What Is Sales Call Reluctance? And 5 Sales Tips to Overcome It

Making phone calls is an integral part of any sales operation, meaning sales call reluctance can be potentially catastrophic for your sales career. And the unsettling bit is that call reluctance doesn’t discriminate between newbies and seasoned professionals. It can happen to anyone for a number of reasons.

A study found that nearly 40% of sales professionals experience bouts of sales call reluctance at some point. The dial dread gnaws a hole through your ability and motivation to convert warm leads into sales. This can seriously inhibit your growth as a salesperson and even make you lose your job.

Now, is there any way around it? Fortunately, yes! While the fear and anxiety may not just vanish into thin air overnight (because it never works that way), certain methods can definitely help you put a leash on them.

In this article, we will attempt to deconstruct and reverse-engineer sales call reluctance to identify its root causes and effective ways to overcome it with insightful sales tips.

Deconstructing Sales Call Reluctance Syndrome - Why Is It Happening to You?

Sales call reluctance is the fear that comes with making cold calls or other types of outbound calls. It’s something that all salespeople experience, but some struggle more than others. In order to overcome this obstacle, you must first understand why it happens and then take action to prevent it from happening again.

Below are the common triggering factors of sales calls reluctance:

Natural Fear of Rejection

The biggest reason for sales call reluctance is the natural fear of rejection. When you know that your prospect won’t want what you’re selling, it can be hard to continue with your pitch.

This is especially true if you’re selling something expensive or complex, like insurance or medical equipment. This is where understanding your sales call reluctance can help. If you know that the prospect’s objection to what you’re offering is an emotional one, shift the focus from your product or service and instead focus on how it will benefit them.

You’re Calling the Wrong Prospects

The success of cold or sales calls depends on calling the right prospect at the right time with the right offer. Failing to do so just a couple of times is enough to trigger the dial dread.

Now, what does calling the wrong prospect mean exactly?

Let’s say you are cold calling a small business to sell them a product that’s specifically designed for large businesses. Even if you’re engaged in discussion with the owner of this small business, chances are they don’t need your product.

This will inevitably lead them to hang up on you, which can make your fear of cold calling act up.

Low-Quality Leads

Another reason cold calling can be so difficult is the quality of leads you’re working with. If you are getting leads from a list that’s filled with unqualified prospects, it’s pretty obvious that they aren’t going to buy from you.

Find out how you can qualify your leads by reading through the sales tips mentioned below.

The Art of Conquering Call Reluctance - 5 Actionable Sales Tips

The fear of getting hung up, coupled with unqualified prospects or not having enough information about the lead, can keep you from picking up the phone. But with the right mindset and techniques, you can overcome this mental barrier.

Here are five sales tips to help you devise a plan of action that will keep sales call reluctance from getting the best of you:

1. Keep a List of ‘Why You Need to Make It Big in Sales’

When the fear and anxiety of getting hung up strikes, remind yourself how much money you earn (or don’t earn) depends on making sales calls. The more calls you make, the better your results will be. The more money you earn, the better your lifestyle will be. Don’t let fear stop you from reaching your goals.

If someone hangs up on you—so what? It’s not the end of the road. Rejections come with the territory. Don’t let it keep you from achieving your goals.

2. Know Thy Audience

Doing a little research about the prospect can help you avoid the never-ending awkward pauses during the phone call. A quick Google/LinkedIn search about the prospect can help you gather important details about them.

This information could act as an icebreaker and help you build rapport. Following this sales tip will fill you with the confidence you need to overcome your overbearing sense of call reluctance.

3. Qualify Your Leads

Repeatedly calling low-quality prospects can make even the most experienced salesperson fearful of making further calls. So by making sure you are investing your time and energy only on pre-qualified leads, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by the prospect’s lack of interest.

You can implement this sales tip on your own; assess the prospect based on a few factors — right product fit, clients’ estimated budget, level of interest, etc.

It is possible that the client may not be ready to move further down the sales funnel; they may require some awareness about the product. In such a scenario, it’s best to realign your efforts to solve the clients’ query at that point and not push for sales.

You can do this yourself or pass the lead to a dedicated person to qualify the lead for you.

4. Expect Objections & Prepare Accordingly

The chances of you making sales immediately after you make a pitch are dangerously low; there’s no way to sugarcoat this. Even with high-quality leads comes a barrage of doubts and objections. You’ve probably heard this sales tip before, and it’s very true: the key to any successful sales process is uncovering objections, addressing them, and then moving on.

If you’re on the fence about making a sales call due to fear of objections, create a bulletproof plan for handling questions, concerns, and objections about things like:

- Why is your product better than that of the competition?

- What makes it worth paying a premium price?

- How will you deliver on what you promise?

- How would your prospects know that you’re not a scammer trying to steal their credit card info?

A plan for handling objections like this could just be the cure for your sales call reluctance.

5. Reminder to Self: You’re Here to Help Them

When people think of a salesperson, it conjures up an image of someone who is pushy, aggressive, and manipulative. This preconceived notion might be subconsciously triggering your call reluctance. When that happens, remind yourself that you are there to guide them through the buying process.

What Do We Say to the Fear of Sales Call? “Not Today”

Sales call reluctance is a very real problem for salespeople. It’s not uncommon to feel like your job is being threatened or that it’s too much work/effort. However, this type of reluctance can be overcome with the simple strategies and sales tips mentioned above.

At Juno School of Business, you can get all the crucial sales tips and guidance you need to overcome your reluctance to make sales calls. Our instructors are seasoned sales professionals who can guide you through the challenges that are inherent in the field. So, take the first step towards conquering your fear and apply now!