Recently, a new member of my sales organization approached me and said, “They want us to make 100 calls a day. Is that for real? Should I do that?”
NO.
Cold calling: They say 100 calls-per-day. I say 1.
Because your instructor is the instructor and stands at the front of the class giving direction does NOT mean this person knows all about sales.
Enter Peace Love Sales. A sales person with tips and tricks who wants to give back out of the goodness of my heart.
100 calls per day means you are not concerned with quality of calls, more with hitting the 100 number.
100 calls per day is rushing off the phone with a potential client to make the next dial.
100 calls per day is a competition between your peers that does not end up putting more money in your pocket.
Have we forgotten why we are calling in the first place? To build relationships with clients and earn their business. The goal is to keep clients talking about their needs as long as possible. This goal is difficult to accomplish when its 4:00PM, you are on call 23 of 100 and nervous about your peers seeing your call count the next day.
Step outside of the temporary sales training and think long-term. The call counting will not matter soon and your goal is to enter the workforce with a solid foundation of potential clients.
1 call. 1 solid call. 1 true opportunity.
START HERE: Get rid of your phonebook list and research 5 companies, big ones, until you know what the company does and who the main decision makers are. Plan your pitch and do not worry about how many calls you make but how long they last.
From these 5 companies, your goal is to complete 1 solid call and leave with action items for a future conversation. Now doesn’t that sound more doable than 100 calls in 1 day?
1 solid call per day, 30 days in a month means 30 true opportunities in your pipeline.
MOVE FORWARD: Once you get the hang of focusing on preparation as opposed to busting out 100 calls, you can add to the number 5 and shoot for 10 solid dials per day.
They Say 100 but YOU can say 1.
Andy says
Nadene,
I totally agree with you. I believe in “quality” over “quantity.” As someone who is in sales, I can relate to these cold call quotas and their lack of effectiveness
Fresh On The Job says
I’m glad you agree, Andy! They are quite silly 🙂