Is cold-calling a success training ground?
I know that call reluctance is a success deterent.
Terry Hunefeld and I were talking about this between sessions at The Main Event in Tampa this week.
The thing that started the conversation is the results of this week's Poll on MarketingMonday.com
I asked if people use telephone prospecting as a way to get new business, and the response has been overwhelmingly (83%) NO.
I wonder if there is some skill that's learned by cold calling?
When I started in real estate, I made 100 calls a day for years.
It was very successful for me...but of course it was tiring.
My friend, Steve, told me this summer that one of the turning points in his life was being with me in my office playing "PGA Golf" on my computer, WHILE I was making cold calls.
It made an impression on him that he still remembers.
He later joined my team as a telephone lead generator, and took over the cold calling duties, which freed me up to work ON the business and develop a lot of the tools we use today.
I still remember how different it was to talk to people who were responding to my first "direct response" ads and postcards. How GIDDY I was that everybody at least sort of wanted to talk to me.
None of them hung up on me.
None of them yelled at me.
None of them were rude.
It was wonderful.
I wonder if the contrast was part of the experience?
I wonder if people who have NOT made any cold calls in their life are missing out on something?
I do think something clicks in to place when you have made your thousandth cold call.
By then, you've heard and experienced EVERYTHING...and most importantly you definitely get over that fear, and gnawing feeling, in the pit of your stomach.
I think once that happens it's over.
I haven't made a cold call in over 15 years...but I know I could pick up the phone and do it right this second without any feeling of hesitation.
It's like I've caloused my fear of rejection button, and it never goes away.
I think there's something to that.
The people who do the very best within our system, are people who have zero fear in talking to people.
If you're someone who does everything possible to avoid making calls...and passes them on the someone else in the name of "efficiency"...it might be a good idea for you to just try and make some of those calls yourself.
Anyway...that's MY take.
What do YOU think?