Even if you have been in your sales career for years, it is likely that you still feel a little anxious before picking up the phone to call a prospective client. It does not help that, thanks to technology, personal contact can easily be done with an email or LinkedIn message. The problem with these alternate communication methods is that neither of them require a live conversation. That can makes your sales calls seem less personal, which can damage your chances of successfully landing a sale. That is why being able to sell over the phone is a skill that sales reps still need to hone, no matter how much business is conducted via a screen. So, you need to learn how to keep calm and make sales using the phone. Jeff Hoffman recently shared advice for sales reps that will help keep sales call anxiety at bay.

How to Keep Calm and Make Sales

Set a goal to hear "no”

Setting a goal to hear, "no," from your prospective customer does not make sense, does it? In actuality, Hoffman makes a great point about why sales reps should strive for a “no” from prospects. "Nos" from prospects keep you picking up the phone. This will, in turn, inevitably lead to hearing a “yes” from other prospects. You will find that it is actually easier to make another sales call after going through that process. After all, hearing more "nos" from prospects means that you are spending more time on the phone. And the more time you spend making sales calls, the less anxiety you will be experiencing. Repetition generally makes things easier, even sales calls. Plus, you are boosting the chances of getting a prospect onboard for the next meeting. With time, you will easily be able to keep calm and make sales using the phone!

Focus on activity rather than outcome 

Usually, sales reps plan to schedule a specific number of calls to make and meetings to book on a daily or weekly basis. But what happens when each prospective client you planned to contact just happens to be busy, on vacation, or unable to take the call? You likely will not feel very confident or willing to pick up the phone again since you met your target number of calls. So, instead, Hoffman suggests that sales reps use a different sales call tactic. “Reframe your thinking by measuring success by activity, not outcome,” he writes. “In this way, you control whether or not you meet your goal. Instead of attempting to book three meetings, commit to asking 20 prospects for a meeting.” When you commit to setting goals that are based on activity, your success rate will go up.

These are only two of the four suggestions Hoffman believes will alleviate the typical pre-​call jitters to help you keep calm and make sales. All of his phone sales tips are easy to implement and perfect for both new sales reps and seasoned sales industry pros.