When the Phone Weighs a Thousand Pounds (Money Monday)

0:01Jessica Stokes: So going into a follow-up call, I want every important note right at my fingertips, not buried somewhere in a scribbled stack of notes. And with Plod Notepin S, I always have them because it's a wearable, portable note taker that lets me stay present and focused on customers during every single meeting. Plod captures the conversation and turns it into organized summaries and action items so I can follow up faster. And if I need a specific detail, Plod's recall has that ready for me. And that's why Jeb Sr. and I and all of Sales Gravy trusts our Plod Notepin S. Try Plod and stay focused on the conversation while it handles all of your notes.

0:34Jessica Stokes: Go to plod.ai forward slash Jeb. That's plod.ai forward slash Jeb and use code JEB to get 10 % off your purchase.

0:48Jessica Stokes: This is Jeb Blunt and it's Money Monday on the Sales Gravy Podcast. Say, make money, money, make money, money, money. Make money, money, make money, money, money. Money makes the world go round. I'm gonna talk around town. Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Money Monday. I'm Jessica Stokes filling in this week for Jeb. Today, I want to talk about something that impacts almost every salesperson I coach at one point or another. Confidence. And more specifically, confidence when you're cold calling. because you can know exactly what to say. You can have a great product. You can have the perfect lead list.

1:26You can have all of the tools in the world. But if you don't have the confidence to actually initiate the conversation, none of that matters. Nowhere does the lack of confidence show up more than with cold calling. Think about it. You're about to call a complete stranger. They aren't expecting you. They don't know what you're gonna say and they might reject you. They could hang up. They could be annoyed. And all of that uncertainty starts creating stories in your head before you've even made the call. You start thinking, I'm going to bother them. They won't answer anyway. I don't want to sound salesy.

2:02And all of a sudden, that phone feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. Here's what I want you to understand. Feeling uncomfortable doesn't mean you're bad at prospecting. It means you're human. Cold calling is uncomfortable and full of facing rejection. It's one of the reasons that so many salespeople look for other ways to generate opportunities. But here's where we get into trouble. We start allowing the discomfort to make our decisions for us. This is probably the most important thing I want you to take away from today. You don't become confident and then take action. You take action and then become confident.

2:45Think about anything you've ever had to learn to do. You weren't confident the first time. You became confident because of doing it again and again. My nephew's dream job is to be a fighter jet pilot. He loves the idea of being in the sky and controlling one of those super powerful aircraft. It's excited him since he was in elementary school. There's a big difference between watching F-16s fly across your screen on Instagram and actually climbing into the cockpit of one for the first time. You can watch a thousand videos. You can study how the controls work. You can learn terminology. You can imagine what it might feel like.

3:26But none of that will give you the confidence that comes from actually getting in the aircraft. At first, everything is very unfamiliar. You have to think about every move. Your heart is probably beating really fast. You're hyper aware of everything that you're doing. And that first lesson is probably more terrifying than thrilling. Then you do it again and again and again. And each time you learn a little more, your reactions start to become more natural. You stop having to think through every single moment of the lesson. Eventually, something that felt intimidating begins to feel familiar. That is how confidence is built.

4:08Not by watching, not by planning, by doing. Prospecting is exactly the same way. You can read every sales book out there. You can attend hours of training and you can try to create the perfect script. But at some point, you have to pick up the phone. And the first call might feel uncomfortable. So you make another one. You will survive the rejection. You will make another one. Then you may have a great conversation. Do it again and again. And eventually, the thing that once felt so intimidating starts to feel a little more familiar. Confidence is built through repetition. Now, here's another confidence killer.

4:49Trying to avoid rejection. We tell ourselves, maybe I'll use email because it's more comfortable. Or maybe I'll leverage LinkedIn because it warms things up. There's nothing wrong with these channels. In fact, they're pretty valuable ways to prospect. But be careful. There's a big difference between choosing a prospecting channel because it's effective and choosing it because you're hiding. No matter which channel you choose, eventually somebody's going to not respond. Eventually, somebody's going to tell you they're not interested. That is just sales. The goal is not to eliminate rejection. The goal is to stop allowing the rejection to determine your confidence.

5:33Here's the other side to all of this. You don't have to prospect exactly like everybody else. Some salespeople come alive when they're face to face. They'll walk through a prospect's front door all day long and avoid the phone. Other people are fantastic networkers. You put them in a room full of strangers and they'll walk out with 20 new friends. Some people are great on video where others build natural relationships by using social media like LinkedIn. All of that's important because building confidence is also understanding where you're strong. So if you're naturally strong at face to face, then use it.

