Unlock Business Growth: Conquering Call Anxiety and Connecting with Confidence

Hello and welcome to the show. I'm recording today's episode at home. So of course, wifey is at home, kids are at home. So I expect to hear the usual interruptions. Now, this is your first time listening to the podcast. The goal of the show is free business education. So don't, don't skip. You're in the right place. And I'm sure that by the time we're done, you're going to have good reason to share, to promote or to talk about the show so that your friends and family members in Nigeria and abroad can benefit from the questions that we tackle.

And by the time we're done, if you have any sales and marketing questions, then call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. The country code is +234 for those of you who are not Nigerian. Now today on the podcast, I want us to look at what are cold calls and why are they difficult. Now, the reason why I want us to tackle this today is fairly simple. I'll start to an associate a few days ago and she runs this incredible outfit where she's interested in a bunch of things,

Shah. But she has this business where they teach tech, tech skills, tech education to children, tech and business education to children, especially for girls in tech. And she's rolling off a new program that is going to go beyond having girls in tech and, and including, you know, both boys and girls. And the focus of the program is children aged between, I think, 6 and 19 or 9 and 19 or something like that. I can't remember correctly.

Then, of course, she also has an NGO that's involved in women empowerment. Now, in actual fact, both of us are colleagues, you know, from the good old days when we both used to be in the event space. And the last time I was out of office, you know, was part of the just like, OK, look at us now. You know, we started off in events and now, well, pretty much consultants in different fields. And so she started off with this whole NGO thing, you know,

teaching women entrepreneurial skills, that is women who are not, or shall I put it, I don't want to use the wrong term, but let me just, OK, OK, I don't want to use the wrong term, but let me just say training women who are not of means, teaching them business skills and things like that. And through that training, she now discovered that there are also children who need that sort of information as well. You know, like the children of these women also needed that kind of information.

And then gradually, you know, she has gone beyond that. So there's still the NGO to take care of the women and the children who are not of means, but there is also the profit making side of the business, which finances all of that, which is where she trains the children of people like you and I, people who are, well, not rich, but people who are much more affluent, if I can put it that way. So she also trains our children in tech skills, business skills.

And that gives the the profits that can be used to now finance, you know, the other NGO activities, you know, to take care of the less privileged. So while we were talking about some of her business ideas, you know, to enroll some new some new kids in the new session of the sales, the business training and the tech training that she's going to run. She started talking about cold calls, cold calls, cold calls that she has done cold calls.

She has done cold calls. And by the time she was, the more we were talking, I just realized that when she said cold calls and when the average Nigerian says cold calls, basically they just mean I'm calling someone who is not my friend. And because the average Nigerian is acutely aware that they aren't calling someone who is not their friend for business purposes, it kind of makes them scared. So I tried to explain to her that, look, you know, babe, what you've been doing is not really a cold call.

It's a warm call and I was able to get her to see how, yes, even though these people, technically speaking are kind of strangers, it's not really a cold call. So you don't need to have all the kind of hang ups that you do around cold calling because people say cold calling is hard. You're calling strangers to ask for money. It's very difficult. It's not going to work. Don't do it. Look for more efficient ways to drum up business.

And because of that, there are some of you who already have assets in your business that you are not utilizing for good effect or good results, like take out, for instance. Because of all the programs that she's been running, whether free or paid, she has an incredible database not only of students but of parents who have brought their kids for these sorts of things. But because lots of people talk about how cold calling is bad or how cold calling is ineffective,

there are some of you in your businesses that have databases of hundreds, sometimes thousands of potential people that you could be doing business with. And all you do is send them emails over and over and over and over again. You don't pick up the phone and call, which is the easiest thing to convert because you heard from somebody on the Internet, my cold calling is bad. You should not be doing cold calling and because you don't want to be pushy, you don't want to be a beggar, you don't want to be a whatever.

So keep on sending e-mail upon e-mail upon e-mail. But to be honest, if you've been doing things like this to promote your business, once in a while you do a free program. Once in a while you do a paid program. Then you collect people's contact details and the details are amassing and they're amassing. It is absolute gold when it comes to looking for future clients and it's the easiest thing to do before you start wasting money to arrange another event or to run Instagram ads.

