Priorities and the need to set appointments.
During our Coldcalling101 Prospector’s Academies, we always see a very substantial (double or better) increase in the number of dials being made, conversations with decision makers had and, of course, appointments being set. What we also see is that once the academy is over and we are gone, the number of dials drops back off to a reduced level (not back to the old numbers, but less than what happened in the academy). Why does that happen?
We believe it is all a matter of priorities. As I said back in 2006 in my white paper, Is Cold Calling Really Dead? Searching for the elusive ‘Silver Bullet’, here is no better way to proactively control our own destiny than to make more effective appointment making calls. There is a direct correlation between the number of dials made and the size of one’s commission.” “T
What we believe happens is that during the academy, making dials is the priority. It is scheduled into the program and reviewed during the academy review sessions. As soon as the academy is over, any interruption in our new process and we tend to go back to old habits – fit in the dials when we have time. (There is also the issue that the pipeline is fuller for the first time in a while, draining time away from setting appointments with new targets. One could make the argument that this is the ‘penalty’ for successfully setting so many appointments!)
The reduction in dials has two impacts though – 1) we get less practice with the new techniques which means those new skills can atrophy because they are not yet second nature (it takes 21 days to establish a new habit); and 2) fewer dials mean fewer appointments after the pipeline is exhausted again. Going back to the phone is tougher to do than continuing to do it.
Whether you are in one of our programs or not, there is a lesson to be learned here. MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH YOURSELF on your calendar to make the appropriate number of dials EACH week. Use our free Activity Calculator and be honest with yourself as to what that number is (don’t be overzealous, for instance). Consistency is more important than quantity.
Caponi Performance Group and Contact Science jointly market the telephone prospecting and cold calling solution called The Prospector’s Academy™. It is the only comprehensive solution to solving the biggest barrier to success in most selling organizations – the inability to secure enough Initial Appointments to begin the selling process. We accomplish that through simultaneously addressing both the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. We can be reached at 214 483-5800 or at barry@coldcalling101.com.
Leave a Reply