How long is it going to take for you to make your calls?
Slow Dialing
Some people will call a list of 500 prospective customers over the course of a year. To these folks, this seems like a reasonable plan. Subtracting out two weeks for vacation, they can call 50 prospects a week and reach their goal. That breaks down to ten calls a day, something easily accomplished by almost anyone.
Let’s pretend that the hypothetical people in the above scenario follow this plan (something I don’t believe to be true). These people make around 40 calls a month, talk to about 10 of their prospects, and maybe they book two appointments.
Fast Dialing
Another group of people would take the same 500 prospective customers and call them over the course of two weeks. They’d make 50 calls a day, starting every morning with prospecting. Let’s pretend this group is no better on the phone than our first group. They’d talk to 12 people a day, and book two or three appointments.
The first group of slow dialing salespeople would have shallow pipelines. They’d hope that marketing and inbound would develop enough opportunities for them that they could somehow make their number. Their managers would be unhappy with their performance (even though they are in large part responsible). And their CEO’s would be calling me and emailing me to help them understand why they can’t reach their goals.
The second group, the fast dialing salespeople, would be developing opportunities. They would be entirely independent of marketing and inbound when it comes to making their numbers. Their managers would be focused on improving areas other than opportunity creation. And their CEO’s would still be calling me, but it would be to help them increase their win rates or margins by creating greater value.
Make Your Calls . . . Faster
You are going to have to make your calls. You are likely going to have to make hundreds—or thousands—of calls. You can make those calls over the course of months or years or decades. Or you can make those calls over a few weeks.
You determine the actions that you take, but not the consequences of those actions. If you need new business, make your calls. And do it faster.
- How does making your calls over a shorter time improve your results?
- What do you tell yourself that prevents you from making your calls faster? What beliefs hold you back?
- How important is it for you to reach your goals? What does that mean you need to do when it comes to making your calls and prospecting?
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