MRL #053- The 10 Commandments of Cold Calling

Been wandering around in the desert of ProducerLand hoping for a miracle?

If so, harken unto me, because this week I’ve got a message just for you.

You see…

I too wandered in the desert, convinced all was lost.

Until one day atop Mt. Salas, I heard a voice.

A benevolent, fatherly voice that bestowed upon me 10 commandments.

10 prospecting principles for all Producer’s to live by.

He ordered me not to horde them for myself, but to share with all people.

So here I am today, a humble messenger, sharing them with you.

Follow these 10 Commandments of Cold Calling and I promise ye shall find the Promise Land.

I. Thou Shall Plan Tomorrow, Today

We’ve all heard it 1,000 times…

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Nevertheless, it’s true.

If you wait until the morning of to get your lead list ready, you’re asking for trouble.

Have your list of names ready to go the night before.

The best way I know to do that is by breaking down your Master Lead List (which we’ll talk more about later)…

Into smaller lists of 25-50 (however many you aim to call per day).

Call List 1 on Mondays…

Call List 2 on Tuesdays…

Call List 3 on Wednesdays…

You get the point.

II. Thou Shall Prioritize Prospecting

So, you know who you’re going to call the day before, great.

Now, you need to pencil in when you’re going to call them.

If you’ve followed us for any amount of time you know we’re huge advocates of time-blocking (dividing your day into blocks of time for specific work).

Personally, I block my day into halves.

You? Maybe you wanna do three blocks, or four…

Honestly, it doesn’t really matter.

All I’m commanding suggesting you do is prioritize your prospecting.

Before you pencil anything else in on your calendar, block out your cold calling time, first.

Pro tip… I highly suggest getting it done first thing in the morning… like 8:30-10:30.

Eat the frog, and get it done.

The rest of your day is milk and honey.

III. Thou Shall Start With A Big Ass Lead List

Earlier I mentioned your “Master Lead List”.

Well, here’s where that comes in.

When selling with BOR’s, most Producers drastically underestimate the number of at-bats they actually need…

Which means they drastically underestimate the number of leads they should actually start with.

I recommend starting with no less than 300 leads.

(By leads, I mean names of businesses)

But, don’t stop there.

You’ll undoubtedly cull quite a few names from your list at the beginning…

So, I would shoot for 500 leads (if possible) to start.

IV. Thou Shall Make Cold Calls Every Day

I get it… cold calling sucks (or at least it does in the beginning).

But you wanna know when it really sucks?

When you put it off…

When it’s hanging over your head…

When you haven’t made your calls for a week and now you’re really behind.

That’s when it really sucks.

The best way to combat that, is to just make it a non-negotiable.

Come hell or high water you make calls every day… no excuses.

Like brushing your teeth… when you make it a daily habit, you no longer have to rely on precious willpower to get it done.

It just gets done.

V. Thou Shall Only Sell To The Decision Maker

One of the biggest mistakes new Producers make is selling to the wrong person.

I’ve been guilty of it too.

You get all the way to the finish line only to hear…

“I will show this all to Bob. He’s actually the one who decides.”

It sucks.

Don’t waste your time.

Before you meet with anyone make sure you know who all the stake holders are.

Always ask…

“Who else will have a say in the final decision?”

And don’t sell a thing until they’re all in the room.

Ok, I think I’m gonna call it here.

I’ll save the other 5 for next week.

If you don’t feel like waiting that long and want to learn more about turning cold calls into hot leads check out our Producer Playbook.

It hath saved many a lost soul.

See you next Sunday.

Kick ass take names, 

Maximus F. Revenue IV

P.S.

If you found this letter helpful… there are 3 other ways we can help you:

1. The Producer Playbook- The Step-By-Step Guide To Building A $1,000,000 Book of Business (From Scratch)

2. The Max Revenue Show- Our weekly podcast (available just about everywhere).

3. The Max Revenue Channel on YouTube- Weekly videos from Micah “The Zen Master of Commercial Insurance” Salas, including his new series “Diary of a New Producer.