SHOW SUMMARY

Cold-calling, particularly opening a conversation with a stranger on the phone is one of the difficult and yet important skills to master as a salesperson. For new sellers, it can be a very intimidating task in the absence of any good mentor providing guidance and emotional support. In this episode of the Love Selling Hate Sales podcast, our host Josh Wagner talks to Sam Absalom, a Sales Associate with CRE One Source about the key lessons he has learned on the job so far, as well as a few actionable tips that sellers can apply today to improve their cold-calling game. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Your first cold calls are going to suck
• Try not to take rejection personally 
• Don’t give up so easily, you have nothing to lose 
• Your tone makes a world of a difference 
• Focus on getting people to ask about what you do
• Stop doing things that don’t work 
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with your approach
• Advice for people looking to work in a startup environment 

QUOTES

Sam’s advice for first-time cold callers: “Your natural instinct, immediately when you get someone on the phone and as soon as they sound bothered or uninterested, you want to hang up because you feel like you’re being a nuisance. I discovered that at this point, I’m only on the phone, I’ve got nothing to lose. If they’re not interested, try to ask those provoking questions that just keeps them on the line.”

Sam’s tips for keeping people on the line: “The biggest thing that I found is I got them hooked as soon as they ask me what we do. My only goal in the first 23 seconds is have them ask me, ‘well what is it that you do.’ Because as soon as they’ve asked that question I’ve got them hooked. And at least, if nothing else, I’m going to get an email out of this phone call.”

SHOW RESOURCES: 

• Business Case Lift Model: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1a6cYWGkILYaUJ6iLSAxNgRO-XRWZmmzX/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100270421913823308516&rtpof=true&sd=true
• Exec Summary Example: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uSKTaQjl2LLQajgyaweFnW6E2mOuvBMB/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100270421913823308516&rtpof=true&sd=true
• ROI Model Template: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cCAyA3F7RiWI621qGhVIGKzJAPGDwMAJ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100270421913823308516&rtpof=true&sd=true

About Josh Wagner: 

Josh is a growth advisor and the host of the Love Selling Hate Sales podcast. He specializes in helping executives understand modern marketing and sales to drive growth in a scalable way. 

To learn more about Josh and his work, follow the links below:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwagneraz/
• Company website: https://www.shiftparadigm.com/
• Personal Website: https:///www.joshuadwagner.com
• Podcast: https://www.lovesellinghatesales.com