In the old traditional cold calling mindset, we’ve been trained to be in kind of an attack mode if someone back-pedals. We panic a little and start to press for a sale.

But this will only make your cold calls more painful. Whenever the other person isn’t sure, we should step back, not press forward. Whenever we hear an objection, we get scared. You might think you’re not attached to making the sale, but if you panic when someone gives you an objection, this is proof that you’re really attached after all.

So when you catch yourself reacting during a cold call – stop. Take a deep breath and physically relax before you do anything else. Here is a good reason to step back when you face objections or resistance during your cold calling:

Maybe you’ve never thought of this. An objection or reluctance is really the greatest moment of vulnerability for prospects. It’s a “weak moment” for them because they aren’t sure. If they were sure, they’d simply say “yes” or “no.” But they aren’t sure. So they may be using an “objection” as a way to buy time, to get some space so they can stay in control. They’re doing this because they assume that you’re going to try and “sell” them.

When you demonstrate your willingness to honor their process and let them sort things through, this puts you on their side. And that’s exactly where you want to be.

Until next time,

Keep calling and keep it conversational…

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Cold Calling Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

When others feel a relaxed mindset from you, they are much more likely to welcome you into their day. But if you rigidly follow a script or launch into a mini-presentation, then your cold call is immediately pegged as something initiated primarily for your own gain. And that puts most people into resistance.

Here are 8 keys to building relationships in cold calling:

1. Focus on the other person’s needs rather than on securing a sale

2. Surrender to the outcome of your cold call so you can connect with your potential client at a human level

3. View the human connection as an exciting journey in which you encounter new and interesting people

4. Speak graciously and naturally as you would with any new acquaintance

5. Remember it’s about how you come across, not about how many people you call

6. Allow the conversation to evolve naturally

7. Invite both of you to decide together whether it’s worth your time to pursue the conversation further

8. Use phrases that are non-aggressive yet very effective

So try this. Practice shifting your mental focus from salesmanship into a place of relationship. You’ll find that your genuine enjoyment of the conversation rubs off on the other person. They’ll be less defensive and more likely to share with you truthfully.

Until next time,

Keep calling and Keep it conversational….

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Cold Calling Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

 Let’s say that you succeed in fully adopting this new mindset as it relates to cold calling. You focus your initial conversation on a specific problem or issue that you know from your own experience affects people in that business or industry.

The initial call turns into a positive and friendly conversation. It moves in such a positive direction that you both feel there may be a match. And at the point, you may start slipping back into the traditional sales mindset. You may start thinking about a potential sale.

And this may lead you to start making statements that your prospect will construe as an attempt to “close.” For example, you may start pressing, however subtly, for an appointment or a follow-up call, which implies that you’re anxious to move things forward so you can make the sale.

The problem is that any such pressure on your part may lead your prospect to retreat and reject you. Instead, at the moment when you feel as if the conversation is coming to a natural conclusion, you can simply say, “Well, where do you think we should go from here?”

This question reassures prospects that you’re not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda. Rather, you’re giving them the “space” to begin to decide if they trust you. You’re not leading them down the path to a sale — you’re letting them create their own path.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

Remember to use a very natural tone of voice that shows you’re not hungry for the sale. Very simply, we’re talking about the kind of communication that most of us use in our personal life, and applying it to the people we deal with in our business life mainly during our cold calling.

If you approach them in a natural, human way, they’ll probably explain the situation. Prospects will most likely respond with something like, “Well, let me explain what’s going on.” When you’re not pressuring them to move the sale forward, they feel comfortable revealing to you what’s happening.

You may want to spend a little extra time letting them know that you really are okay with whatever happens. You can’t probe for the truth or force it to appear, any more than you can force a tree to grow faster. All you can do is create a safe space that allows trust and truth to emerge. This lets you re-build a bridge of trust so that you can reconnect at the level of human beings – not in the artificial roles of buyer and seller.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

The problem with high enthusiasm in cold calling is that the other person has to make a decision whether to “buy into” your perspective, or to reject it. They feel pressure to be carried along by your enthusiasm. This usually means they’ll put on the brakes, whether gently or abruptly. So instead it’s best to talk normally and naturally, as if you were talking to a friend. Others won’t feel the pressure of your expectations, and can choose to respond to you in a more open, relaxed way.

Completely eliminating all sales pressure from your cold calling conversations helps people feel more comfortable carrying on a conversation with you. And this means you’ll be invited more often to explore the truth of whether your product is a fit for them.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

If you’ve been trained in the old traditional cold calling approach, you’re hoping to make a sale whenever you dial the telephone. The problem is that the people you call somehow almost immediately notice your mindset. They sense that you’re only focused on your own goals and interests, and this short-circuits the whole process of communication and trust building.

So try this. Practice shifting your mental focus into thinking, “When I make this call, first I’m going to build a conversation.”When you build a conversation and exchange information instead of persuading or pressuring someone to buy, then the other person can feel much more relaxed. And “The Wall” won’t be triggered.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

Here’s a hard one to avoid if you’re using scripts or cold calling strategies. Taking charge of a conversation almost always feels like manipulation to the other person. And that’s pressure. So again, “The Wall” goes up. I’m not suggesting that you don’t prepare and plan for your cold calls. There are some really good ways to begin cold calls that you’ll want to use over and over.

What you want to avoid, however, is trying to control a cold calling conversation. This almost always happens with scripts and old-style sales strategies. Prospects feel this pressure and respond negatively. So it’s best to avoid rigidly following any pre-planned strategy, and instead let the conversation unfold much more naturally.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

In the old traditional cold calling mindset, we’ve been trained to be in kind of an attack mode if someone back-pedals. We panic a little and start to press for a sale. But this will only make your cold calls more painful. Whenever the other person isn’t sure, we should step back, not press forward.

Whenever we hear an objection, we get scared. You might think you’re not attached to making the sale, but if you panic when someone gives you an objection, this is proof that you’re really attached after all. So when you catch yourself reacting during a cold call – stop. Take a deep breath and physically relax before you do anything else.

Until next time,

Keep calling and keep it conversational…

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

Let’s say that you’ve been having ongoing conversations with a potential client, and your cold calls seem to be very successful. People are showing interest and want to continue the conversation. But then all of a sudden your calls aren’t returned. Are they evading you? Well, we’ve been trained to think that unless we’re constantly “moving a sale forward,” we may lose it. So we automatically keep calling back and leaving messages.

These messages usually sound something like, “Hi, haven’t heard back from you, so I’m just calling to follow up. How are we looking so far? Looking forward to hearing from you.” The biggest problem with this approach is that leaving insistent messages shows you’re trying to move the sale forward. And this makes your potential clients feel pushed.

This kind of follow-up to your cold calling tells them that your focus is on yourself and that you aren’t interested in their issues. This keeps them from calling you back. You’re trying to ignore the possibility that they’re avoiding you because they feel sales pressure from you.

Until next time,

Keep calling and keep it conversational…

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

Before you do this, take a step back. Keep in mind that you don’t know why your calls aren’t being returned. Make sure that you’ve let go your sales agenda, and that your goal is only to identify the truth.

You may find it useful to just sit silently for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Breathe deeply and consciously, accepting that this sale is probably gone. Let it go, so that there’s no part of you hoping or pushing for it.

You need to decide that it’s really not about the sale anymore – it’s about learning for next time. That’s a big leap, that you’ll need to make so cold calling is no longer a painful experience for you.

Until next time,

Keep calling and keep it conversational…

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com