Yeah, You Hate Cold Calls…But Practicing Makes Them FAR Easier

As we all know, the only way to get better at something is to practice. So why not practice cold calls?

Here’s my idea.

Everyone hates cold calls right? So the next time you’re at a networking meeting-ideally of similarly unemployed people-why don’t you form a cold call group? Everyone wants to, and needs to, get better at cold calling.

This group should be people that you don’t know well. You exchange business cards, and then agree that you’ll call them at some point in the next week and treat them as if you’d never met. You’ll either say that you were introduced through a friend, or that you saw on their company website that there’s an open position and you wanted to put a voice with the resume, or another scenario that is equally terrifying for you.

The person on the other end has to act as they would in a normal situation. If they were interrupted, they have the option of asking you to call back. If they’re not sure why you’re calling, they ask for clarification. They basically act as if they were in their former position and were receiving a cold call.

So what does this do? It lets the person calling discover what approach they’re most comfortable with without the risk of messing up what could be a great contact. They can also get real feedback from the person on the other end.

To be honest I don’t mind cold calls because I have an opening line that always works: “Hi, you don’t know me, but I’m calling…” And how do I know that works? Because I’ve tried it many times and that’s what has opened many doors.

And here’s another thought, I never remember the calls that didn’t go well, but I can sure as heck describe the times they worked; the ones that landed me amazing speaking opportunities, or a spot on a local TV station (and I actually initially screwed up the pitch, recovered, and they STILL called me in the next day).

The momentary sting of one that doesn’t go well is ALWAYS overshadowed by the ones that get you what you want.