If you’ve ever stared at the phone like it might bite, you are in good company. Sales call reluctance trips up rookies and veterans alike, especially when you are new to an industry or territory and nobody knows your name.
For building service contractors, carpet and floor cleaning companies, and virtually any company with a product or service to sell, this scenario plays out in familiar ways. Cold calling potential clients is intimidating—yet necessary—and at times, surprisingly rewarding.
Dave Kahle, owner of Kahle Way Sales Systems, has observed the reluctance to make sales calls for decades. “I think there are two classes of people, as far as salespeople go,” he said. Kahle described one with an established territory who is calling on familiar people and has it easier than most. But the second? Kahle identifies new salespeople, who do not have an established territory, as the most reluctant. This translates to every dial feeling like a cold plunge, where confidence wobbles and avoidance lurks.
Kahle’s fix starts before the first call connects. Confidence, he argues, comes from only two places: Accumulated experience or deliberate practice. New reps lack the first, so they must build the second. His prescription is simple and specific: Script the key openings, “memorize little snippets of conversation,” and role-play them out loud with a boss or peer until the words feel natural.
He learned the power of reps early in his career, when six weeks of videotaped, critiqued presentations burned muscle memory into place. For new sellers, the takeaway is blunt and encouraging: The answer is practice.
Recording calls accelerates that practice loop. Over the phone, you can capture the whole exchange, play it back, and notice what you missed. Kahle has seen how easily reps can drift into a flattering fog. “Salespeople, for the most part, have an inflated view of their own abilities,” he said, until they hear themselves. Playback offers reps insights into their performance, such as: “I stepped on the close,” “I asked two questions at once,” or “I didn’t listen.” It’s tougher to do this in person, he admitted, but phone recordings give you an honest mirror and a way to coach yourself between meetings.
Modern selling also brings a quieter threat: isolation. Outside reps spend long stretches alone, such as when driving, planning, and updating, without the buzz of a bullpen or quick encouragement from a teammate. Kahle called the outside seller a “very isolated person,” which means they must learn to manage their thoughts, their time, and the emotional dips that come with no-shows and nos. Routines help. Block calling hours, set micro-targets, and build a post-call reset so one rough conversation doesn’t hijack your day.
What about small talk? Please don’t force it. “I don’t know that I’d call it small talk,” Kahle said. The goal isn’t filler, it’s fit. Read the room. Some buyers want quick, direct value; others warm up through conversation. Either way, relationship beats recitation. In fact, he insists the real lever in modern selling isn’t product knowledge. “From my perspective, from what I do, the product is not important, the process is what’s important,” Kahle said. Learn how to establish initial contact, ask clear questions, adapt to different personalities, and effectively guide the next steps. Specs matter, but process earns the meeting after this one.
When the grind gets loud—the unanswered emails, the curt replies, the string of “not nows”—Kahle reaches for one more tool: How you talk to yourself. “I’m more and more struck with the power of affirmations and self-talk,” he said. Write a few on a card or your phone and cycle them between calls: “I really am strong.” “I really can figure this out.” It’s not fluff; it’s guardrails for your mindset so you can keep showing up with poise, Kahle explained.
Put it together, and the path through reluctance looks doable, not mystical. Write a script, practice it aloud, record it, and review. Additionally, build a simple weekly rhythm. Aim for genuine conversation, not canned chatter. In turn, trust the process over the product pitch. And when the day pushes back, steady yourself with the words you choose to believe, Kahle said.
