Call Reluctance

Call Reluctance does not discriminate with position or title – from the CEO to the front line seller everyone struggles with call reluctance.  Call Reluctance can come from fear of talking to new people.  It can be a general feeling of not being productive, attachment to instant gratification or fear of rejection.

Call reluctance is deadly because:

·       Salespeople do not like to admit it.

·       Sales leaders do not encourage salespeople to talk about it.

·       Leaders do not want to admit that they do not like it and do not want to have to show salespeople how to do it.  It becomes a vicious cycle.

·       It creates excuses to justify our lack of attention to the important area:

o    “I have too many customer service issues to deal with – no time to prospect.”

o    “As soon as I finish these two proposals I will make a few cold calls.”

o    “I am an account executive, not a telemarketer.” 

·       We create justifications for other non-essential matters that need to be done:

o   Make copies, check e-mail, engage other sellers in conversation.

o   Get coffee…do “victory laps”…write proposals…”put out fires”.

o   Work on putting “the list” together.        

The reality is that call reluctance can severely hurt a business!