Summary: I would say the number one thing that helped me the most with overcoming call reluctance is when I realized the people who are likely to yell or scream or be angry or be obnoxious or belligerent, they're not the people we're doing it for.<br> <br> We are doing it for the needles in the haystack. We're doing it to find that perfect-fit customer that needs what we have to offer, and who was waiting for someone like us to come along.<br> <br> <br> <br> David: Hi, and welcome to the podcast. In today's episode, cohost Jay McFarland and I will be discussing the idea of overcoming call reluctance. Welcome back, Jay.<br> <br> <br> <br> Jay: So glad to be here, David. And I really want to hear your feedback on this topic, because this is something that I struggle with. I've been put in sales positions in the past. I have a list of leads. All I have to do is pick up the phone and dial those numbers, and I can't bring myself to do it.<br> <br> Which is funny. I can do it, if it's a qualified lead and they're expecting my call, or if they've set an online appointment with me, all of that fear goes away. But if it's a cold call, forget it. I can't do it. I just can't.<br> <br> David: Yeah, well call reluctance is a big topic for people who have to make cold calls, and that is one aspect of it. But you hit on a couple of other aspects of it. There are some people who still struggle with the idea of picking up the phone, even when somebody is looking to hear from you.<br> <br> So, we'll touch on a little of all of that, but you went to the big thing first, which is the idea that there are a lot of people who struggle with call reluctance. They don't want to pick up the phone, they don't want to do it.<br> <br> And if we think about the reasons for that, a lot of it becomes kind of obvious. What would you say is your number one reason?<br> <br> Jay: I guess fear of rejection. It's just hard for me to feel like I'm going to get them to want to hear me.<br> <br> David: Yeah, and one of the reasons that I struggle a bit with this topic is that I'm not a huge fan of cold calls. It's not that we don't do them , we do. It's not that I haven't done them, I have.<br> <br> But generally speaking, my approach is to try to lead with something of more value. So in those situations, if you follow up with a phone call, it's a lot more welcome than if they're not expecting your call.<br> <br> But yes, what I've found personally and also with a number of the people that I worked with is that a lot of people think, Well, it's fear of failure. It's fear of rejection. I'm afraid that this person is going to get mad or they're going to get angry or they're going to hang up on me, and all valid fears because those things happen when you're making cold calls.<br> <br> And so part of it for me, because those of us who have been in positions where you had to make the calls, regardless of whether or not you felt like it, you have to come up with a way to get over that.<br> <br> And the things that helped me the most, I would say the number one thing that helped me the most, was when I realized the people who are likely to yell or scream or be angry or be obnoxious or belligerent, they're not the people we're doing it for.<br> <br> We are doing it for the needles in the haystack. We're doing it to find that perfect fit customer that needs what we have to offer, that was waiting for someone like us to come along, you know, the knight in shining armor or whatever.<br> <br> Those are the people that we're doing it for, and you can't get to those people until, and unless you first get to the ones that might not be as receptive to your message, shall we say?<br> <br> Jay: Yeah, absolutely. My dad was a very successful salesman his whole life. And he always told me that every day he has a goal for how many no's he's going to get.
