Are you sick and tired of hearing the phrase ‘phone reluctance’? Do you look at the phone as a trip to the dentist office? You hate going but you know you have to do it.
If you’re like me, you’ve heard so many people give us so many different ways on how to cure phone reluctance. Perhaps you’re tired and frustrated hearing about it and you just wish you can find a simple solution that works.
Just like referrals, I’ve heard all the reasons why we get call reluctance and just as many solutions. Some worked some didn’t. But most that did only worked temporarily. I finally found a solution, that’s easy, relaxed and works for just about everyone.
But before I tell the cure, it is real important to understand how we got the dreaded call reluctance virus in the first place. FYI, just using the word ‘reluctance’ already puts us in a negative mindset.
The Symptoms
We all know the symptoms; we look at the phone on a Monday morning and start breaking out in a rash. Our hands tremble, our heart races and the phone looks like a ticking time bomb. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but only slightly. Here are the common symptoms of the ‘call reluctance virus’.
- Procrastination: we think of any reason, no matter how far-fetched, not to pick up the phone. I can do it later, I have paperwork to do or I have to clean my desk. It’s like telling the teacher ‘the dog ate my homework’.
- Rejection: we hate hearing the word no. It’s a personal affront to us. It’s someone saying you are not worthy or capable.
So what is the cause of those symptoms?
The Cause
In my opinion there is only one cause; Lack of Confidence. You’ve been rejected on the phone so many times before, that you just feel or know you won’t be successful. The client on the other end wont react positively and give you the appointment no matter what you say. So your subconscious is telling you all the reasons why you can’t instead of reasons why you can.
I could go into greater detail on the above, but you know all this already. Besides why focus on the negative.
The CURE
My cure is uncommon. I look at ‘phone reluctance’ from a totally different perspective. It starts with asking yourself this simple question; WHY you are picking up the phone? What is your objective, what is your outcome? This is crucial! (See previous post Objective vs. Outcome)
So let me ask you, why do you pick up the phone? I have asked this question to hundreds if not thousands of salespeople. The most common answer is ‘to get an appointment’. My fellow salespeople that is precisely why you have call reluctance!
If your objective is to get an appointment, your body is already tensed and stressed. Worse, how do you think you sound over the phone? Your prospect senses you’re pushing for that appointment, trying to sell too hard and they put that wall up.
Then they start giving you the typical objections like, ‘I’m too busy, call a month from now’ or ‘I already have an advisor’. How do you feel when you get those objections? Pretty frustrated and sick, right? Yes, you caught the ‘call reluctance virus’. All you want to do is get off the phone, go home curl up in bed and watch TV.
Ok, right, sorry, the CURE. Well you’re not going to like this but you have to check out my next post; The Call Reluctance Virus Pt2.
Blame my creative team Nick and Offir. They have insisted on a set amount of words for each post.
Tips from this article
- Call Reluctance is a virus that spreads
- It comes from a lack of confidence
- If your objective is to get an appointment you will
- be stressed
- come across pushy and your client will put up a wall