Want to Get Better at Cold Calling? Be Willing to Be Bad at It

Want to get better at cold calling?

Be willing to be bad at it.

That’s harder than it sounds.

Most of us don’t like doing things we’re not good at.

We want the perfect opening.

The perfect script.

The perfect response to every objection.

We want to feel confident before we pick up the phone.

But confidence usually comes after you’ve done something a bunch of times.

Not before.

Think about learning anything.

Playing golf.

Learning piano.

Speaking another language.

You’re not very good at the beginning.

You make mistakes.

You sound awkward.

You forget what you were going to say.

And then, slowly, you get better.

Cold calling is no different.

Your first few calls might be terrible.

Good.

Make another one.

You might stumble over the opening.

Fine.

Try it again.

Someone might say no before you’ve finished your sentence.

Okay.

What did you learn?

Make another call.

The goal at the beginning isn’t to be brilliant.

It’s to get repetitions.

That’s why I like making practice small.

Don’t tell yourself:

“I’m going to cold call for three hours.”

Make five calls.

Then tomorrow, make five more.

Listen to yourself.

Change a word.

Try a different question.

Notice what works.

The salesperson who waits until they feel confident may never start.

The salesperson who’s willing to be bad for a while gets the opportunity to become good.

You don’t need confidence to start.

Sometimes you have to start to build confidence.