I just got back from Saskatoon Saskatchewan, arguably the strongest economic market in North America. I was asked to speak on Prospecting by my host sponsor. Why in the world would I be asked to speak on prospecting in this exceptional economy? Because the greatest challenge most sales pros must deal with at some level, no matter the market is call reluctance. It is easy to hide this phobia especially when market conditions are strong and for the moment at least there is a fair amount of incoming business to process.
In my presentation on Executing Smart Prospecting, I spoke on why Prospecting must be a hill to die on. I also spoke on why most don’t prospect. This is where I want to focus, because for too many – this is a stumbling block even for inside outbound phone sales people. Here are the 4 main reasons why call reluctance is crippling sales production:
1- Fear
2- Complacency
3- Laziness
4- No Time
Fear
The majority of call reluctance is a result of fear of rejection. “What if I get hung up on?” “What if I find out they chose another company?” “What if they say no?” Sound familiar? Which one holds you back from picking up the phone? Here are some quick remedies and perspectives to combat this. First of all, you are not in the game for the “no’s,” you are in the game for the “yes”. You will receive way more no’s than yes’s so each “no” is one more “no” closer to the next “yes”. Post this above your phone: Some will, some won’t, so what who’s next? The next time someone hangs up on you – say “Next!” and pick up the phone and make the next dial.
Fear of failure creeps in and gets us off the phone. Some perceive “no” as failure. Again- it is part of the process. If you are afraid of mishandling a call or objection- the answer is to utilize and memorize your scripts and role play/rehearse before dialing.
Complacency
One problem in a strong market is the misconception that business is good. When you are riding the tide of the market and only processing incoming business, you are losing more than you are taking in. Your more assertive competitors are slowly eroding your base. The strong market is giving you a false sense of security and because of complacency more fail in strong markets than weak ones. Strong markets can change overnight and complacent performers are the first casualties.
Laziness
Prospecting is perceived as hard work to those who lack focus and discipline. The herd always takes the path of least resistance. In our instant gratification and pain avoidance society we are always looking for a magic pill- that is why too many overspend on lead generation. We will experience pain; either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Top performers choose the former and that is why 5% do over 85% of the business.
No Time
Some well meaning and understandably “busy” producers may say or think they have no time and that they cannot process any more sales. This is a problem- max capacity has been reached and a lid is on your business. The solution is either time management disciplines or additional support. We always find or make time for the most important activities in our day. Top performers always make “Prospecting” a priority and even on the busiest days make sure some outbound prospecting is taking place.
The first step to overcoming call reluctance is to identify where you are letting yourself off the hook. To determine if any reluctance resides within, take a few minutes to complete our Call Reluctance Survey
Also- order our Executing Smart Prospecting Tool CD to make sure you have your plan- database management system and scripts to execute properly.