It actually is the cheapest thing to do to just open your Excel sheet, open your CRM, open your notebook, open your wherever you store that thing and start calling people. That is the easiest way to drum up attention for your new products, for your new service, for your new program without wasting a single cobble on another advertisement. Now, I'm not saying you would never have to advertise again. I'm just saying that when you're already sitting on some of these resources, you need to get over our hang ups about what cold calling is, whether I can work,

whether I can be effective and all those sorts of things. So we need to deal with some of these easy resources that we already have now before we start worrying about spending money to go and do more. OK, so that's just the backdrop. Now let's go straight into the meat of the matter. Now, what is a cold call? Instead of giving the simple definition that I've done in the past, I figured, let me just slow down and break it down a little bit.

Cold calls involve tailored outreach. What that means is when you're doing cold calling, you're usually devoting time and attention to one person only. So if you're going to spray WhatsApp messages, broadcast emails, broadcast Instagram DMS or whatever, that is not cold calling. But if you're going to send an e-mail to one person, if you're going to send a WhatsApp to one person, if you're going to go to one person's house, if you're going to try and pick up the phone and call one person, that is cold outreach.

That could qualify as cold outreach. So cold calling has to be tailored next. Cold calling is unsolicited. Unsolicited just means that the person didn't beg you for this outreach. You guys have no prior history, no prior relationships, you know, no prior connections. That is what it means to be cold. So you understand now I'm trying to target one person that nothing gone must before. As in nothing gone me with you, nothing gone you with me.

And I'm trying to get business out of that. So yes, in that sense, cold calling is very hard because of this fact that there is no prior connection, no prior history, no prior relationship. Now, if you remember, I keep talking about Tom Hopkins when when we talk about the ingredients for a sale, not because he's the best. There are different kinds of frameworks. Well, because I think it's a four step framework and it's easy to remember and after a while, you know, even if somebody wakes you up from your sleep or you know, if you're on the toilet and they go on tap you, they say, oh, what is Tom Hopkins attitude?

You'll be able to just recite it. And it's very simple. It's trust, need help and hurry. I repeat again for Tom Hopkins, before we talk about closing the sale, we have to establish trust. We have to figure out the clients need. We have to be able to show that we can help them and we also need to be able to get them to hurry and take action on the course of action that we have provided. Now the big problem with cold calling is this.

This trust elements the very first one trust. So because trust is missing, that is why a cold calling is hard. Now, cold calling takes different forms. I want to clarify this because some people like my associate I was talking about believe that cold calling is only when you pick up the phone. Now cold calling also includes like in person going to go and talk to one person. Nowadays we call this thing canvassing, but that is how cold callings start.

You walk up to a total stranger and then you try to move your market. That is how all this started. So now we have all kinds of technologies. We have the phone, we have WhatsApp, we have e-mail, and maybe one day we're going to have what's this thing called? Not virtual reality, the other one, something reality. I can't remember what it's called, you know, the metaverse and everything. So we have all this technology available to us, but in the beginning, back in the days of Adam and Eve, you know, Adam had to walk to up to one person.

You say, bro, how far I have yam for sale? Do you want to buy yam? That is canvassing and that is cold calling #2 door knocking. Door knocking just means you're going from house to house. For those of us who are born, who grew up in Abuja, back in those days, remember Jehovah's Witness door. Come and knock on your door. Boom. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? That is door knocking. People also use it for business purposes.

Not so much in Nigeria because, you know, state of insecurity and all of that. Nobody wants to get shot. You don't want dogs to come and attack you. You don't end up in police, biggie. So people don't usually do door knocking. Maybe what some people do now is though, write the letter, write the flyer, and then they'll address it to the occupant of #6 Obama Shore Crescent, something, something. And then they will go and put the envelope and just slide it on your door so that you can check it later.

So I will say that's the most that I've seen Nigerian businesses doing now. But in other places like in America, door knocking is still alive and well. So for solar sales, people do door knocking. The one knock on your door and you open the door and say yes. And you know, they'll start trying to sell their markets though. Boss, all your neighbors have solar. I noticed they don't have solar. You know, would you like to have a conversation?

You know, that kind of thing that is door knocking. It is also cold calling, then phone calls, maybe because call is there. That's why everybody assumes that cold calling is only when you're using the phone. So since everybody knows what cold calling is, using the phone, let me ignore that one. But then there's also cold calling or cold outreach when trying to do WhatsApp. That's when you're sending WhatsApp to total strangers.

It is still cold calling, right? So we can see the length and the breadth of different forms of cold calling. It doesn't always have to be phone. And just know that with some proper planning, we can try other things to make things work. But let me give a note of warning or WhatsApp and video. Please do not even try to use video for cold calling. We have not gotten to that stage yet, at least in Niger. The average Nigerian is sitting minding his business.

