Although cold calling is not my first choice for success, there may be times when it is the only option. If you are forced to do it, learn how to do this well. You can learn a few things to make it easier and more successful.
Your sales manager may force you to do this if you are new to the industry. If you have been in the business for a while but have never learned how to market yourself, you might need to do it. You are likely to be like 84% percent of salespeople. It’s a horrible job that results in poor results, which can damage your fragile ego.
You can take five steps to get results from cold calls until you are able to market yourself. You must first work on your self-confidence. People you call are not better or worse than you. They’re just people like you who have made mistakes and still have faults, no matter how successful they might be.
You can be sure that they will get what you offer. You’re selling the wrong product if you don’t. If they don’t respond to your calls or call you unexpectedly, it’s because you haven’t done your job. Your core message must convey the emotional impact of getting the service they desire.
Please don’t call me to introduce yourself. This assumes that I want to hear or see you. Don’t contact the person unless you have a clear objective. They shouldn’t be required to make connections or fill in the gaps to realize that what you ask them to do is a win-win situation.
You must set aside time for your calls, and you should keep it that way. You can use an electronic planner or day planner to block out one hour each day for making those calls. You must make the calls when that hour arrives. No excuses, no interruptions. If you need to reach professionals or executives, call them early in the morning, before anyone else. They’ll likely pick up the phone thinking it’s someone they already know.
The final step is to develop the habits that will help you excel at cold calling. These habits include self-confidence, a concise and powerful core message that matches the person that you are calling, taking action every day to make cold calls so that you can increase your insurance sales success, and all of this with sufficient frequency and conviction.
It is very easy to know that if you find yourself in a situation where cold calling is required, you will need to be better prepared than ever before. Learn from others and adapt it to your needs. You can then create procedures and techniques that work best for you, and then put them into practice by making daily calls. Do it every day if you plan to cold-call. You’ll be procrastinating and talking yourself out of it on the days that you are supposed to, but if it has to be done every day, it will get done.
