If your reps hate picking up the phone to prospect, take a long, hard look in the mirror. That's right. Often, the source of reps' call reluctance is the sales manager - and most of the time, managers are completely unaware of what they're doing to sabotage those prospecting efforts.

"A sales manager with call reluctance contaminates the whole organization," warns Connie Kadansky, CEO of Exceptional Sales Performance, a company that helps salespeople overcome the fear of prospecting and self-promotion. Managers are usually oblivious to their prejudice, but their occasional off-the-cuff comments about the difficulties of prospecting are a slow drip-drip of negativity that saps reps' willingness to pick up the phone. Here, says Kadansky, are three strategies you can use to fix the problem and turn around your team's attitude toward prospecting - which in turn will bring a turnaround in their sales results.

1. Watch your language. Kadansky often hears sales managers make such comments as, "Prospecting is a necessary evil," or "People will do everything they can not to talk to you." Or they'll give the following pep talk: "I know people hate to be called, but you're going to need to have five conversations today." When managers exhibit reluctance, the team projects those fears onto each call. Rather than pick up the phone, they'll sit and anticipate rejection.
   
   To turn things around, change the way you talk about prospecting. Instead of positioning it as a necessary evil, be enthusiastic. "It takes a confident manager to say, 'Prospecting is part of our sales model, and we're going to show you how to do it with the right scripts and mind-set,'" says Kadansky, who advocates a "do vocabulary" instead of a "don't vocabulary." In other words, make sure you're telling your reps to "do this, do that, and say this," rather than "not to do this and say that." It's a small change that will yield big results.
   
   
2. Know your value. A solid value proposition can help sales professionals overcome call reluctance. When reps truly understand the value they're bringing to the marketplace, their attention shifts from fear to helping others. "When reps approach prospecting from the mind-set of having the opportunity to serve, prospecting is no longer about themselves; it's no longer an emotional threat," Kadansky explains. Shifting that mind-set begins with a "laser-sharp" value proposition. Take some time to refine what sets you apart in the marketplace and communicate it to your reps.
   
   
3. Do more role-playing. Managers are pulled in many directions, but role-playing is essential to helping reps become more skilled and confident in prospecting. How? It helps reps identify their strengths and weaknesses and allows them to react to a variety of customer responses in a safe environment - which then gives them the confidence to handle those same conversations when the stakes are high.