A WhatsApp call is coming in from a total stranger. The average Nigerian was a blood of Jesus. And then they block because they think it might be a foreigner, it might be a scammer, it might be a ritualist, it might be whatever. So please do yourself a favor, no matter the kind of cold calling technique you try, do not even use WhatsApp video at all to say that you're prospecting somebody that you're trying to draw more business cold.

The only person I should try and do what's our video with is someone that you guys know. You guys are cool. You guys are already chill and you know the person is open to that kind of thing. Then you call the person, but total strangers don't try that. That's my recommendation anyway. But if you must try, don't do it at night. I've received those those kind of moves before. So I believe me, trust me and I know how weird they can feel.

You're just chilling. You're trying to next feeling and Netflix and you, which are babe and then next thing at 11 something. What's up? Video call. Just call me a strange number like they won't try it. So even if you want to try, well, maybe try during the day. If you can make it work. Let me know what my recommendation shies shy. Don't try it. So now I think the confusion is this. People just assume that every single time you pick up the phone and then you call someone for business purposes, you can now call that cold calling based on the definition that I've given here before.

Remember I said that cold calling is tailored? So you're trying to aim one person. It's unsolicited, the person inquire, beg you. No prayer history, no relationship, nothing gummy before, you know. So yeah, that's cold calling. But now think about this. I remember my friend, whether it's cold calling or not depends on whether you guys have had prior contact or prior context. In other words, if you are me, something has gone most before.

We have jammed before. There has been one small connection before. We can't really say that's a cold call because I am not a total stranger. Even if you didn't store my phone number, there's something I can say that will warm up the conversation and the person like oh boy and IBD, and then the conversation will flow. So if there has been a prior contact or context, it is not a cold call anymore and you should stop being so afraid.

You can pick up the phone. It is not a cold call if you and this person have spoken in the past, so you can pick up the phone and call. It's a lot easy. Don't worry. Even even if the person hasn't you, the person, install your phone number. Don't worry, I'll teach you how to bring the conversation on track. So if you, if you guys have spoken in the past, this is not a cold call. Be bold, pick up the phone. Nothing they happen.

Nothing bad will happen at all. If the person has attended one of your events before, like my friend who organizes free events and paid events, The moment somebody has come to that event, they sat down, they listen to you speak for 45 minutes and they watch our trainer. This thing is not cold anymore, which is the reason why when some of you reach out to me, there are some of you that I just like, OK? I don't want to ping back and forth.

I just call you up straight. It is not a cold call, even though you and I are kind of total strangers. But The thing is, I know that you're a little bit familiar with me because you've been listening to the podcast, so I can pick up the phone and call you guys confidently. I am not scared because it is not a phone. It's not a cold call. I'm calling someone who has some prior context, some prior knowledge, some prior relationships, some prior experience of me.

It is not a cold call. If somebody has responded to your lead generation, you're doing something to try and draw more business. Lead generation just means anything you do to get somebody to show that they might be interested in your product or service. If somebody drops their phone number there and you call them back, it is not a cold call. The person reached out to you. The person did something. Yes, the person might forget.

Don't worry, I'll tell you how to handle that because the person forgot or the person didn't handle your phone number. So remember, in all of these situations where there has been some prior context, especially for those also are business people, You spoke with somebody in the past, even if he's brief during network events or even if he's brief. You guys met Ajumal Priya in the mosque or you organize the free event. The person showed up whether in person or online, or the person responded to some of your lead generation.

The person picked up your flyer and the person SMS you before. In any of these situations, you can confidently call the person back. There is no need to shake. It is not a cold call and it will be OK. Well, I can't guarantee you that it will be an effective call, but the chances of these kind of calls converting are much higher then when you're calling somebody that nothing gum you people before. Clearly in this case something has gone towards you.

So don't be scared. Now even a situation where yeah well you guys are not quite friends and we know for sure the person hasn't stored our phone number. So you'll be as if it's a stranger that is calling. How do you warm up the call? Warming up the call just means getting the person to be cool. You get the person to relax. You get the person to be calm. You get the person to be easy. You get the person to, you know, loosen up their ear so that you and them can begin to relate.

