(By Lesley Lotto) It’s tough enough to be a salesperson in radio, but to lose your job, then be brought back to start all over again, is quite the challenge. We’ve all heard the phrase when someone asks you what you do for work, “smiling’ and dialing’”? But how many times have you dialed and NOT smiled, or fake smiled your way through a phone call to a prospect? And how painful is that? Maybe you think, meh, I’ll just email, it’s so much easier (and passive).
What if you genuinely buy into the belief that you’re going to make a sale today? What if it is only one spot a day and your spot rates were just lowered dramatically due to the pandemic and so you can land just one sale? And lest we forget, you’ve also had to take a 20% pay cut, because – pandemic. Feel defeated yet? It’s easier to give up, then to dive in.
It’s so easy to focus on all the negatives right now, because let’s face it, they’re coming fast and furious. But what if you changed your outlook to: I woke up today. I’m breathing today. I have the job that I’ve always wanted today. And, oh yes, this one: I’m lucky to even have a job today.
I remember so many years ago, we were living in a small town. My husband had a job where he felt degraded every day and he complained about it, every day. He has an advanced degree and was making small town money. And the people he worked with were, difficult. Defeat. While we were driving one day and he was on his daily tear about the job, I abruptly pulled the car over and said, why don’t you just quit?! If you hate it so much, just quit. But better still, look for your dream job. And go get it. Then get over it. (He did.)
When you go to work defeated day after day, make call after call with that defeated attitude, expecting the worst, guess what you get? The worst. No sale, no friendly chitter chatter on the other end of the line. Just defeat.
We won’t even get into the burn out, the health issues from all of the stress, and the panic. It’s all real.
I’m really guilty of this. Smiling and dialing is so depressing sometimes. You make call after call, get the gatekeeper or the receptionist or assistant, with the ever so popular, “and you are?” or “and you’re from what company?”, better still, “is she expecting your call?” ugh.
I used to really allow it all to get to me. But I pasted on a smile, tossed down a little coffee (who are we kidding? A lot!), and I pick up the phone again. There’s math to it all, about 69% of folks answer a cold call and a whopping 83% will meet someone who keeps up the, slightly pesky follow up calls.
So what do you have to lose? Pick up the phone. And put on a real smile and go get that sale. Don’t let them defeat you.
Lesley Lotto is the owner and Senior Anchor at Remote News Service and can be reached at [email protected]
