Russ finds out how high his heart rate runs.
"I'm cold calling a 'hot' lead on a humid summer day with an associate in rural Iowa.
"Driving up to the farm house, the crunch of dirt and gravel is the only sound we hear. The land looks desolate and lifeless -- like a scene from one of those movies where the world ends and all that's left are a couple of humans (us) and a bunch of mutants.
"We look at each other, and I tell my partner that I'll see if anyone is home. If you're into scary sci-fi movies, this is the part in the plot where you realize, 'Okay, this is the guy who's gonna die.'
"I gather up my briefcase, straighten my tie, and start the 200-foot trek to the front door.
"Halfway to the porch, a movement catches my eye. It's behind a grain bin, kitty corner to the house. Maybe someone is home. I'm about to discover it's not someone, but something. Like a scene straight out of that 'B' rated horror movie, a deranged dog, the size of a small horse, comes skidding out from behind the bin at full bore -- headed straight for me.
"The sight of that mutant beast is permanently burned into my brain; mangy hair, huge fangs, moving at Mach 3 toward me, his next victim. In less than an instant, I move from frozen to frantic and start my life-saving sprint for the car. My partner, overcome in a complete fit of laughter at my certain demise, gains enough control over himself to roll down the passenger window. At the last second I literally dive into the window with the monster at my heels.
"Sweating and safe inside the car, my heart continues to pound as we watch the dog eat my briefcase."
The Moral: Our fleet-footed sales pro learned to call first and qualify the lead, then to set an appointment. Cold calling can be an exhausting and discouraging activity. Please reconsider whether this investment is a good use of your time. However, if your company requires it, consider this work an investment in your selling future. Great salespeople attain success by combining a foundation of hard, consistent activity with the ability to handle objections. These come quicker through lots of cold-calling, by phone as well as face to face. And Russ' tale also reveals a hiring secret of great sales executives. You now know why companies love to hire athletes.
Sales from the Dark Side is compiled by speaker and trainer Dan Seidman. For more tales, visit www.salesautopsy.com.
