How to Overcome Anxiety in Sales Prospecting: Tips for Sales Call Reluctance

Prospecting, seeking new opportunities and clients, is an integral part of sales. It is critical to success, for both reps and their organizations. However, when it comes to prospecting, many salespeople experience fear. Although common, this malady can affect both rookies and seasoned pros. A driver of performance anxiety, it can lead to sales slumps, missed quota, and restricted pipelines. Of course, admitting the problem is the first step to getting help. Here are some insights into the psychology of prospecting fear and actionable tips to overcome it:

The truth about salespeople who are reluctant to prospect boils down to two things: First, they are reluctant to prospect because past attempts resulted in failure. Second, they don’t know what to say to prospects. Prospecting reluctance can be the silent killer of sales careers. This article explores the cause and provides actionable advice to overcome prospecting reluctance.

Prospecting avoidance is common, even among the most experienced sales professionals. It’s not something to feel ashamed about. Our brain is naturally wired to avoid risky situations, leading us to tell ourselves things like, “I don’t want to interrupt my prospect” or “I don’t want to come across as pushy or desperate.”

Unfortunately, these thoughts create mental barriers that hinder our success in prospecting. Thus, when salespeople experience reluctance in prospecting, it’s essentially a self-defeating mental habit that has developed. Feeling reluctance toward prospecting is natural, but doing nothing about it will limit our potential.

As sales professionals, we must address this issue and find ways to quiet that little voice in our head telling us not to prospect. By identifying and challenging these limiting beliefs, we can work towards developing a more positive and empowering mindset towards prospecting.

Prospecting is Not a Dirty Word

Due to the negative stereotype of salespeople, sellers often start from a defensive position. Part of this stems from a mistaken idea that prospecting means selling products prospects don’t want or need. Of course, this is not what professional salespeople do. However, the media-driven perception can give us pause. To counter this, in both email and phone calls, consider these steps:

Always think of prospecting from the prospect’s point of view. They’re preoccupied or busy. They also get a lot of sales calls. They don’t need enthusiastic strangers making small talk. Legitimate prospecting is purpose driven and focused. It’s understanding the prospect, valuing their time, and presenting useful information.   

The biggest fear of prospecting is rejection. But what is this fear that takes a toll on even the most experienced sales reps?

For one thing, we’re taught to strive for acceptance and appreciation. We often link our success to our self-worth. An unsuccessful call can feel more personal than is. Even thinking about an unwanted call can drive fear. Here are a few examples of negative thoughts that can make cold calling overwhelming:

• What if I catch them at a bad time?
• What if I push too hard?
• What if they say no?

These questions are projections based on faulty logic and incorrect assumptions. Instead of thinking negatively about prospecting, break these perceptions. Simply shifting one’s mindset, from selling to helping, can overcome this fear. Rather than calling to sell products, you’re calling to offer options and solve problems.

How to Get Past Sales Call Reluctance

In modern selling, the key is to educate prospects and create awareness of needs. However, to be open to learning, a prospect must be curious first. If you fall into that category of struggling with prospecting, let’s consider flipping the script. How about we acknowledge all our fears about prospecting and use that to our advantage in our opening with prospects? Instead of avoiding the discomfort of prospecting, we embrace it and turn it into a way to connect on a more genuine and relatable level. For example:

Mr. Prospect, this is Nick with Janek Performance Group. You weren’t expecting my call, and I realize unscheduled calls are not always welcomed. In doing some research, I noticed your company is hiring sales reps. Would it be okay if I took 30 seconds to explain why I’m calling? After that, you can decide whether it would be worth continuing the conversation. Does that work?

The strategy of this approach is to confront your prospecting reluctance head-on.

Lead the Call When it Goes Long

When a call goes long, sellers can feel pressured. Do you push the close or hold back? You don’t want to miss an opportunity, but you also don’t want to rush the prospect.  

Sometimes, prospects need a sense of urgency. Do not feel guilty about this. Anyone who has ever contemplated a new cell phone or car knows the hesitancy of a large purchase. Try these tips:

• Remind them of the problem they need to solve
• Stress the benefits of making a change
• Reassure them of their decision to explore
• Ask if they’re willing to move to a discovery call

If they are not willing to go forward, it’s not personal. Try to understand, but don’t express displeasure. Maintain congeniality and keep communication open. Yesterday’s rejection is often tomorrow’s new client, so do not dwell on it. Move on to the next customer.

