Overcoming Call Reluctance

Even though it's illogical, given the nature of our business, every salesperson at one time or another experiences a phenomenon called CALL RELUCTANCE. Call reluctance means exactly what it says ... that for some reason, you are simply reluctant to make client calls. In other words, you just don't feel like getting in the car or picking up the telephone to contact clients.

Reasons for call reluctance:

• Burn-out. You feel over-worked and you feel you need a break.
• Personality. You just don't enjoy meeting new people.
• Fear of rejection. You hate hearing "NO."
• Dirty Little Secret. You are intimidated by a client because you are afraid you don't know what you're doing. Or, you made a promise to a client you never kept. Maybe you have a problem staying focused on the client and his business or some other issue.
• Poor Work Habits. You're getting a little lazy. It's time to change bad habits and get back in gear.

Ten ways to improve your attitude and overcome call reluctance

One: Avoid negative self-talk
Teach yourself to recognize that little voice inside your head that tells you that you will fail. Refuse to dwell on guilt from the past or worry about the future. You have no control over events from the past. You can't accurately predict the future. All you really have control over is "right now." Logically, anguishing about something from the past or fearing the future is a complete waste of time. You must stay focused in the present moment, which is really the essence of your life.

Two: Discipline yourself to make more calls
Get your rear end out of that chair, away from the computer and force yourself to make some calls. Take a look at the white business pages of your phone book and get a good idea of how many businesses there are in your market. Keep in mind that in an average month a typical radio station will have fewer than 50 direct accounts on the air. This means that most of the businesses in your area have never been called on properly, or have never been called on at all, and that means tremendous opportunities for those who bother to just make the calls.

Three: Distance yourself from negative people, office gossip and any other negative conversation
Refuse to participate. Negativity spreads like a virus. Practice The Three C's...Try not to CRITICIZE, CONDEMN OR COMPLAIN. Remember that you can change your internal "operating system." You can choose to replace your negative thought with a positive one. When you catch yourself thinking negatively, consciously bring yourself back into the present moment and focus on something positive.

Four: Change the way you think about your closing ratio
I always believed that the old adage, "Call on ten...get three appointments...close one sale" seemed bleak. So I changed my closing ratio to NINE OUT OF TEN. Here's what I mean. If I believe that I can help a client and that the client has the resources to allow me to help, I'll close that client EVENTUALLY. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not this quarter. But sooner or later, sometime this year, I'll close that sale.

Five: Stop selling spots and start educating clients
Educated clients buy more than uneducated clients. Most direct clients know very little about the overall marketing process and much less about advertising, the strengths and weaknesses of different media, the difference between a good spot and a bad spot or how to calculate return on investment from a media campaign.

Six: Expand your vision
Instead of "ganging up" on the same direct clients that everybody else in town is calling on, go out into neighborhoods you rarely frequent and call on clients who are unlikely to have been contacted by other stations and other media.

Seven: Every time you make a call, you get paid
What is YOUR average sale when you do close a deal? What is your commission on that sale? What is your true closing ratio? Divide your closing ratio into your commission from an average sale and you'll realize that every time you make a new business call, it's like putting "X" number of dollars in your pocket. How much money do you want to make today? Make the calls.

Eight: Don't give up
If you come up with a brilliant campaign for a client and he doesn't buy it, don't just shelve the idea. Pitch a similar idea to everybody else in that product category until you sell it.

Nine: Deal with Dirty Little Secrets
Sometimes, you won't make a call on a particular account because you are experiencing guilt regarding an issue with that client. Usually it's something minor. Deal with it. If the client deserves an apology then do it, make the necessary amends and move on. You'll immediately feel better.

Ten: Change your pitch and get more appointments
To get a meeting with a prospective client, use a headline to break through the clutter. "I just wanted to take a few minutes to talk about your advertising" just doesn't cut it any more. A better way would be to use an immediate attention-getting device, just like we do when we write a spot. Here are some headlines you might try.

1. "I think I've figured out a way that you haven't thought about yet to get more qualified traffic into your store. Is there a good time this week when I could show you what I've discovered?"
2. "I have a great idea for a commercial for you. I've sketched it out and I'd love to show it to you. When would be a good time for me to come by?"
3. "I've learned a logical way to calculate return on investment on any advertising you do. It will make it much easier for you to track your newspaper, direct mail, any advertising you do. When would be a good time to meet so I can show it to you?"
4. "I've been studying your business and I think I've discovered a marketing problem with your store and a way to overcome it. But perhaps I'm overlooking something important. Could I come by and show you what I've found?"

Ask yourself these questions: Am I spending enough time prospecting? If not, why? Am I a member of a Business Leads Group? Do I regularly get out of the office and "go hunting" for new local direct business? Am I slacking off because I see others getting away with it?

Identify and correct attitudinal problems. If you're not making calls, then you're not making money. That's illogical.

Re-read E-LESSON #2: PROSPECTING for great and creative ways to get yourself back in sync by calling on prospects and clients. Who do you do business with and have you ever talked to them about what you can offer? There are a lot of people out there that are willing to talk to you about what you can do for them -- you only have to go out and find them.







Paul Weyland: 5450 Bee Cave Road, Suite 1-C, Austin, Texas 78746, 512-236-1222, paul@paulweyland.com
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