Sales Call Reluctance

Five Steps To Blast Through Sales Call Reluctance

Almost every person in sales ironically dreads doing what is probably the number one key to their success - making sales calls. There are many reasons people feel that knot in their stomach when they are about to pick up the phone or apprach someone in person - among the top reasons are fear of rejection, fear of being a pest, and fear of coming across as manipulative (like the stereotypical "used car salesman").

If you are feeling this way, the truth is that these fears stem from your psychology around making these calls. You are actually creating these emotions by the meaning you are assigning to selling. More likely than not, these emotions are not based on the reality of any specific events, but simply a reality you are creating in your own head.

The result: procrastination, avoidance, no new clients, no new money! This makes you feel even less confident and resourceful to make those calls. It's a downward spiral. So how do you turn this around?

Here are five steps to turning sales call reluctance into a party!

1. Identify Existing Beliefs And Rules.
No doubt that underlying your dread of making calls is a belief that supports your fear. A belief is something we act on without thinking about it. For example, you probably did not think about whether or not the floor was going to support your weight as you walked into your office today. You simply walked in without even thinking about the integrity of your office building. What beliefs do you have about selling? To figure this out, ask yourself what you are believing about yourself, what you are believing about your prospects and what you are believing about the situation.

For example, you may have beliefs like the following: "My call will be viewed as an annoyance or interruption." "No one is going to be interested in what I have to say." "I hate bothering this person." "Selling is about manipulation - convincing people to buy what they really don't want.", "I don't have what it takes to do this.", etc. Simply becoming aware of the underlying beliefs is powerful in itself.

2. Evaluate Those Beliefs.
Now that you know what beliefs are operating in you, you need to evaluate them. Are these beliefs consistent with your values? Are they beliefs you truly want to live by? Are they congruent with who you are and what you're about? If not, then you will want to proceed to the next step.

3. Destroy Those Beliefs!
You now want to get into a place where these beliefs no longer disempower you. There are a number of ways to do this - here are three:

· Question the limiting belief. By questioning the belief, you are creating doubt around the validity of that belief. For example, do you know for a fact the person you are calling will be annoyed with you? Is this real or is it a reality you are creating in your mind? Wouldn't it make more sense to let reality show up for itself?

· Reflect on references that don't support the limiting belief. References are events that happen in our lives that determine what we think, feel and believe about things. A reference acts like the legs of a table, supporting our beliefs. In this step, you want to reflect on both your own experiences as well as experiences of others that do not support your old belief. For example, think of all the calls you have ever made - was everyone annoyed or were some people even grateful you called because they really needed what you offered? Are there other people making a great living at selling who make these calls? Obviously they're not getting rejected all of the time. Stack as many of these references together until you create a ton of uncertainty around the old belief.

· Focus on what having this limiting belief is costing you. Think about what this belief is costing you in terms of new sales and income. Then think about how it's affecting other areas of your life, such as your self-esteem, your physical health and your relationships. Then think about what your life will be like five years from now if you don't abandon this limiting belief. This will give you a ton of leverage to change.

4. Engage An Alternative Empowering Belief.
Now that you have destroyed the old belief, replace it with an empowering one. Ask yourself the question, "What would be a belief that would totally empower me to make the sales calls effectively and even have fun while I am doing it?" You will come up with a new belief like "What I have to sell is extremely valuable and I want to make sure that I extend the invitation out to as may people as possible." This is a much better alternative than believing that you are being a nuisance when you call. Everyone is different, so play with this to find one or more beliefs that really work for you!

5. Take Action Now!
Now that you have found an empowering belief, it is time to engage it. The only way to really know if you have found a powerful new belief is to pick up the phone and start making the calls. By taking action you will get feedback that will more often than not support your new belief and this will continue to feed itself. Before you know it, you have built significant momentum!

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