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In April, as part of my e-class (four-week online sales seminar), I had a very interesting telephone conversation with Deidra, a seminar participant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Deidra was hired to make proactive outbound telephone calls for the purpose of setting up appointments for copier sales people in her company. She was excited about the results of her calls that morning and I was amazed at the number of appointments she had set. From marketing studies made of lead generation results using telemarketing -Average number of appointments made from making 50 cold telephone calls: One. Number of appointments made from making 50 warm telephone calls (to clients who have previously done business with the company) - Three appointments.

Wait until you see what Deidra’s numbers were. She was calling customers who had done business in the past with her company, so these were not truly cold calls. But her results were exciting. When I spoke with Deidra at 2:30, she had made 23 telephone calls and guess how many appointments? Five. Five appointments resulted from only 23 calls! Amazing.When Deidra explained the reason for her success, it made perfect sense. Stressful Days versus Happy Days(They can hear it in your voice)Deidra told me that a week earlier, she had been through the process of buying her first house; the paperwork involved, searching for past bank statements, telephone calls with questions from the mortgage company, and then closing on her new home. All of this was very stressful and she felt her results on the telephone reflected the way she felt. But after that was over and she had finished with the paperwork, the closing, etc., she felt relieved, AND was looking forward to a vacation in Mexico (at company expense :-)

Deidra was feeling happy and even joyful and her numbers went up. She also attributed the increase to a few changes she had made in her opening statement on the telephone.“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” - William James, psychologist and philosopher (1842 - 1910)

Six Ways to-Motivate Yourself

So, what happens if you are not particularly happy on the days you make outbound telephone marketing calls? How can you motivate yourself? How can you alter your attitude? Here are some tips.

1. Look at your success file.

If you don’t have one, start creating it as soon as possible. Make a list of your success each time you land a large account and each time you overcome difficult obstacles to win a sale. Over time, you will have a file of your accomplishments that will help you feel positive. Very important: include in your success file the testimonials and positive comments you have received from customers. Each time you look at your success file and choose a positive emotion over a negative one, you contribute to a new, healthy, habit of feeling empowered.

2. Plan ahead of time exactly who you will call and why.

When making cold calls, find out ahead of time what kind of business you are calling; look at their web site to find something new and/or positive about their company that you can talk about in your opening statement.

3. If you are making warm calls, make the first call in the morning to a customer already buying from your company - someone you like and you know is a happy customer. Tell yourself that everyone you call that day will be just as happy to hear from you.

4. Write down your main objective for each call, so you will know exactly what you want to accomplish with each call.

5. Write down second and third objectives in case the first objective doesn’t work out. This way, no call will be a total loss, unless the person you call is not available.

6. Set a goal for each day – the dollar amount you want to sell for the day or the number of appointments you want to set. Using a dark colored pen, like a Sharpie, write that number BIG on an 11 by 17 piece of paper and tape it up on the wall where you can see it clearly. Seeing that number will motivate you, especially when you follow tip #1.

In June I called Deidra to follow up and I learned she is still setting records. Here are the numbers:

On May 4th Deidra made 38 cold calls and set seven appointments! AND on June 1st, 24 cold calls resulted in SIX appointments! Why is she doing so well? I think Deidra has discovered the secret. Yes – attitude matters. u

Ann Barr is a consultant and sales trainer who has written eight books on sales and marketing. You can sign up for Ann’s free Weekly Sales Tips e-mailed newsletter at her web site www.sellingsupplies.com

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