Cold Calling Is The Primal Fear You Must Overcome To Master Modern Selling

Cold Calling Is The Primal Fear You Must Overcome To Master Modern Selling

[This is a guest blog contributed by a best-selling author, and award-winning Blogger, Tony Hughes. Read more about him at the end of this blog.]

Is this smartphone ball and chain really a communication device? I don't think so. The chiropractors of the world must be rejoicing because homo novus has the worst posture in human history shackled to "the third appendage."

Cold calling should be "warm" calling, I get your pushback. But I disagree. Sales is about real communication and I believe we need a massive return to innocence.

I challenge Sales Leaders to literally "turn off all digital devices." I challenge sales leaders to give reps a headset and a target list with just switchboards to call on for one month straight, pad and pen. That's it!



Why Cold Call? Literally, face your fears and call a stranger in the middle of the day. Like at 9am on Monday morning or 4pm on a Friday afternoon when you least want to! I would challenge you to do zero research and get your wrist slapped. Feel the sting of rejection and let it sculpt you into a stronger person. Yes, research is good but get to the point where you stop caring about the outcome.

Reps obsess over making the perfect call at the perfect time of day to the perfect prospect as if they're about to get in an elevator with Mark Cuban and get 30 seconds to pitch. Mark Cuban ran a college bar and if he had to start all over would be the master of... wait for it... "cold calling!"



If you just master this one skill, your entire career will be transformed from inside out. Focus all your energy only on developing this one mental muscle for 6 months and watch your self-esteem, income, and influence take off like a rocket ship!

Even if you only talk to 2 in 100 people. But you could utilize ConnectandSell and get those contact rates through the roof: just ask Chris Beall who lives life at 1,000 dials a day. I've affectionately nicknamed Chris, Bruce Wayne because he is The Dark Knight of our Social Selling Crazed Digital Age of charlatan Jokers fear mongering to sell multi-level-marketing, social selling schlock to the intoxicated masses.

Chris Beall is cleaning up Gotham just like Batman, trust me.

People are petrified to be human and authentically communicate. There's been a vast introversion bordering on obsession in checking mobile devices 250 times per day. This is not healthy for the human brain or natural. You see couples at fine dining restaurants immersed head down on Facebook (always Facebook) or Instagram. You see it on the train, the endless swiping of iPads of meaningless Us Magazine drivel, living vicariously through celebrities shallow excuse for a hollow existence.



What is sales, really? What defines success? It's about communicating with others. It goes beyond fear of the phone. Maybe you fear something deeper. Like being found out. Like someone discovering you're full of hot air. It's endemic to a virtual society of isolation where no one knows anyone anymore, our whole waking lives constructed of the selfie stick and the humble brag, a Jenga game of polished glass ready to shatter at the sound of a human voice.



It's a call to arms for everyone to just get real. The purpose of social media like LinkedIn was always to connect. It still is and there is a ragtag band of well-intentioned practitioners of the dark art of Social Selling on here who really are doing that. I'd say it's the exception, not the rule, however. People like Koka Sexton and Jill Rowley do it right but they're seldom emulated when I get 200 identical spam messages in my inbox every time I accept a LinkedIn invite.



When I'm reaching out to people, I reach out to the ones I truly believe I can help. I don't waste time on anyone who I feel cannot transact with me. My positive intent and belief in my product is a port in the storm of rejection. This rain of rejection slides off of me like water off a duck's back as I paddle like hell under the surface to get my activity up to the point that I can break through. I don't use scripts or canned responses: I intend to break through and so, I do.

The only KPIs I measure are Skypes, face to face meetings, air plane rides to Melbourne and the States. I don't count dials, emails, InMails or friend requests. After connecting with tens of thousands of professionals on here, it's all a vast digital ocean with boundless creativity and stifling anonymity with plastic gyres of BS that need to be cleaned up.

The mindset is backward. We are spirits in a material world on a quest to drive value by actually interacting. We need to break down the barriers and really get to know each other, break bread and show vulnerability, releasing fears, bias and divisions to build a better society.

In the sales room of the future, we would create! Cell phones would be banned; confiscated upon arrival. Each person would work for about 3 to 4 hours per day off a defined list. The goal would simply be: talk to humans. This is why I advocate for dialler software to print out a targeted list. Purpose: get out of the office.