You can begin to vibe. It's a very simple something. Remember what I said that if someone, if you guys have had some prior contact press or prior contact or prior contexts, that means you guys have jammed before or you've been in the same environment before to warm the conversation up. All you have to do is refer to that prior contact or context. It is that simple. When I was a wedding photographer, that was my simple formula for every single bride who came by my stand whenever I

went to a bridal fair. Because think about it, you go to a bridal fair, like 50 brides who come by your stand and they all drop their phone numbers. Yes, some of them will collect your card, but to be honest, none of them will store your phone number. So the first time you're calling the bride back is almost as if it's a total stranger who's calling. So this was my formula during the consultation at the bridal fair. I would always try and engage with them, you know, rapport,

that kind of thing, You know, fill them out. It was a blah, blah, blah or interesting name. Where are you from? Eventually that kind of conversation leads back to, oh, what's your name? And I say my name is Tavishima. And then the average bride will say also Tavishima. And what is that? Is that is that is really no, is that Japanese? No, actually it's Nigerian from being a state. What? Really. Yes, I'm teeth. And then we'll have that small conversation.

Oh, teeth people, those people that wear black and white. Oh yes, those people that eat Bush meat. Oh yes. Is it true? People eat rat? And yes, we eat rat, but it's not a house rat. It is. The one in the Bush is more or less Bush meat and they have that conversation. So it used to happen all the time. Or I would go on the OAU route, you know. Which school did you finish from? Well, I finished from you like, you know, like what a pity.

And what do you mean what a pity? Which school did you go to? I went to OAU, the greatest in the greatest school in Africa. Come on, come on. What do you mean? And then we'll now start doing that. Or where you are. You need like thing, but whatever it was, I would always try and build some rapport and try and tease out some of these commonalities between us or get get a little bit kind of personal. I will now make an asterisk on the phone and note down some of these things so that when I now call this babe back, remember she has not stopped my number.

So it's as if it's a stranger that is calling. I'll start off the conversation by saying, hey, who is this Cami? Oh yes, this is Cami. Who am I speaking with? Oh, this is the Ben Ray boy from Brides and babies. Immediately prior context, the girl warm up like, oh, hi, sorry, I didn't store your number, so it's OK, it happens. I'm sure you spoke to like 30-40 vendors that day. I didn't expect that you that you stole my phone number.

You know how you been, blah, blah, blah. And then from there we talk and then we start getting down the business. You see how I warm up the phone call instantly just by referring to whatever the prior contact was or whatever the prior context was, or I call up, hello, is this, yes, this cool? Who am I speaking with? Or this is the photographer from Brides and Babies, the OAU guy and say, oh, great effect, great. And then the conversation goes,

conversation continues. Now, yes, it's easy for me because at brides, at bridal events, you know, to be honest, maybe photographers will be like 5567, maybe 10 Max. But the chances are if I'm playing the Ben way game, usually I'm the only team photographer who is there. So there's no way to confuse me with another person. So what was I saying anyway? Basically what I'm just saying is you don't have to be scared. Yes, the person didn't store your phone number.

Yes, if you call, it will be a civic stranger that is calling whatever was the prior contact. Whatever was the prior contact, refer to it. And it's that simple. So hello, is this is this Hamza? Oh, yes, this is Hamza. Who am I speaking with? Oh, this is Cami. I got your number from the NNPC networking events last year at Sheraton. Oh yes, yes, yes, I was other events. But I'm sorry, Madam, I can't, I can't quite remember you.

Oh, I'm the one who is married to a Canary man. Oh, my sister, I remember you. I remember you. You see. And then the conversation will now flow. So don't be scared. Pick up the phone. And in my own friend's case, it's a very simple something. Hello. Is this Mr. so, so, so and so or is this Madam So, so so and so? Yes, it is. Who am I speaking with? This is blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You brought your daughter over for my event last year November or something where we can train girls in tech skills.

Oh, I remember, in fact, my daughter has been asking me when are we going to do the next one. So yes, that's the reason why I'm calling you because I got your number. At the time, we had not decided on when we're going to schedule the next event. We're ready for the next event now, but it's going to be a paid event scheduled for so, so, so and so. Would you be interested in discussing some more about that? It is a simple conversation,

especially for people who have a database of 501,000. As in, please do not go and drop money anywhere and try and see how you can be running another advertisement or planning another program or whatever. You already have a database that you have not explored. Yes, you've been sending emails to it. But look, let's let's be frank here. People are not reading those emails. Me, when I wake up every day, I have maybe like 100 emails to be honest.

