85. 3 Ways Running Has Improved My Cold Calling
I hate running.
That’s why I run 6 days a week.
At 43, I’m new to running.
I mean, I’ve run before—football, basketball, athletics, warm-up sessions, fitness workouts, etc.
But I wasn’t running for running’s sake.
Until recently, the furthest I’d run was around 4 miles, and I clocked over 30 miles a month.
The main reason I didn’t run was my dodgy knees.
At 6 foot five and 94 kilos (over 200lbs), my knees have taken a lot of damage playing sports. Add to that an ACL reconstruction and Osgood Schlatter disease - I had reasons to hate running.
It hurt. A lot.
Then, two things happened in the summer of 2022:
I listened to David Goggin’s “Can’t Hurt Me”;
I read this Tim Ferriss blog post outlining a minimum effective dose for running.
Both changed my mindset and approach to running.
Two months later, I’d more than doubled the distance of my run (10 miles) and my monthly mileage (60 miles).
In month 3, I’d run a half marathon distance.
Best of all - no knee pain!
In 2023, I committed myself to ruining.
I developed my own training program. It consisted of long, easy runs, sprint training, hill runs and weight training.
I learned about breathing techniques and how to use breathing to manage my running tempo.
I started two-a-day training sessions to build endurance, resilience and discipline.
I incorporated yoga and massages into my recovery sessions to minimise injury.
By the end of 2023, I’d:
Run my first marathon, finishing in 3:38 (that’s me in the picture!).
Run my first ultra, Goggins 4x4x48 challenge.
Competed in my first Hyrox, finishing in 1:20.
Finished my first ‘official’ Murph in 48mins.
But my biggest achievement was over 4x my total running mileage.
I’d gone from running 345 miles in 2022 to 1345 miles in 2023.
All my metrics improved - number of runs/week, average distance, average pace, time and elevation gain.
This year, I'm trying to break 2000 total miles. I ran my first 200+ mile month (234 miles), and I’m on course to reach last year’s total mileage in early Sept (or the end of August if I push).
“What’s this got to do with cold calling?” I hear you ask.
Let me explain.
In today’s email:
Discipline
Resilience
Time Management
👇🏾 Listen: Thinking about Enterprise sales?
THE BIG IDEA
Cold calling is uncomfortable. Rejection is a daily occurrence.
Most people (me included) fear rejection.
As a result, they hate cold calling (and, by extension, sales).
Running daily helps me overcome this fear.
It's helped me develop the qualities I need for prospecting:
discipline
resilience
time management
These qualities have made me better at cold calling.
Discipline
Working out is important for me because it helps me structure my routines and habits and is also necessary for my success in sales.
My current routine includes a 7—or 10-mile run in the morning and a 45-minute strength workout in the evening.
Sticking to this routine is a daily challenge. Sometimes I wake up late, feel tired, lack motivation or energy. I don’t want to run first thing in the morning or lift weights at the end of the day.
But I do.
I’ve set a minimum daily workout rule - 3-mile run, 25 pull-ups, 25 push-ups, 25 squats and 25 flutter kicks. I stick to this rule regardless.
I take the same approach to cold calling.
My daily routine includes two cold-calling blocks—9.30-10.30am and 2.30-3.30pm—and I set a daily goal of at least 50 dials.
Not every day is the same. Sometimes, I need to adjust my schedule.
That’s why my minimum daily cold calling rule is 2x30-minute blocks of at least 30 dials.
Resilience
Every day I have a choice:
Easy Now = Hard Later
Hard Now = Easy Later
I get up at 5am to run.
I don’t like it.
I choose the hard way now because it pays off in the long run - better health, better stamina, more energy, discipline, etc.
In reality, I’d rather stay in bed for another couple of hours. But that’s the easy way out.
The easy way won’t help me achieve my goals.
This approach requires dedication and consistency.
It pushes me beyond my comfort zone.
But, every morning run and evening workout builds my mental toughness.
Cold calling requires A LOT of resilience.
I make 250+ cold calls a week.
With every call, I'm ready to handle rejections, overcome obstacles and maintain focus.
Running daily helps me navigate the highs and lows of cold calling with confidence and determination.
Time Management
For 6 days a week, the first 90mins of my day look like this:
5am - wake up
5.10-5.30am - stretch + mobility exercises
5.30-6.30am (7.30am on Saturdays) - run + stretch.
Monday through Friday, I run 7 miles, and Saturday, I run 10+ miles. For a standard run, my average pace is around 7.30 minutes/mile.
If I wake up late, I adjust my running distance to ensure that I finish by 6:30 a.m.
I take the ‘better than nothing approach’. A short run is better than not running at all. For example, if I have 15 minutes, I run 2 miles at a clip (6.15mins/mile).
This approach gives me flexibility and helps maintain my running consistency. I reinforce the importance of doing something, even if it’s a short run.
All this requires effective time management to achieve my annual mileage goal (2000 miles in 2024).
Scheduling time for running is as important as scheduling time for cold calling.
I’ve transferred this time management approach to cold calling.
I’ve established a daily routine that helps me maintain consistency, even if it means fitting in shorter calling sessions in during the day.
That’s how running has made me better at cold calling:
I have the discipline to pick up the phone every day;
I’m resilient in the face of objections, and
I always make time for cold calls.
You should try it.
Thanks for reading!
Matt @ The Growth Lab
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