How to Get Over Call Reluctance (For MSPs Who Hate Calling)

If you have ever sat down to make sales calls and suddenly decided your CRM desperately needs reorganizing, you are not alone. Maybe you told yourself your dog needs to go outside, even if you do not actually have a dog. We have all been there! Before we built Cloud Services for MSPs, I ran a seven figure MSP, and I struggled with this exact same feeling in our early years.

I want you to hear this clearly right from the start. There is nothing wrong with feeling call reluctance, but there is something wrong with letting it run your business. Over my 40 years in this industry, I have seen too many MSPs avoid the uncomfortable work and then wonder why their pipeline is empty. Calling is a skill, but reluctance is just a habit. Both can be changed!

Why Does Calling Feel So Heavy?

Why do we freeze up? For most of us with a technical background, we want predictability. We want to know exactly how a conversation will unfold, but people are not like servers. You cannot script them, you cannot patch them, and you certainly cannot forecast their responses. That uncertainty creates a lot of hesitation!.

We also fear sounding “salesy” because most of us did not start an MSP to become salespeople. We started this because we saw problems we could solve. When a prospect says they are all set, it can feel like a personal judgment on your credibility. But in almost every case, it is just a matter of timing.

The Mindset Shift You Need

Here is the shift that changed everything for me. You are not calling to sell! You are calling to learn. You are simply finding out if that business is facing a problem you can help solve. When you approach a call with curiosity instead of trying to perform, the pressure drops immediately.

You are the most qualified person these prospects will talk to all day. You understand cloud, cybersecurity, and disaster recovery. They do not! You are not interrupting their day. You are providing them with much needed clarity. Remember what Mel Robbins says? Confidence comes from action, not before it. You call, and then the confidence follows.

Your Pre-Call Warm-Up Routine

To break the “reluctance loop,” you need a simple routine to move your brain from technical mode into conversation mode.

• Set an achievable goal. Do not aim for two meetings. Aim for five conversations.
• Review past wins. Remind your brain of the moments when calling actually went well.
• Practice your first sentence. The fear is usually tied to not knowing how to begin, so just nail your opener.
• Remove all friction. Have your list ready, your CRM open, and your calendar link at the fingertips.
• Start with the easiest call. Ease your way in to build that momentum!.

Recovering from the Tough Calls

Not every call will go smoothly. I guarantee it! When you get a rejection, remember they are rejecting the interruption, not you personally. Take a slow breath. I use the 4, 7, 8 method where you breathe in for four, hold for seven, and out for eight.

Log that call as a win anyway: the win is in taking the action. Then, make the next dial quickly! Do not give your mind time to ponder what just happened. As James Clear says, you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.

I have a challenge for you this week. Build a list of 20 prospects and call five per day for four days. Use the warm up routine and celebrate your wins. It isn’t about the results yet, it’s about the consistency!

Todays quote is an applicable one from David Jay Schwartz: “Action cures fear.”

Have a great week and weekend!