When I enter my inbox, I'm looking at what to delete. I'm not looking at what to read and it's like that for the average person as well. So people are not really reading their emails. Trying to breakthrough on e-mail is hard. On the phone call thing, it's a whole lot easier. Now some of you say if I call and they don't pick, what do I do? The answer is very simple and sometimes some people ask me this question. I get confused if somebody if you call and somebody does not answer and you don't do anything.

Again, if the number is not stored on the phone, it's as best as if you never called at all in the 1st place because if your number is stolen on that person's phone, at least the person will see that. Oh OK, Binkley tried calling me. I don't know what it's about. Maybe I'll call her back later. But chances are this person has not stored your number. So what you do is the person didn't answer you now send a text message referring to the prior contact or the prior context and give the reason for your calling.

It is that simple. At least the thing will register. So back in my own case, I'll call person didn't answer. I wouldn't person didn't answer my kind of text messages I will send back then you don't have to follow my formula anyway will be something like hello Cami question mark because because I'm trying to confirm is this Cami now say this is the Ben Ray photographer from brides and babies. I was calling to discuss your upcoming wedding for October 15th.

Let me know when you'll be available to talk and I'll call you back and then send a text message. It is that simple. She might not call me back, but people see text messages and read text messages more than they see or read their emails. So I know for sure that she has seen that text message very rarely. Some people will now save your number from there. That's what they really want to talk to you. The average person will just see and maybe don't call you back.

But The thing is, at least now they're aware so that by the time you try the second time, third time, and you eventually get through will be a matter of, oh, I'm sorry, I've been very busy. Something, something, something, something. And then the conversation continues. So pick up the phone and call. It's a lot easier to convert, especially if you're listening to this podcast and you're already interested in these sorts of things.

Take it from me, you are already a great guy or a great girl. I'm very good with conversation. That's the reason why you're listening to this podcast, because you're trying to improve on XYZ. You can't improve upon something that you don't have already. So the very fact that you're listening to the show shows that you're already confident, that you're already articulate and that you know what's up. You just need one or two pointers to know what it is to do next.

So don't worry with your kind of personality. You're the person who's listening to this podcast. Phone calling is going to work well for you. So cold calling, total strangers, yes. So that one is hard. But if you have had a prior contact with the person or prior contacts with the person, relax. These kinds of phone calls are a lot easier. Not everybody will answer the phone. No problem. You will send a text message referring to the prior contact or the prior context.

So in the text message you refer to how you met them at NNPC networking event or how you met them at Shiloh prayer whatever or how you got their phone number at Ramadan Jamaat service in Central mosque or whatever. So you will send the message, refer to the prior contact, the prior context, and then if you're going to do things my way, you would ask for a time when you can call back, or you will propose a time when you're going to call back, or you're going to ask that when they're available to talk, they should let you know, and then you will call back.

You just pick whatever formula works for you. So that's it. Bottom line, let us stop being afraid of the phone, especially those of you who have a database already. You have attended two or three networking events. In each networking event, you collected four or five cards. So you already have 15 contacts. You've just been sending them e-mail. The time is now. Pick up the phone, call them. You want to make more progress.

If you're like this friend of mine from the free event you did, you got over 500 phone numbers. Please, what you do is you sit down January 1st or April 1st or May 1st or whatever and you give yourself brain. You now load up credit and you say your prayers and you ask for strength because in the beginning it's going to be scary. But with 500 contacts, if you're calling, I honestly think you can call like 1520 people every day.

Give us of like 2-3 hours. It will seem like stress, but when you will get through it, and The thing is you will close on business from it, that's a whole lot of contacts. So definitely you will close on business. And The thing is, even if you don't close on business, you'd have started building some real profitable relationships that are going to yield food in the future. And even if you don't, this is the reason why I love phone calls.

The qualitative data that you're going to get. Qualitative means you're now beginning to get a keen understanding of what your customer wants, what they desire, because this is phone call and especially if you're nice and charming and you follow the advice that I'm giving out here on the podcast, you'll be talking freely. They do be talking freely. You'll get some insight into some things you did not know before and it's going to come in real handy when it comes to modifying your product or modifying your service.

So it's hard work, but don't be scared. Anyway, 30 minutes. I think I believe the point. So that's all for today folks. Remember if you got any sales or marketing questions, then call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. The country code again is +234 for those of you who are not Nigerian. So thanks for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys at the next episode.