By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting March 2009.
There is a huge difference between having an outcome that we want and the outcome that we usually get! Not achieving what we want, in terms of sales can be devastating. Our confidence goes for a ‘ball of chalk’, we feel depressed and worthless and worst of all is that our motivation takes a leave of absence and we have to ‘kick start’ ourselves every morning just to get going.
Cold calling and the difficulties associated with the constant rejection that is the reality of this method of sales can be very draining and soul destroying, particularly if our expectations are not in line with reality.
Here’s the thing though – even the top sales people on the planet are rejected on a regular basis. That’s the truth.
Think about it logically for a moment, what are the chances that the person that you want to speak to, is unavailable to chat to you, when you are available to chat to them? How many times have you phoned a friend and had to leave a message because they did not answer the phone? When that happens how do did you react? Did you feel rejected and unloved? Of course not. Usually you would just leave a message, understanding that the friend is not available and then go on about your business. So how about using that tactic when you ‘cold call’ a company. Just leave a message for the person to contact you and go on about your business.
Then there is the person that you actually get hold of and for whatever reason, they don’t have the problem that your particular product or service can do anything about. Once again you feel rejected. Go back to the scenario of your friend. You need to borrow a drill from a friend and you phone the first one that you think may have one, but he doesn’t – so now you have the sulks! Of course not – you probably have a laugh about it and then phone the next friend who may have one. You go about your business – you need to do the same thing here. So this particular prospective client does not need your product or service – ok, but there are still thousands who do, so instead of sitting there feeling sorry for yourself, move forward to the next one.
Now what about the person who does have a problem that your product or service can definitely sort out, but he is currently busy with someone else or something else and cannot discuss anything with you right now. So what do you do – it’s your choice you know. Some will sulk and get all bent out of shape, some will try and force the conversation and the sale and of course, some will make a note to phone the prospect again. Just a word of warning here, if you are the one who tries to force the conversation and the sale, all you end up doing is killing the sale even before you have started. There is nothing more irritating than a salesperson who won’t listen. They very seldom make it through the door a second time.
Each time you phone a prospect, you should understand that there are several outcomes that could happen. Be prepared for each one. In fact, write down on a piece of paper all the different types of answers that you may get and understand that you may not get the one that you want. Don’t hype yourself up and get yourself expectations that are so far from reality that they are preposterous. The only person you will hurt is yourself. Don’t take it personally – some times things are just what they are, and they are not always about you. Your prospects also have lives that they are busy with and their priorities will be different to yours. Understanding this will go a long way towards you reaching a realistic goal.
Setting yourself unrealistic goals and not achieving them is setting yourself up for failure all round. Setting yourself realistic goals and then achieving them will only boost your confidence.
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za
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