How to overcome call reluctance and the fear of cold calling

What is call reluctance?

Call reluctance is the gap between knowing you should pick up the phone and actually doing it. It rarely looks like fear. It looks like tidying the CRM, rewording an email for the third time, or researching a prospect for twenty minutes before a two minute call.

It is common enough that Jenny Cartwright's book Don't Get Hung Up! lists overcoming call reluctance forever among its core techniques. The skills are there, the list is there, yet the calls don't get made.

Seven warning signs

Jenny's list of the most common signs is a useful mirror. If several sound familiar, call reluctance is costing you sales.

• You do admin, email or 'research' before you make a single call.
• You expect a cold reception, especially in your first week back after a break.
• You decide in advance that the prospect won't buy anyway.
• You keep moving your call block to later in the day, then to tomorrow.
• You have no clear target for calls, conversations or appointments.
• Your confidence has dropped after a run of no's.
• You worry about being asked a product question you can't answer.

The cost adds up fast. One hour a day spent putting off calls is about 225 selling hours a year, which is more than five full working weeks of not selling.

What does a call you never make really cost?

Jenny tells a story about a wine company that rang her household. The salesperson asked for her husband, and while the call was being passed over, the line dropped. He never rang back. He assumed the silence meant they weren't interested, and the couple bought their wine from a competitor instead.

That is call reluctance in its purest form: one negative thought ('they hung up on me') stopping a call that would have taken thirty seconds. The fix is simple. If a call drops or someone hangs up, ring back the next day with a fresh reason to talk.

How do you stop negative thoughts before a sales call?

Jenny's technique is to catch the thought on paper. The moment you notice yourself hesitating, write down exactly what you are telling yourself. Then write a second version that turns it into an opportunity. Seeing the two side by side drains the power from the first one.

Coach yourself with your own words

When the excuses start ('send an email instead', 'do it after lunch'), switch on what Jenny calls your self-motivational voice. Prepare a few statements in advance so they are ready when you need them:

• Making the calls leads to sales more than anything else I do.
• A two-way conversation builds a relationship far better than an email.
• If fear motivates you more than reward, be honest about it: 'I must prospect every day or my business will die.'

Some people prefer a daily affirmation built on three of their strengths, such as: 'I am a friendly, persistent and well prepared salesperson who loves the product I am promoting.' Say it before your first call, so that you start the session as the person you want the customer to hear.

A daily routine that beats the fear of cold calling

Willpower runs out. A routine doesn't. These steps come from Jenny's training and her own working day, and they turn calling into a habit you no longer have to argue with.

1. 1

   Set the target the night before

   Work back from your sales goal to the number of calls you need each day. Write it where you can see it, so the decision is already made when you sit down.

2. 2

   Make your calls before anything else

   Jenny's own habit is 10 to 20 prospecting calls at the start of the day. Email and admin can wait until the calls are done.

3. 3

   Stand up and recall a win

   Standing gives your voice more power. Before the first call, remember a moment you felt proud of and carry that feeling into the conversation.

4. 4

   Learn your product off the phone

   Study product details in the evening or before your call block, never instead of it. Confidence comes from knowing your answers.

5. 5

   Check progress every two hours

   Count calls, conversations and appointments. Visible progress keeps you going when the morning has been quiet.

6. 6

   Reward the effort

   If nobody else celebrates your wins, do it yourself: a longer break, a massage or a night out after a strong week.

Working from home makes this harder, not easier. With no team around you, nobody notices if the calls slide to the afternoon. Book your call block into your calendar like a client meeting, close your inbox and silence your notifications until it is done.

How do you handle rejection without losing confidence?

Most call reluctance is fear of rejection. What helps most is seeing what the prospect is actually rejecting: your offer, at this moment. Not you. A 'no' is information, and every no moves you closer to the next yes.

Jenny's view is that handling rejection is part of the job, so you may as well find a way to love it. Treat each no as a chance to improve your opening, your questions or your timing. Most no's mean 'not now' rather than 'not ever', which is why the sales mindset matters as much as technique.

Confidence comes from knowing what to say

A lot of fear disappears once you know your first 15 seconds by heart. A short, tested opening means you are never searching for words while a stranger waits. Jenny's formulas for cold call openings that grab interest are the place to start, and her guide to telesales scripts covers the rest of the call.

Prepare calm replies to the objections you hear most, too, using Jenny's guide on how to handle objections. Once you know what you'll say to 'just send me something', it stops being a threat and becomes part of the conversation.

When should you get help with call reluctance?

If you have tried the routine for a few weeks and still find reasons not to dial, an outside view helps. In one-to-one sales coaching, Jenny listens to your real or recorded calls, rewrites your opening and holds you accountable week to week, so that picking up the phone becomes the normal start to your day rather than a daily battle. Sessions are A$350 each, or 4 for A$1,200, in person in Sydney or on Zoom.

If a whole team is stalling, call reluctance is one of the topics Jenny covers in in-house training for sales teams, alongside openings, objections and closing.