Aikido and The Art of Cold Calling

Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, a fight breaks out between two men who've had too much to drink.

You happen to be a few steps away, and the next thing you know, one of the men turns to you and looks as if he's going to take a swing at you.

What's your first instinct? Most of us will do one of two things. We'll either try to step away, or we'll raise our arms to deflect him and fight back, which can result in harm to you or to your attacker.

But if you were trained in Aikido, the Japanese martial art that focuses on diverting an attacker's energy, you could quickly diffuse the situation by immobilizing him without harming him in any way.

In essence, you're diffusing the energy that he's using to try and attack you in a way that takes the conflict out of the situation.

Unlock The Game and the philosophy behind Aikido have many similarities. Traditional cold calling and selling are designed to focus only on the "close" by presenting -- or in too many cases, "pushing" -- your solution onto prospects, sometimes even when they're not interested. But if you focus only on your goal of making the sale before having a discussion about the problems that you can help your prospects solve, something happens.

They start feeling that you're "attacking" them. After all, you're a stranger to them, and when you start talking about yourself and your solution rather than about them and their specific issues, you immediately trigger their suspicion and cause them to start "pushing back."

This pushback is the resistance or energy that Unlock The Game teaches you to diffuse. Then both of you can quickly "get on the same page" and open a natural dialogue that will let you determine whether it makes sense for you to work together.

Let's look at the cold calling experience.

Suppose you're at your desk and you receive a call from someone who says "Hi, my name is Jack Johnson, I'm with XYZ Company, and we're a full-solution provider of..." Is your first reaction to welcome and be open to his call? Or do your mental defenses immediately kick in and you shut down against this stranger "salesperson"?

Probably the latter, especially if you sense that the caller is focused on his interests and not yours.

That's why this old-school cold calling approach triggers the resistance and negative energy that prospects immediately throw your way.

The Unlock The Game way to make a successful cold call -- "successful" being defined as not triggering rejection -- is by beginning your call with, "Hi, my name is Jack, maybe you can help me out for a moment?" That simple question is a very natural way of beginning a conversation with a stranger.

But you can't just read this word for word, like a script. It won't work. That would be like an Aikido instructor teaching a first-time student the physical movements before he or she has learned the philosophy necessary to carry them out.

The same applies here. First you need to integrate a new Mindset that changes the goal of your call from making the sale, or getting an appointment, to engaging the person in a natural two-way dialogue.

To do this, your voice has to be low-key. You have to avoid communicating any hint of typical "salesperson" enthusiasm, or any sense that you're trying to direct the conversation to an end goal. Once you integrate the Mindset, all this kicks in naturally.

So, if you want to succeed in prospecting and cold calling, become aware of how you might be triggering the resistance or energy that instinctively causes prospects to push back against you. Keep in mind that this process will work only if you fully integrate the Mindset so it feels as natural to you as breathing.

In short, if you're using any form of traditional selling, you could be triggering a resistance every time you communicate with your prospect. But if you learn this new Mindset, along with words and phrases that remove any conflict or tension from the relationship, you'll have taken your first steps toward your black belt in unlocking the cold calling game!

Ari Galper makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his cold calling secrets that even the sales gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.Unlock-The-Cold-Calling-Game.com

---

A Look at Store Fixture Parts

Products for sale need to be displayed in a manner... Read More

Going Global: Communication Across Mental Boundaries

A completed communication consists of a sender and a receiver.... Read More

How to Create Material That Will Get You Sales Now!

WHY ARE YOU WRITING THIS BROCHURE OR SALES LETTER? A... Read More

Powerful Words

Hi, I'd like to discuss the most powerful words you... Read More

Exporting to Europe: Not the Challenges You Think

If you plan to do sell your product or service... Read More

Take the Contract with You

I learned something very interesting this week. Thankfully, what I... Read More

Improve Your Sales Closing Ratio

Occasionally EGOPOWER readers send me questions or topic suggestions that... Read More

How to Eliminate Objections to Price

Have you ever stepped your way through the sales process... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Sell your Product or Service While you Sleep - Part 2

Part one of this article is available at ... Read More

Selling the Dr. Seuss Way

"I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green... Read More

Store Owners - Five Ideas to Increase Sales

1. Animate your window display.How often do you change your... Read More

6 Creative Questions To Move From HOW Are You To WHO Are You

Imagine you just met someone new. The formalities of names,... Read More

Where to Find Mannequins for Sale

Any time a clothing store opens or expands, they must... Read More

Picture Yourself a Winner

In the work place, the amount of good things that... Read More

Handling Objections

HANDLING OBJECTIONSSales presentation is not always going to be plain... Read More

How To Take The Right Steps To Increase Your Selling Results

Steps - it is unrealistic for most salespeople to expect... Read More

Psychological Tricks in Selling

Psychological Tricks in Selling By Stephen Bucaro In this article,... Read More

Ask for the Business

Many times in the process of making a sales presentation... Read More

Ten FAST Ways to Sell Your Products

Always give a reason for the sale for credibility. 1.... Read More

The Doors Of Opportunity

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More

Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them

Some of the best sales people I have ever met,... Read More

Everyones Favorite Topic - 3 Tips for How To

I believe that everyone understands that no matter what business... Read More

Why Cold Calling Is Dead

Our world of selling is closed off from other areas... Read More

Gic Number For Writing Sales Letters

When I write sales letters for my clients, one rule... Read More

Letting Them Use Plastic

Obtaining merchant status will help to increase your sales. Consumers... Read More

Is Cold Calling Dead?

Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed... Read More

How A Simple Greeting Or Post Card Can Turn Into Cash ? Guaranteed

I've been using a technique that has helped me to... Read More

Quotations Tell... Proposals Sell!

The traditional "Quotation" was originally devised during the Industrial Revolution... Read More

Color Psychology Will Make Or Break Your Sales Success

Color psychology is the biggest question I receive on a... Read More

How To Dramatically Improve Sales Closing Ratios

A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing... Read More

Looong and Boooring Sales Letters

You have all seen them,the sales letters that never ends.... Read More

Lazy Man?s Way To Get Customers

No matter how big or small your business is and... Read More

Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials

Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have... Read More