Hey everyone, I’m Ian Campbell, CEO of Mission Suite. Before we jump into today’s video, do me a favor and hit the subscribe button and ring the bell so that you’re notified whenever we post new videos.
For the past 10 years, I’ve worked with clients to help them get the most out of the contacts they make in their careers. And, often times, one necessary step in that process is making cold calls.
As easy as it is to toss out those business cards or leave them at the bottom of your junk drawer, that’s a lot of potential money left on the table. But if you really want to tap into the potential of the people you’re meeting while you’re prospecting, cold calls are a necessary thing. Some may go as far as to say a necessary evil.
But what if cold calls didn’t have to feel evil?
Picture this. It’s a bright Monday morning, and in spite of the gorgeous weather, you are in a downright gloomy mood. Why? Because you know you need to start making cold calls. They’ve been burning a hole in your schedule for weeks, and today is the day they need to get done.
And you wake up with bags under your eyes. You’ve been tossing and turning all night, dreaming about just how horribly the entire thing is going to turn out. In that nightmare, you’ve come away with zero progress and maybe even think that you’ve burned some bridges. Hours of time disappeared in an instant thanks to a series of unproductive phone calls.
Expecting that train wreck of a scenario, a part of you is wondering whether or not you should even bother. You might just put them off until you’re in a better mental place.
So two more weeks pass, and in spite of your best intentions, you find yourself in the same place, only this time the weight of it all has piled up, along with the need to get potential clients in the door ASAP.
You don’t need to be a cold calling expert to know that isn’t the best situation to be making calls
And at the heart of it all is one word: mindset.
The human brain has a tendency to build up even the most basic problems and consider the worst possible outcomes. It’s how we’ve evolved to survive, but in many cases, that only holds you back. And the solution to this very real and very prevalent problem is quite simple.
You need to adjust your expectations going into the cold call. Too often, we don’t break down our tasks enough. We look at the desired end result and assume that we need to go from A to Z. But that’s not how meaningful work is done. Every major project needs to be broken down, right? We all know it, but that doesn’t stop us from making this mistake over and over again. But projects aren’t the only things that need to be broken down. That’s right, your cold calls are just another project — projects that can be broken down into phases.
Yes, perhaps your main goal is to get someone’s business — to make that sale — but you’re doing yourself no favors by putting that much pressure on each and every phone call you make. This mindset only leads to cold call anxiety and paralysis.
Has this ever happened to you?
Do you set aside time in your day to make these ever-important cold calls, only to succumb to anxiety? If so, how much of that had to do with your unrealistic expectations of what you could accomplish on that call?
Let us know your stories down in the comments, and while you’re down there, give us a like and help support the channel. The more support we get, the better we’ll be able to help you grow your business!
So, let’s get back to realigning your expectations for making cold calls. As we mentioned before, putting the weight of a sale on the shoulders of every call is a recipe for disappointment.
Even if you are brave enough to get on the phone, your unrealistic expectations may lead you to view a series of conversations as failures, when really, they were just one step toward your overall goal. That mindset may very well even prod you to abandon a lead when your call was actually a positive step in the right direction, even if it wasn’t a complete home run.
At the end of the day, the cold call is just one of hopefully many interactions with these prospective clients, and every call is a chance for them to interact with your brand in a positive way.
But what are some more realistic goals for these phone calls?
Let’s go ahead break it down into descending tiers of importance.
The ultimate goal here is to get an appointment with a key decision maker at the business you’re calling.
That is goal number one, and we all know it. Admittedly, it feels pretty ambitious, right? So, while that’s goal number one, it’s not the only goal for you to pursue. If you don’t get the appointment before you hang up that phone it’s okay. All was not lost.
The next important goal is a contact email.
At the very least, perhaps you will be able to follow-up with them at a later date. Maybe you can even get their permission to join your list, where you can keep them informed of your business and services on a more regular basis. This will keep you in their minds long after you’ve hung up the phone and could even prompt them to reach out to you at a future date. Or perhaps, in another six months, after they’ve received your emails, when you follow up with them, they’ll be more receptive to your services now that they have a good idea of who you are.
The next goal is to get the name of the decision maker.
But maybe you didn’t even get that far. Maybe they refused to give you an email. Maybe all they could give you is a name of the key decision maker at the company who can decide whether or not your services are actually needed. This alone makes that phone call worth it, as you’re one step closer to getting in touch with the right person and accomplishing that end goal – meeting with the decision maker.
If nothing else, make a good impression.
But let’s just say none of that works out. You got no appointment, no email, no name. At the very least, you can make that phone experience as positive as possible. While the services you provide are key aspects of your brand, these interactions are another important part of it. If, at the end of the day, this person can’t help you, be as polite and helpful as you possibly can so that, if the time comes that they do need you, you’ll have left a positive impression. You may not have hit any of your primary goals in this interaction, but you’ll at least have shown the integrity and respect that your brand stands for.
Now, it’s important to note that these are just general steps to help alleviate your cold call anxiety.
These may not apply to your business specifically. But the spirit behind them remains. In order to be successful, you need to pare down your expectations to a more reasonable level so that you don’t head into these calls already deflated. It’ll result in nothing more than a self-fulfilling prophecy of failed cold calls, and that won’t do you any good.
Hopefully you’ve found that helpful, but there’s actually one more key step to relieving that anxiety. It’s an obvious one, but it’s also potentially the toughest. Don’t worry though. We’re here to help.
Take a look at the description below, and you’ll find a link to your very own personalized cold call template. That’s right. Personalized. No business is the same, so no cold call template should be the same. Be sure to check it out so you can help keep that anxiety in check and level-up your cold call game.
Hey I hope you got something out of this video. And if you did, go ahead and give it a thumbs up and maybe a share so that others can see it too. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell so that you’re notified whenever we post new videos and while you’re at it, check out these videos too!
We’ll see you next time around!