What cold swimming taught me about cold calling

The cold swimming season has just started again. I am lucky enough to live not far from the largest open-air swimming pool in Great Britain, Tooting Bec Lido. Opened in 1906 after a lake that previously existed on the site was dug out, the pool is 100 yards (91.44 m) long and 33 yards (30.18 m) wide. Thirty minutes by bike in the morning, followed by 30 minutes in cold water and back again.

This morning, I couldn't help but notice some parallels between this sporting activity and a more professional one, that of telephone prospecting, otherwise known as cold calling. Here are 6 similarities between these "extreme sports!"

Semantics matter

OK, let's start with the simplest. Cold calling and cold swimming both start with cold. That was easy, and I would have been wrong not to use it! But semantics, what we say and how we say it, is key in prospecting. For example, it has been proven that speaking slowly sends the message to our interlocutor that we are knowledgeable about our subject. But how do salespeople speak when they are prospecting? Yep, often too fast. What do they talk about? Yep, themselves…

It stings at first

The cold-swimming season is still in its early stages and the water is still at reasonable temperatures. This morning it was 11°C. It will gradually drop to below 5°C. But even now, getting into the water isn't very easy. However, once you're in the water, you can stay there (lowest I swam into was 2°C, admittedly, at this temperature, you don't stay too long!). It's the same with prospecting. The hardest part is often getting started. Once you've taken the plunge, a prospecting session is no longer a problem.

It's a muscle

This weekend, I managed to convince two friends to join me. Having done a whole season last year and swum in colder waters in December and January, it was obvious that my body was better prepared than theirs. But, for my two friends, it was a little harder. Not only staying in the water, but also the shivers once they got out. Prospecting is the same. The more you do it, the better you get and the more resilient you become. That's why it's important to do it regularly. NDLR: cold calling can be done all year round. For cold swimming, to maintain the habit of cold water during the summer, you can take cold showers. It's less powerful, but it maintains the habit.

Mindset is key

Henry Ford said, "There are those who can, and there are those who cannot. Both are right." Swimming in cold water is the same. For many years, I couldn't get into a pool that wasn't at least 20°C. And I could never have believed it was possible to swim in water below 15°C, let alone below 10°C or 5°C. And yet, from the moment I decided to swim in cold water, I put in place a gradual process, cold showers, baths with ice cubes, etc. The same goes for prospecting. It's a mental effort, or as they say, "It's a mindset game". We are not built – or our education does not accustom us – to dealing with rejection after rejection, which is often the case in prospecting. But we can develop a muscle (see above) to achieve this if we decide to.

Have a goal

Another fundamental point is that of goals. When I started swimming in cold water, I wanted to gradually lower the temperature without a clear goal, "just for fun". Until one day, I spoke to someone who told me they swam in water below 5°C. That really made me want to take on the challenge. It's the same with cold calling. It's essential to have a goal that goes beyond a professional objective, something to hold on to. A visualisation of what you want to achieve. Something that too few salespeople have. Having what is known as "the fire in the belly". That's why, when we work with teams on strengthening their B2B sales expertise, it's essential to determine everyone's personal goals and long-term plans. Sales techniques are not enough; you need to have a vision of where you're going.

I told you that cold swimming was good for your mood!

The long term

We humans want immediate results. We want a diet that allows us to lose 5 kg quickly. We don't want to make long-term efforts. It's human nature. However, there is no magic formula. It is only through daily, repeated effort that we achieve our goals. One session of swimming in cold water will not produce results. But doing it over the long term allows us to improve our mental health, strengthen our immune system, be more energetic, etc. The benefits come after a while. It's the same with cold calling. One prospecting session won't give you immediate results. But repeated regularly, prospecting will give you long-term results you never imagined!

We make excuses and we are not prepared

We find it easy to make excuses for not doing what we have to do... This morning, it was raining and getting on my bike was not easy. I thought about giving up... Luckily, I had my waterproof "rain kit" which served me well. It's the same with prospecting. There's always a good reason not to do it: a client, a proposal to finish, a grandmother we haven't spoken to in a while... Or maybe we're not sufficiently prepared and, for example, we don't have the list of leads we need. Etc... Not making excuses (the war in Ukraine, the economy isn't good, people in my market don't want to be prospected, etc.) and being well prepared are two key aspects of effective prospecting.

Feel good factor

After a session of swimming in cold water, you feel good. And the effects last all day. It's the same with prospecting. Nobody likes prospecting, you just have to do it. And once you've done it, you feel good, happy to have done the job, and you can move on to something else.

And you, what sport do you practise that helps you step outside your comfort zone, and what parallels do you see between this sport and your work?