Fear is normal. Fear is healthy. Often, the higher the stakes, the more we fear. That’s why it’s common for professional athletes to start slowly in a big game. They, too, must work through performance anxiety. Professional salespeople know the importance of prospecting success. This increases the pressure to succeed, which heightens the fear of failure. However, rejection is part of selling. It’s not a sign of failure. Setting realistic goals and making a consistent effort is all we can control. Overcoming one’s fear of sales prospecting helps sellers reach their goals and provide more value to prospects.

Make it Difficult to say, “I’m Not Interested.”

The above strategy primarily focuses on providing sales reps with a low-risk approach to overcome their reluctance. However, to progress further, the key is to generate interest. If a prospect has no interest, you have no chance. Top-performing salespeople will tell you their success begins with their ability to create interest.

During this initial stage, you’ve been granted thirty seconds to say something to keep the conversation going. The objective here is not to immediately sell your solution but to offer enough information to earn the right to schedule the next call. Demonstrating credibility is vital; when a salesperson can communicate account-specific details, it enhances their credibility. For example:

Mr. Prospect, I noticed on your company’s LinkedIn page that you are hiring account executives in multiple territories. A challenge many of our clients face is tracking the skill development of new sales hires and ensuring they effectively apply those skills in the field. This leads to longer ramp-up time and higher turnover. Is this something you are experiencing on your end as well?

For salespeople with prospecting reluctance, this simplifies the approach.

It involves making a calculated best guess about their prospects’ problems. When reaching out, the prospect can respond with a yes or no, and either answer is fine. We are only looking for problems we can solve, not trying to sell anyone anything.

This mindset shift has proven highly effective in helping many non-salespeople overcome their prospecting reluctance instead of adopting a high-risk activity around making the prospect buy. They approach prospecting as a low-risk activity of looking for problems to solve. One approach requires the salesperson to be aggressive. The other is looking for problems to be asked to assist with. At Janek, we call this a trusted advisor.

Don’t Take Rejection Personally

There are any number of reasons prospects say no. They’re too busy. Their team lost. Their spouse is angry. The list goes on. However, very few of these have anything to do with your products. They have even less to do with you. For the fear of rejection, remember these things:

• “No” is part of the job
• Prospecting is business; it’s not personal
• Don’t dwell on a completed call
• Each call is an opportunity
• It’s not a no until your prospect says no

Too often, fear of rejection inspires phantom nos. Sellers get so worked up about failing, they hear a no in every skeptical question. Skeptical questions are good. They show your prospect is considering you or your proposal.

Don’t give up on a prospect before they reject you. They might not reject you at all. Celebrate small wins and shift your focus to the benefits you can offer. Even if they do reject the offer, understand that they didn’t reject you as an individual. They’re passing on an offer they don’t need right now.

One of the common challenges we observe with veteran salespeople is their prospecting effort declining as they gain experience and acquire more accounts. In the beginning, when they were new to sales, they diligently invested time in prospecting. However, their focus on prospecting diminishes as they progress and spend more time managing existing accounts and customer relationships.

How to Overcome Sales Prospecting Anxiety

The consequence of reduced prospecting activity is that sales people can become reluctant to continue the process. This shift becomes a trap, leading them towards less-than-optimal results despite any previous achievements. The difference between top producers and others lies in their ability to maintain a daily prospecting habit.

Sales success extends beyond closing deals and generating revenue; it also involves an ongoing commitment to prospecting for new opportunities and filling the pipeline. While it might be tempting to ease off prospecting once you’ve attained a certain level of success, doing so can lead to complacency and hinder future growth.

Make Prospecting Strategies a Habit

In his insightful book “Atomic Habits,” James Clear explains how specific brain areas physically expand and contract based on our activities. This phenomenon has profound implications for salespeople, especially regarding prospecting.

The brain is incredibly adaptive and responsive to our habits. When we consistently engage in a particular activity, the corresponding brain areas responsible for that task strengthen and grow.

Conversely, when we neglect a task, those areas weaken and shrink. This neuroplasticity highlights the importance of making prospecting a daily habit rather than something we resort to only when our sales pipeline runs low, and we desperately need more business. With prospecting, it can be use it or lose it for sales professionals.

By incorporating prospecting into our daily routine, we reinforce and strengthen the neural pathways associated with this crucial sales activity. Prospecting improves proficiency, focus, and confidence when engaging with potential clients. When prospecting becomes a habitual part of our day, we enhance our skills and expand our opportunities.

Moreover, relying solely on prospecting when faced with a low sales pipeline can lead to many challenges. Firstly, it can create a feast-or-famine cycle, where we experience fluctuations in business and struggle to maintain consistently high performance.

Additionally, approaching prospecting only in times of need can be stressful and less effective, as it may come across as desperate or insincere to potential clients. Prospecting under pressure is a high-risk activity we want to avoid.