I think that the real dinosaur concept is the idea that you can sit in front of a computer screen, clicking away passively, and call it sales or call it marketing. It's a misnomer for "social." It was a fleeting meme in the 90's that has passed us by.



Millennials would rather have a cell phone than a car. They should take the car and go meet other Millennials for a hike in the park and go hug a tree. Sales roles should be 70% field. Reps should get in the air to go press the flesh of new and existing customers at conferences.

It's expensive to put your people up in hotel rooms and cover Travel & Entertainment expenses. It's even more expensive to have your reps gain 5,000 connections on LinkedIn, drop vapour into your forecast and see every deal go to die.

The entitled pushback we are getting as sales leaders from future generations of sellers is not something we need to encourage or feed into. It's just like bad, permissive parenting, where your kid loves you and then goes to join a street gang at the tender age of 13. You could easily dismiss me as a Luddite or iconoclast but this is just level one: wax on, wax off. The power tools are for the big boys and girls. Social Media and LinkedIn are a privilege, a dessert after the main course of brown rice and salad.

I will teach you everything you need to know about sales, social selling and how to close million dollar deals if that's what you want. But first let's fix your mindset. Do you love people? Would you love to help a customer? Do you truly believe in your product or service? Do you love yourself? It all starts with heart! Sales is a people business. You must go forth young (and old) ladies and gents and wander out of the shadows of the shire. The most modern technology I can impart to you is the oldest of all: love of others and infinite curiosity!

Not all those who wander are lost. - Tolkien


--------------
Blog by Tony Hughes

Tony Hughes is a bestselling author, award-winning blogger and the most read LinkedIn Author globally on the topic of B2B sales leadership. Tony’s first book is a business bestseller with his second book, COMBO Prospecting, is available on Amazon here. He can be found on LinkedIn and at TonyHughes.com.au and RSVPselling.com



      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          • Sticky Posts

          • As Sales Person, Here are my New Year Resolutions. What are Yours?

            Being a salesperson, I keep learning from my mistakes and have noted a few changes that I need to make in my approach. I take these resolutions going into 2021, hoping to keep it going for as long as possible :) 1. I will not say "Yes, our product has
          • Once Upon a Sales Meeting!

            It was an awkward silence in the meeting room "Uproar." John Kowalski, the new sales manager, was not happy with the team's performance. After scribbling something in the notepad, he decided to break the silence, John: I cannot believe you guys have been working like this. No reports, delusional forecasting, random targets, and no eye on the ball. Kevin: We followed Richard's orders. John: Well, Richard is not here anymore, is he? John walked up to the whiteboard, and wrote in big bold letters: "TARGET

          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ








                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Introducing Profile Summary: Faster Candidate Insights with Zia

                                    We’re excited to launch Profile Summary, a powerful new feature in Zoho Recruit that transforms how you review candidate profiles. What used to take minutes of resume scanning can now be assessed in seconds—thanks to Zia. A Quick Example Say you’re hiring
                                  • Updating Subform Record from other Form

                                    Just wanted to ask how to properly approach this. I have 2 forms and would like to trigger an auto update on the subform once record submitted. block below only updates 1 row for each recordRow in input.AV_System { AssetRecord = Site_Asset_Services[SOR_No
                                  • when I email a invoice how can i see it was sent and also were i can go to see all emails sent

                                    when I email a invoice how can i see it was sent and also were i can go to see all emails sent?
                                  • Problem with Email an invoice with multiple attachments using API

                                    I have an invoice with 3 attachments. When I send an email manually using the UI, everything works correctly. I receive an email with three attachments. The problem occurs when I try to initiate sending an email using the API. The email comes with only
                                  • Zoho Books - Hide Convert to Sales Order if it can't be used.

                                    Hi Books team, I noticed that it is not possible to convert a Quote to a Sales Order when a Quote is not yet marked as accepted. My idea is to not show the Convert to Sales Order button when it is not possible to use it, or show it in a grey inactive
                                  • How do I bulk archive my projects in ZOHO projects

                                    Hi, I want to archive 50 Projects in one go. Can you please help me out , How can I do this? Thanks kapil
                                  • Cross-Data Center Collaboration and / Or allowing users to choose DC

                                    Dear Zoho Cliq Support Team, We are writing to request a significant enhancement to Zoho Cliq that would greatly benefit our geographically dispersed development team. Current Challenge: Currently, Zoho Cliq automatically routes users to specific data
                                  • Zoho Flow - Update record in Trackvia

