Before you dial that number, do you amp yourself up, brimming with excitement about your product and envisioning a successful sale? If you’re following outdated cold calling strategies, that’s likely what you’ve been taught. However, excessive enthusiasm and overconfidence can often backfire.
Why? Because you’re engaging with someone who doesn’t know you. Consider how you’d react if a stranger approached you with excessive zeal. You’d likely feel suspicious and take a step back, becoming defensive.
The same dynamic applies to cold calls. People dislike feeling pressured, which is often triggered by an overly confident approach. While traditional sales training might label it “positive thinking,” it often comes across as arrogance.
Consider these two points before your next cold call:
1. Artificial Enthusiasm Rings False
During coaching sessions, I often role-play with individuals. It’s remarkable how their demeanor shifts the moment they launch into their cold call presentation. Their natural voice changes, sounding entirely different from the person who discussed their sales challenges with me moments before.
Often, the mere act of making a cold call causes people to speak louder and with excessive “forward energy.” But many cold calls fail the instant the other person senses this artificial enthusiasm.
Why? Because high enthusiasm can make prospects feel cornered. They feel the weight of your expectations and pressured by a stranger who knows nothing about them. It’s far more effective to engage in a natural, conversational manner, as if speaking with a friend. This relaxed and genuine approach makes a world of difference.
2. Assumptions Feel Like Presumptions
The traditional cold calling approach encourages the belief that your prospect should seriously consider your offer simply because they fit your ideal customer profile. This assumes that your product or service is automatically a good fit. But how logical is it to make assumptions about someone you’ve never spoken to? How can you truly understand their problems, needs, timeframe, budget, or decision-making process?
Imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end of someone who presumes to know what’s “best” for you, especially when you don’t know or trust them. It naturally puts people on the defensive.
Therefore, avoid making assumptions during cold calls. Approach prospects with humility and avoid entering the conversation with a preconceived notion that they should be a client. This eliminates sales pressure and the resulting defensive reaction.
By eliminating assumptions and dialing down the enthusiasm, you’ll come across as a genuine person rather than a pushy salesperson. You’ll likely find that prospects respond more warmly and naturally.