subject: Two Common Sales Myths That Can Be Dismissed To Improve Cold Calling Part Ii [print this page] There are a few sales myths that can be looked at and possibly dismissed in an effort to improve our mind and our mental state when cold calling.
Myth #3 A true sales person will be a good cold caller.
Following on the previous two myths is the myth that a true sales person should naturally be a good cold caller. This is a myth because there are a lot mechanics to a effective cold calling and this means that not only could a great sales person be a lousy cold caller, but also that someone with little sales knowledge or experience could be an excellent cold caller.
This myth is important to be aware of to improve and maintain a strong mental state because cold calling can be very challenging and this can cause internal doubt in a sales person. When we face this doubt, we can become confused from the fact that we feel like we are a good sales person and do not understand why we are not able to be successful in the area of cold calling.
The reality with this sales myth is that not only can just about everybody benefit from some for of cold call training and can use a little help with becoming a better cold caller, but more importantly cold calling is a low probability activity. What this means is that regardless of how good you are at cold calling and how well you perform, you are more likely to have cold calls that do not go anywhere than ones that do. In other words, if you make 10 cold calls, it would be normal to only have 2 or 3 that go really well and move in a positive direction even if you are executing at an optimum level.
This is similar to the game of baseball as a baseball player that has a batting average around .300 is considered to be an excellent player. This means that they get on base 3 times out of every 10 attempts, which means that they are unsuccessful more than they are successful in the form of getting struck. And the same thing applies to cold calling success. If you connect and have 2 or 3 good conversations out of every 10, you are doing a good job.
Myth #4 You need to be loud, gregarious, and talkative in order to be successful.
Similar the sales myth that refers to good sales people are born with sales abilities, there is also the sales myth that you need to be very loud, gregarious, and talkative in order to be successful in sales and successful with cold calling. The quickest way to resolve this myth is to point out the fact that you do need to be comfortable communicating with other individuals in order to enjoy and be successful at sales and cold calling. But, while that is true, you actually do not need to be loud, gregarious, or talkative in order to be comfortable communicating with others. As result, you can be a very successful sales person without having any of these qualities.
Applying this to cold calling specifically, what is critical is an openness and willingness to pick up the phone and call people that do not know who you are and that are not expecting your call. Once you get beyond that, two more important qualities that come before these being loud, gregarious, and talkative are an ability and capacity to learn and an ability to listen.
