3 primary reasons sales people don't cold call

I've decided to write a series on this, and will release a short library on this topic of "cold calling" and my own, unique perspectives, and those of others.

For today, I want to talk about what I believe to be the Three Main Reasons why Sales People do not do this 1. at all 2. enough or 3. very well

1. Self Entitlement
2. Laziness
3. Poor Skill

Let me preface this with a little background about me. My first job out of college was with an outfit called Cydcor. They're a Global outsourced sales firm that contracts with companies for one reason: new customer acquisition. They accomplish this by having volume contact in-person and teaching principles that, when adhered to, will return more sales and allow for "entrepreneurial" opportunities for the champions.

Let me break down my daily job there. I suited up, arrived in the office at 6:30am M-F. I trained and lead meetings for my team (comprised of 4-12 people, depending on the day) and went into the "field" around 8am to drum up new business. The "field" was literally every business I saw in the "T" or territory I was given. I was selling something every business needs, as was a constant with our client base. I had a suit, a smile and I was there knocking on doors, no less than 50 each day. I ended my days at 8pm-9pm and had no life but selling, teaching others and leading my team toward success. I had the highest performing personal sales records and my team had the largest revenue, new customer and total sales.

I left to pursue other opportunities but I think of that experience often and still exercise some of the trusted, proven principles that I acquired.

So, back to the Three Qualities of a no-cold-call principled sales person.

1. Self Entitlement. This person genuinely believes their time is too valuable to waste it on cold calling. They say things like, I am working on quotes and convincing qualified prospects and don't want to waste time cold calling. This person will never be a good cold caller. This person spends more time talking about why they don't need to cold call or they require someone else to do it. This time (shock) could have just spent on the phone.

2. Laziness. This is often the person who just keeps saying they'll "get around to it" or I called some people (read = 3 to 5 people). But, despite doing this and talking about it, they spend more time waiting for leads to appear magically. If you pander to these folks and don't detect these signs without asking them direct questions and expecting them to perform ground-up business development then you're just as guilty as an organization.

3. Poor skill. Cold Calling may have never been a skill they've acquired. It is a SKILL. So, they've either never learned how to do it well (which can be taught) or they do not want to know how because they also fit into one other the above classification groups also. This person usually doesn't have enough volume under their belt to figure out if they're good or learn through experience. Getting them to start, mirroring and monitoring and coaching are all helpful if this person is not lazy or falsely entitled.

Whatever the reason people reject the idea, I've found it the most cost-effective, immediate and motivational ways to develop new business and grow a pipeline.

Next up... How to Prepare.

After that... What to expect while cold calling.

Lastly... How to measure progress - adapt and improve performance.

Go. Cold Call. It's exciting.