Calling Clients – Do You Love It or Loathe It? by Kirsty Spraggon

Whether you like it or not, I am afraid the phone is a big part of our success, either in your own business or in any career where you have clients.  Face to face contact is always my preference but is not always possible from a time perspective to stay in touch with everyone regularly in that way.

This past week, I have had the pleasure of coaching numerous people in numerous industries around ‘cold calling’.  “Yuck!” I hear some of you say…well yes, that’s what I thought, too.  “Cold calling” sounds so wrong. Perhaps instead we should be calling it ‘new client calls’ or ‘potential friend calls’. That sounds so much nicer.

At the same time, I had by chance been making my own client follow up calls. Some were cold and some warm. What I found incredibly interesting was how differently my coaching clients and I felt about this task; while I was excited…my clients were terrified or were simply loathing the very idea of making their calls.

So what I wanted to share with you is my process, in the hope it will help anyone who may suffer from a little call reluctance to actually enjoy the process, and those who love it to achieve even better results.

1. Understand that you are NOT cold calling and you are not calling to close a sale. You are calling to “open a relationship” – to just open the door a fraction and get your foot in it.  The idea is that over time, it will open fully and they will invite you in.

2. Get in a positive state — you need to be happy and upbeat; this comes through in your voice. My favorite way is through music.  Try “pump up the jam” and I challenge you not to be pumped up.

3. Smile before you dial — an oldie but a goodie. No explanation needed.

4. Don’t over-prepare or over-think it; you will just stress yourself out.

5. Be confident that they want to hear from you. You are a professional.

6. Depending on who and why I am calling, I may jot down a couple of things I want to remember to mention so that I can be present with them on the call and not think about what I need to say.

7. Listen for cues; for example if the say I am busy preparing to take leave or for an event next week these are great cues to start opening a relationships and to making a warm call next time you call them.

8. Be conscious of your non verbals. It is not what you are saying, but how you say it that they pick up through the phone.  They can’t see you and they will be listening to things such as your tone, intonation, inflections and speed of voice.

9. If you have a bad call, clear the air and decontaminate immediately. Take a break, call someone you know who is always fun to chat with, or put your favorite song on.

10. It is important to think long-term, not short, and therefore following up is key. Make notes of your next contact to remind you of what was said last time.

Resources:The link to the free audio which is 25 minutes on how to make cold calls is at – http://www.kirstyspraggon.com.au/audio/category/14-audio-recordings

© Kirsty Spraggon.  Kirsty Spraggon, speaker, coach and author, is known for her expertise in building relationships that assists you to increase your sales, networks and connections for life & business success. With 15 years experience in every facet of the sales industry, her career saw her ranked in the top 1% of individuals in RE/MAX’s global network of 121,000 sales agents worldwide. For more info go to www.kirstyspraggon.com.au

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