                                    Hello, I have a Flow that executes correctly but I only want it to execute once when a particular field on a record is updated in TrackVia. I have the trigger filters setup correctly and I want to add an "update record" action at the end of the flow to
                                  • New Mandatory One-Click Unsubscribe Link Overshadowing Custom Unsubscribe Link

                                    I was recently informed by Zoho CRM Support that they are now mandated by the large email service providers like Google and Yahoo to provide a one-click unsubscribe option in the header (not the body) of all mass emails. I have a custom unsubscribe link
                                  • Supervisor Rules - Zoho Desk

                                    Hi, I have set up a Supervisor Rule in Zoho Desk to send an email alert when a ticket has been on hold for 48 hours. Is there a way to change it so that the alert only sends once and not on an hourly basis? Thank you Laura
                                  • Kaizen #190 - Queries in Custom Related Lists

                                    Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss yet another interesting enhancement to Queries. As you all know, Queries allow you to dynamically retrieve data from CRM as well as third-party services directly within
                                  • Send / Send & Close keyboard shortcuts

                                    Hello! My team is so close to using Zoho Desk with just the keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts really help us to be more efficient -- saving a second or two over thousands of tickets adds up quickly. It seems like the keyboard shortcuts in Desk are only for
                                  • Is it possible to register webhooks in Zoho CRM using API?

                                    Hello, I am trying to register a webhook in Zoho CRM programmatically (using the API). Specifically, I want to register a webhook that is fired when new Contacts are created in the CRM. I was able to setup a webhook using the UI, by creating a rule that
                                  • Is it possible to hide fields in a Subform?

                                    Since layout rules cannot be used with Subforms, is there another way, or is it even possible, to hide fields in a subform based on a picklist fields within said subform? For example, if the Service Provided is Internet, then I do not want to see the
                                  • Calls where the local audio is shared, have echo

                                    When another user is sharing their screen with audio, I get echo from my own voice. We tested this with multiple users, with different audio setups, and there's no obvious way to fix it. Is this a bug you could look into, or are we missing something?
                                  • Systematic SPF alignment issues with Zoho subdomains

                                    Analysis Period: August 19 - September 1, 2025 PROBLEM SUMMARY Multiple Zoho services are causing systematic SPF authentication failures in DMARC reports from major email providers (Google, Microsoft, Zoho). While emails are successfully delivered due
                                  • Cannot update Recurring_Activity on Tasks – RRULE not accepted

                                    Hello, I am trying to update Tasks in Zoho CRM to make them recurring yearly, but I cannot find the correct recurrence pattern or way to update the Recurring_Activity field via API or Deluge. I have tried: Sending a string like "RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;INTERVAL=1"
                                  • No practical examples of how survey data is analyzed

                                    There are no examples of analysis with analytics of zoho survey data. Only survey meta data is analyzed, such as number of completes, not actual analysis of responses, such as the % in each gender, cross-tabulations of survey responses. One strange characteristic of Zoho analytics is that does not seem aware of how Zoho Survey codes 'multiple response' questions. These are questions where more than one option can be selected from a list. Zoho Survey stores this data as text, separated by commas within
                                  • Update application by uploading an updated DS file

                                    Is it possible? I have been working with AI on my desktop improving my application, and I have to keep copy pasting stuff... Would it be possible to import the DS file on top of an existing application to update the app accordingly?
                                  • Minimise chat when user navigates to new page

                                    When the user is in an active chat (chatbot) and is provide with an internal link, when they click the link to go to the internal page the chat opens again. This is not a good user experience. They have been sent the link to read what is on the page.
                                  • Reports: Custom Search Function Fields

                                    Hi Zoho, Hope you'll add this into your roadmap. Issue: For the past 2yrs our global team been complaining and was brought to our attention recently that it's a time consuming process looking/scrolling down. Use-case: This form is a service report with
                                  • Zoho Projects app update: Voice notes for Tasks and Bugs module

                                    Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.9.37) of the Zoho Projects Android app update, we have introduced voice notes for the Tasks and Bugs module. The voice notes can be added as an attachment or can be transcribed into text. Recording and attaching
                                  • Add Custom Reports To Dashboard or Home Tab

                                    Hi there, I think it would be great to be able to add our custom reports to the Home Tab or Dashboards. Thanks! Chad
                                  • zurl URL shortener Not working in Zoho social

                                    zurl URL shortener Not working in while creating a post in Zoho social
                                  • In the Zoho CRM Module I have TRN Field I should contain 15 digit Number , If it Contain less than 15 digit Then show Alert message on save of the button , If it not contain any number not want to sh

                                    Hi In the Zoho CRM Module I have TRN Field I should contain 15 digit Number , If it Contain less than 15 digit Then show Alert message on save of the button , If it not contain any number not want to show alert. How We can achive in Zoho CRm Using custom
                                  • Power of Automation::Streamline log hours to work hours upon task completion.

