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Only feedback from the real world that corrects this mistaken belief will give you the self-acceptance that will encourage more such self-expression. So why not try it?
At first blush, cold calling a perfect stranger might seem very anonymous and quite unfriendly. But, you can easily "warm-up" your cold calling sessions by putting more of your personality, and your natural, everyday self into the exchange. Injecting more of your own, unique energy and style into a cold call can make your telemarketing efforts much more profitable.
In the past, I found that I had a tendency to keep my own cold calling too tightly focused and limited to only the topics at hand. I avoided getting involved in too much chit-chat and stayed only in areas that I felt competent to discuss. I've since learned that the long-term problem with this approach is that it was boring-- and boredom can result in burn out!
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But, if you are willing to disclose a little of your true self in these telemarketing communications, you can make these calls fun and even interesting. As a result, you'll tend to end calls less quickly and have a better chance to meet your cold calling objectives.
As is so often the case in other forms of communication, the reluctance (such as fear of public speaking, writer’s bloc or introducing yourself to strangers), to disclose more of your inner-self in cold calls is almost always based on a lack of confidence in your own value. Only feedback from the real world that corrects this mistaken belief will give you the self-acceptance that will encourage more such self-expression. So why not try it?
You can and should freshen up cold calling sessions with your own spontaneous observations and comments. I find that telemarketers can significantly increase their productivity if they would simply add more of their own thoughts, feelings, inner-promptings, and even one-liner comments in to their calls. Of course, these add-ons need to be germane to the topic and move the conversation forward-- so that you don't undercut the purpose of the call. (Resist talking about the weather, sports or other extraneous topics!)
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The big payback for you is that your cold calling can become more fun and less boring. But perhaps even more important is what it does for your interest and commitment level. If a call is more of a personal expression for you and less of a rote enactment of an impersonal script, you are likely to make more cold calls. More cold calls allow you to identify more contacts, develop more qualified leads, and ultimately make more sales!
--By Mark Sanford, PhD
Mark Sanford of Sanford Associates, is a business development coach and trainer with 30+ years of business experience.More free articles and training materials on cold calling are available at http://www.coldcalling.com. Mark can also be reached at 925.253.0646.
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