If you’ve been cold calling – you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. The cold calling blues is best described as feeling down in the dumps and sometimes has you feeling like you’re the only salesperson in the world that’s fighting this war.
It’s hard to stay motivated when it seems like no one is answering your calls, and every rejection you get feels like a personal attack, but you can’t let that negativity take control of your life. You need to keep fighting and keep your mind extra sharp during these times.
If you’ve ever felt this – I know exactly how you feel… I’ve been there too.
In fact, I still experience feelings of frustration from time to time when it comes to cold calling, especially with a new project.
You are not alone; everyone has experienced it – even the best! It’s just that the best have learned to handle it.
The good news is – you can do some simple things to snap yourself out of it and get back into the swing of things in no time.
Here are 10 great ways to get rid of the cold calling blues:
Table of Contents
1. Get some EXCERCISE!
Get up and get moving. Whenever I’m feeling bummed out, I make it a priority to get myself to the gym. If a gym isn’t possible for you – take a walk. Get your blood flowing, increase your dopamine levels, and I promise you’ll get back on the phones with a renewed sense of energy. Many great salespeople make working out a consistent, daily habit – and it’s not a coincidence why.
2. Walk away from your desk/phone.
This gives you a little time to gather yourself or remember what you wanted to accomplish in the morning when you got up with a positive attitude. Most importantly, this is a great time to reflect on the progress you’ve made and all that you have going for yourself. If exercising isn’t an option, just get up and walk. Walk down to a park or coffee shop – whatever it is that’s close by, just get away for a bit.
3. Listen to your favorite podcast
I love listening to comedy podcasts – it instantly puts me in a better mood. If you’re looking for something more in line with sales – we’ve got you covered. Check out our podcast here; we cover most of the topics that we write about in-depth and share our personal experiences.
4. Eat Healthier
When I was new in the sales game, I think I ate fast food every single day. I probably downed 2,000 calories just at lunchtime. Back then, I thought I had the cold calling blues, but I just had a food coma in reality. Anyways. Aside from all the physical health benefits of eating healthier, there’s the added benefit of improving your overall energy levels, mood, and mental outlook, all of which translate to how you come across during your presentation.
5. Remind yourself why you are doing this
It’s easy to forget your end goal after spending hours and hours trying to sell with little to no results. Take a break every once in a while to visualize your end-game. Think about the success, the wealth, the happiness, whatever it is – basically, why you are doing this. Maybe make a vision board. Or have pictures of your goals around. Or even meditate.
Whatever it is, remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place.
6. Focus on your last success
Something that helps me snap out of the cold calling blues is to step away from selling and think about my last victory. As I said, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in this industry. Getting rejected time and time again is not an easy pill to swallow. Think about your last sale. Or even your first sale. Think about how great it made you feel – and then let it sit there in your mind until your body starts buzzing and shaking with excitement. Okay, maybe you won’t be shaking, but you get my point.
I honestly feel a high whenever I do this. I feel like something just comes over my body, and I’m ready to take on the world.
7. Remember that no one is judging you
Something that I struggled with A LOT when I first started was the fear of judgment from others. When I was doing poorly and had the “cold calling blues,” I only made it worse due to my preconceived notions on what other people thought about me. “He sounds terrible! He’s never going to make it in sales! What a loser!!” Yeah, that never happened anywhere, except for in my head. So get over yourself; no one is thinking about you as much as you are thinking about yourself. If you suffer from this often – you may be dealing with cold calling anxiety.
8. Continue to take consistent action & focus on your small wins
If you aren’t closing deals today, that’s fine. The problem starts when you stop taking action and putting in the effort. It’s okay to feel bad. It’s not okay to stop taking action. So start focusing on the small wins again. Get excited when you get the next prospect on the phone because that’s one more contact closer to your next success. And you and I both know, after some more of these “small wins” of reaching your next prospect – you will close a deal.
9. Don’t take things personally
This is something that I will work on for the rest of my life. When you’re in sales, it’s easy to become incredibly attached to your clients, projects, and success. It can be challenging to not take things personally when a client doesn’t buy, or a deal falls through. Remind yourself that this is business, not personal, and that you are in control of how you respond to the events around you.
One thing that I always like to say to remind myself of this – attach yourself to the process, not the outcome.
10. Understand that some days will just be shit
Learn to accept it. And know that it doesn’t last forever. Trust me. There were a lot of times I thought it would.. but it doesn’t. You have the power to change it, but you also have the power to let it linger.
Conclusion
Life is a roller coaster, and it’s going to have plenty of ups and downs.
If you’re not experiencing success right now, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience it down the road.
Instead of wallowing in despair, try putting these tips into practice when your day isn’t going as planned. I promise they’ll make a difference.