                                    Hello Everyone, A Custom Function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as to when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:-
                                  • Zoho Bookings know-how: A hands-on workshop series

                                    Hello! We’re conducting a hands-on workshop series to help simplify appointment scheduling for your business with Zoho Bookings. We’ll be covering various functionalities and showing how you can leverage them for your business across five different sessions.
                                  • Custom report

                                    Hello Everyone I hope everything is fine. I've tried to To change the layout of the reports, especially the summary page report, and I want to divide summary of each section in the survey but I can't For example: I have a survey containing five different
                                  • Zoho Journey - ZOHO MARKETING AUTOMATION

                                    I’ve encountered an issue while working with a journey in Zoho Marketing Automation. After creating the journey, I wanted to edit the "Match Criteria" settings. Unfortunately: The criteria section appears to be locked and not editable. I’m also unable
                                  • Custom Fields in PDF outputs

                                    I created a couple of custom fields. e.g Country of Origin and HS Tariff Code. I need these to appear on a clone of a sales order PDF template but on on the standard PDF template. When I select "appear on PDFs' it appears on both but when I don't select
                                  • How to create a Service Agreement with Quarterly Estimate

                                    Hello, I'm not sure if this has been asked before so please don't get mad at me for asking. We're an NDIS provider in Australia so we need to draft a Service Agreement for our client. With the recent changes in the NDIS we're now required to also include
                                  • Change Currency symbol

                                    I would like to change the way our currency displays when printed on quotes, invoices and purchase orders. Currently, we have Australian Dollars AUD as our Home Currency. The only two symbol choices available for this currency are "AU $" or "AUD". I would
                                  • Python - code studio

                                    Hi, I see the code studio is "coming soon". We have some files that will require some more complex transformation, is this feature far off? It appears to have been released in Zoho Analytics already
                                  • Lead Blueprint transition in custom list view

                                    Hi, Is It possible to insert the Blueprint transition label in a custom Canvas list view? I am using Lead module. I see the status, but it would be great if our users could execute the Blueprint right from the list view without having to enter the detailed
                                  • Generate a link for Zoho Sign we can copy and use in a separate email

                                    Please consider adding functionality that would all a user to copy a reminder link so that we can include it in a personalized email instead of sending a Zoho reminder. Or, allow us to customize the reminder email. Use Case: We have clients we need to
                                  • Zoho Social - Post Footer Templates

                                    As a content creator I often want to include some information at the end of most posts. It would be great if there was an option to add pre-written footers, similar to the Hashtag Groups at the end of posts. For example, if there is an offer I'm running
                                  • Seriously - Create multiple contacts for leads, (With Company as lead) Zoho CRM

                                    In Zoho CRM, considering a comapny as a lead, you need us to allow addition of more than one contact. Currently the Lead Section is missing "Add contact" feature which is available in "Accounts". When you know that a particular lead can have multiple
                                  • The Social Wall: August 2025

                                    Hello everyone, As summer ends, Zoho Social is gearing up for some exciting, bigger updates lined up for the months ahead. While those are in the works, we rolled out a few handy feature updates in August to keep your social media management running smoothly.
                                  • Ugh! - Text Box (Single Line) Not Enough - Text Box (Multi-line) Unavailable in PDF!

                                    I provide services, I do not sell items. In each estimate I send I provide a customized job description. A two or three sentence summary of the job to be performed. I need to be able to include this job description on each estimate I send as it's a critical
                                  • Allow to pick color for project groups in Zoho Projects

                                    Hi Zoho Team, It would be really helpful if users could assign colors to project groups. This would make it easier to visually distinguish groups, improve navigation, and give a clearer overview when managing multiple projects. Thanks for considering
                                  • Next Page