Following up on your cold calls - when to let go

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."

Problems With This Approach

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.

Why Prospects Don't Call You Back

The number one reason potential clients begin avoiding us is that they're afraid we're going to pressure them. They've had negative experiences with other people trying to sell them something - maybe even with you, although you might not be aware of it.

The solution here is to let go of your sales agenda. Focus on the truth, not on the sale. If you switch your focus to finding out the truth, then your perspective changes. It's not a situation where you might be losing a sale. It's just that you don't know the truth yet.

Read this last paragraph a few more times and let it sink in. As you absorb it, you'll start to feel a powerful shift. You'll start feeling less anxious and desperate, because you haven't "lost a sale." You just don't know the truth yet.

The only way to discover the truth is to make sure they're comfortable enough to tell you the truth. You must approach your potential client in a way that doesn't threaten them. What you don't want is for them to think you're calling just to make the sale.

The Truth is Revealed When You're On Their Side

Remember, people will trust you and reveal what they're thinking only if they feel like you're on their side.

So you need to be clear in your own mind that the breakdown in communication is likely to be something that you unknowingly triggered.

You probably did something that made them feel uncomfortable about calling you back. Otherwise they'd feel safe saying, "Thanks a lot, but we're not going to go with you." So somewhere along the way the ball got dropped.

Once you've taken all this in and are feeling clear and comfortable, you can pick up the phone. Always start with a phone call. The last thing you want to do is send an e-mail, because it's inherently impersonal and one-way.

Letting Go

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.

About the Author

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.Unlock-The-Cold-Calling-Game.com