Overcome Phone Phobia
Phone phobia is a common affliction among many sales people, especially those who have a strong fear of rejection.
When you are a direct sales professional, you will have to spend a lot of time on the phone. Some calls can be easy to make. That happy customer who wants to place an order is a joy to talk to and so is the customer who was happy to hear that her order is on the way. But other calls are not so pleasant. For example, most people dread having to cold call new customers or call customers who are angry with your company.
3 Tips on Overcoming the Fear of the Phone
The act of talking on the phone is not the problem. The phone phobia comes from the fear of how the call will turn out. The truth is that you will never be able to grow your business unless you start picking up the phone and making those calls. There are three things you can do to help you fight your phone phobia.
Practice With A Friend
If you have a friend that is willing to help you out, then you should practice with her on making these calls. Give your friend all of the phone call scenarios that you dread and then ask her to play the role of the customer. Some people are better at this role playing than others, but sometimes just hearing even a prepared response can help you to overcome your hesitation.
When you practice with a friend, ask her to imagine how she would react in each given situation. Remember that you are looking for all of the extremes in responses and you are also looking for the tame responses as well. You want to be ready for anything and your friend can help you.
Start Off With The Good Calls
There will always be those phone calls that you do not mind making for your business. The best way to get over your fear of the phone is to make those good calls first. This will accomplish two things. The first thing it will do is get you used to hearing an unrehearsed response at the other end of the line. The second thing it will do is it will get you warmed up for the other calls you have to make.
Don’t Make Any Assumptions
As with any other business activity, the best approach for your phone calls is to just pick up the phone and start dialing. You will have days when every call is a great one and you feel wonderful. But you will also have those days when you wish you had never picked up the phone.
The key is to put the phone in your hand and start dialing. Once you get started, you will be able to keep going regardless as to how good or bad the calls have been.
Getting on the phone can sometimes be a challenge for any business professional. The best approach is to treat the phone like a business tool and handle each call like a professional.