6:11In-person prospecting is actually standing out again because genuine human interaction has become increasingly rare. If you're good at networking and using your relationships, then use them. Ask your happy customers for referrals and introductions. When you leverage your preferred tool at the start of the day, it sometimes helps your confidence going into the harder tools like the telephone. Now, here's a great confidence-building exercise if cold calling feels intimidating. don't start with the coldest person on your list. Start with some people who may already know you or your company. Look at your CRM.

6:50Where are the inactive customers? You know those customers, the ones who bought from you two years ago, the ones that maybe you lost because the timing wasn't right. Perhaps there's even people who told you to reach back out in six months and you still haven't. Who is a current customer who potentially could buy something additional? These types of conversations are easier because there's already a level of familiarity, and they're a great way to build your prospecting muscle. Pick up the phone, get into a conversation, and ask for those meetings. You might start hearing some yeses. Then you will take that confidence into the colder and the harder calls.

7:30Your existing CRM can be one of the best places to begin when you need to create some pipeline momentum. Another great confidence builder is to leverage video. And I love this one because so many salespeople overthink it. They record a video, watch it, delete it, record again, watch it, decide their hair looks bad, delete it, finally record video number seven. They still don't like it. So guys, here's my advice. Stop trying to be perfect. Your prospect isn't looking for a television commercial. They want a human being. Send a 30-second video message. Use their name. Give them a relevant reason for reaching out.

8:09Smile. Be yourself. And hit send. Personalized videos work because it's putting a face and a voice to the outreach that's already happening. The biggest danger is perfectionism, where you get so caught up being perfect that you never hit send. Now, one final confidence builder that I think is fun, because almost nobody is using it anymore, is to leverage snail mail. Yes, we're talking posted mail. Send a written note, mail an article that you think would be helpful. send a small thoughtful item that could be connected to a future conversation. It doesn't need to be expensive. It just needs to be relevant.

8:49Now you have a reason to reach out. You can say, hey, John, Jessica here. I dropped something in the mail to you last week, and I want to start by making sure that you got it on your desk. Now you've created a little context. It feels a little different than a cold call, and it may build up your confidence going into that dial. Confidence comes from competence. Sometimes we assume that we lack confidence when we're really just lacking preparation. If you're nervous before a prospecting call, ask yourself, do I know who I'm calling? Do I understand why I'm calling? Do I have a relevant reason? And do I know what I'm going to say if they answer?

9:30Preparation creates competence and that competence creates confidence. You don't need a 10-minute script. You need to know your opening, your key because statement, and then trust yourself enough to just make the dial. So here is this week's Money Monday Challenge. Pick up the phone. If cold calling is a thing you've been avoiding, don't spend another week trying to think your way into more confidence. Get the reps in. Set aside 15 minutes every day this week just for cold calling on the phone. Now, before you begin, have your list ready. Know your opening. Know your because statement. Know your ask.

10:16And then make the dials. And here's the important part. Don't measure your success by how many people say yes to you. Measure success by how many times you picked up the phone and made the dial. Because some people won't answer. Some people will tell you no. Some people will hang up. And that is okay. Every dial is a rep. Every conversation makes the next conversation easier. And every time you push through the discomfort to make the dial, you're proving to yourself, I can do this. So don't wait until you feel confident enough to pick up the phone. Pick up the phone so that you can become more confident.

10:59Remember my nephew and that dream to be a fighter jet pilot. He can't learn by watching from the ground. And at some point, you have to pick up the phone. The goal is proving to yourself that you can do uncomfortable things. Confidence isn't something you wait to feel. It's something you earn through action. Thanks for joining me this week on Money Monday. And if this episode encouraged you, share it with another salesperson who might need the reminder. Keep showing up. Keep dialing. Keep moving forward. You've been listening to the Sales Gravy Podcast. This is Jessica Stokes. Make today awesome.

12:12Jessica Stokes: The sun's shining, birds are singing, and all feels right in the world. Until the season changes, and suddenly you lose your motivation to get out of bed. In fact, one in five people experience some form of depression no matter the season or time of year. At the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, our vision is to build a mentally healthy nation for all. Because we want you to live your best life and be your best you all year round. Please visit MentallyHealthyNation.org to learn more.