Cryopolisiphobia is the fear of cold calling

Cryopolisiphobia is an intense and persistent fear of cold calling. It comes from the Greek cryo from kruos ‘frost’, polisi for ‘selling’ or ‘disposal’; and phobia from phobos for ‘fear’.

Many business owners and entrepeneurs suffer from it due to the high levels of rebuttal and rejection you can experience. The main symptom is the excessive desire to avoid ringing potential clients to promote your business.

Cryopolisiphobia is classified as a panic disorder because it involves an illogical functioning of the brain. You have a product or service that people want or need. Don’t be afraid to tell them about it?

My strategies for overcoming cryopolisiphobia involve warming the caller first. This strategy works best for business-to-business selling not for mass marketing. To warm the prospect you first send them a letter of introduction. This should be a polite letter telling the prospect what benefits you may provide for them and stating that you will follow up with a phone call. If you don’t offer any benefits the strategy will fail. If you do offer benefits there is no reason to fear the call.

Now the call is not a “cold call” but a follow-up call. You can introduce yourself and refer to the letter as a focus of the conversation. If you are lucky they have read the letter and you use it to lead the conversation – ask them questions about how you can help them. If they haven’t read the letter, you still have a warm conversation because they will accept that you have made the effort to contact them. Don’t forget you are discussing how you can benefit them!

Your aim is not to sell them anything. Your aim is to introduce yourself and start a relationship. This may mean establishing a dialogue by getting permission to send them more material. But your ultimate aim is to get a meeting with the prospect so that you can develop a more personal dialogue.

Good luck! If you need help with your marketing communications and cold-calling strategy please contact us for advice.