To maximize our success in sales, we must recognize that consistent prospecting is the lifeblood of sustainable growth and the best way to avoid reluctance. Incorporating it into our daily routines creates a solid foundation for consistent and long-term success.

Avoiding prospecting reluctance is about nurturing a growth mindset. It also recognizes that continuous effort drives our professional development and contributes to expanding our sales opportunities. Embracing prospecting as a daily habit empowers us to cultivate lasting relationships with clients, maintain a strong pipeline, and thrive in the ever-changing sales landscape.

Set Realistic Goals for Sales Prospecting

Most people think they must face fear alone, but this is not the case. Sales managers can prevent negative thoughts. For one thing, setting achievable goals is paramount. To do this, think of these tips:

• Work with your manager to set realistic goals for the number of calls
• Know that making 20 cold calls a day won’t net 20 closed deals
• Shift your focus from the bigger picture to the smaller
• Take actionable steps

While lofty goals can inspire some, they can also spark fears. Rather than thinking countless closed deals, think good conversation, interest, and memorability. Successful sales prospectors are not home-run hitters. They are leadoff batters, with a great on-base percentage.   

Do Your Homework and Come Prepared

If you are unprepared, prospecting can seem overwhelming. One can feel like a fisherman casting nets in every direction. Instead, target specific prospects. This is where preparation comes in. If you want to present useful solutions, you must first understand need. Consider these tips:

• Based on your research, create a list of questions
• Target these to the prospect’s organization and industry
• Ask questions that display your knowledge
• Consider prospects that will value your value proposition (think other existing clients)
• Project confidence to inspire confidence

An unprepared seller is a charlatan. They are someone who vales their gift of gab over their problem-solving ability. Of course, some will “fake it until they make it.” But most prospects are too busy, too informed, and too tired of this approach. To overcome prospecting fear, know your stuff. It may not be the right time for your solution, but buyers will remember you.

Avoid Distractions

These days, many sales professional are stretched thin. They must make calls, attend meetings, prepare for coaching. With all this, it’s normal to want to do more. For many, this involves multitasking. However, prospecting requires our full attention. To minimize fear, eliminate distractions. Here are a few ideas:

• Prepare a fixed time for cold calls
• Shut off notifications
• Do not check email
• Focus on the prospect’s every word

You may think you’re in stealth mode, multitasking. But prospects can sense your inattention. Even the faintest “ding” can interrupt your flow or break the spell. Do not type. Take notes with an old-fashioned pen and pad.

Commit to the Process

Mindset dictates action. Like everything in sales, prospecting is a process. It’s a series of steps we follow to seek opportunity. As such, it requires commitment. If you don’t trust the process, prospects will not trust you. These tips can help sellers overcome fear and commit to prospecting:

• If you view prospecting as drudgery, it will be drudgery
• Committing to the process conjures success
• Expect resistance
• Prepare for rejection
• Take detailed notes

Not every call leads to interest. Not every conversation earns a call back. However, each call is a learning experience about prospects and their needs. Always gauge interest and take notes. Revisit these notes and reapproach prospects when the time is right.

Beliefs Determine Actions

Prospecting is your most crucial responsibility for achieving success in sales. To thrive, you must embrace consistent and comfortable prospecting practices. Prospecting reluctance may evoke feelings of vulnerability and discomfort, but learning to manage these emotions will lead to significant achievements.

Feeling vulnerable is actually beneficial for us as it compels us to relinquish control and step outside our comfort zone. Embracing vulnerability has the potential to transform into a source of confidence and growth. It makes prospecting less risky and simplifies the process.

To become more at ease with prospecting, we should start by being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and triggers. Approaching prospecting calls with confidence and courage is essential. Additionally, it’s crucial to let go of the constant worry about what prospects think of us. Remember that perfection is not necessary, and persistence is key.

As sales leaders, we must be part psychologists. Think of it as psychological conditioning for sales calls. Since beliefs determine actions, we must provide training, coaching, and support to influence our team’s beliefs. Prospecting reluctance is a symptom of negative beliefs, and as sales leaders, we need to develop to help our team overcome their fear.

Sales training and coaching often teaches sales representatives precisely what to say to prospects. However, the critical issue that needs to be asked is why some sales reps fail to implement these teachings effectively. The key factor behind this failure is execution, a primarily mental challenge, comprising about 80 percent of the equation.

When a salesperson begins rationalizing reasons to avoid prospecting, their reluctance to engage intensifies, much like weeds multiplying in a garden. In this context, it becomes the responsibility of sales leaders to ensure that these metaphorical “weeds” of prospecting reluctance are controlled and managed effectively.

Updated 10/28/2024