Chris Gardner has realized that not hanging up the phone in between calls saves him eight minutes throughout the day and by not drinking any water, he eliminates spending time in the bathroom. He understands what it’s going to take to be successful but in this game of cold calling, persistence is what’s going to make him or break him. However, the exciting part of cold calling is not knowing where it’s going to take you.
In this short clip, there are three things I love about Christ Gardner’s approach to his sales job and the cold calling it entails: his attitude, his zero hesitation, and his ambition.
I guarantee Mr. Gardner’s attitude towards calling was unmatched in an environment such as the one of Dean Witter Reynolds. His mentality of knowing what he needed to do in maximizing his time at work and balancing a life with his son is honorable. Call after call, his tone did not waiver in staying positive and hopeful that the next call could be a winner. He always remained polite and made each call with a smile, being as joyful and inviting as he could have been to people who may not have been excited about him calling.
The second thing I loved about Chris Gardner cold calling was his “zero hesitation” in dialing prospects numbers. I’m sure his discipline in not hanging up the phone helped, but I found it fascinating how he dialed number after number and never thought once of how it could go wrong. He just did it. That is definitely a struggle for me because I think way too much before making a call, more than is really necessary because it’s not like a life or death situation.
Finally, Chris Gardner’s ambition is amazing in this video clip because after several uninterested prospects, he decides to shoot for the stars and call Walter Ribbon, CEO of a Pension Fund. My favorite part about this clip is how Mr. Gardner responds to getting through the gatekeeper and his realization that he was actually going to have a shot at this CEO. Then, the spontaneity of having to immediately leave the office to meet Mr. Ribbon was incredible. Mr. Gardner’s personality makes you want to cheer for him in this process and that’s exactly where I found myself as he leaves to go meet Mr. Ribbon.
Mr. Gardner is a great inspiration for cold calling but also illustrates how committed we need to be in striking that good work-life balance, if that’s something you one day desire.
BoweryJE22
This is awesome to watch how fearless he is going into every phone call. I also struggle with be nervous and thinking way to much before making a phone call. This is clip is a great example of someone with ambition who is willing to put themselves out there without any hesitation.
This was one of my favorite movies I have ever seen. It was obvious in the movie that Chris was willing to do so much to succeed. I really like how comfortable he was while talking to people, while he knew how important every moment was.
Having been forced to knock on doors, I definitely resonate with your post. You learn so quickly to just DO IT. Quickly you exit your identity and step into the role; it’s the only way to survive.