The Challenge: Figure out a way to bring some fun into a dreaded task today.
Kim:
My dreaded task…two words- cold calls. How in the world do I make cold calls more fun? Well, the first thing I did was I taped an artificial flower (my favorite — the daisy) to the end of my pen. This added some fun to the notes I wrote throughout my calls. I also made up a little game in which I kept track of what type of calls I had. I took a long strip of paper and drew a line down the middle. It was a race. For every good call I drew a heart in the happy row. For every bad call, I drew a heart in the sad row. I used hearts because of Valentines Day. It was fun, but I have to say that it wasn’t SUPER fun. If anyone has any other ideas on how to make cold calls more fun, please let me know.
Jason:
I am my own boss, so if I had too many “dreaded tasks” littering my schedule, I’d request a one-on-one, closed door meeting with myself. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the financial side of things; keeping track of all the bills and taxes that need to be paid. But that task was yesterday. Today’s agenda consisted of writing and drawing comic strips…not a bad way to spend a day.
There is one part of my day that I don’t particularly look forward to: working out. Maybe it’s because I do it first thing in the morning when I still long for sleep; maybe it’s because I’m not (yet) as ripped as Toby Maguire in Spiderman (hey don’t laugh), but I generally dread this little morning routine. I figured I could put on some music, but that seemed pretty tame. I decided to pop in my Star Wars Episode III DVD and watch one of the special feature documentaries. Now that’s the way to go. I watched “The Chosen One,” which covers the whole sordid tale of Darth Vader, including the cool makeup used to transform Hayden Christensen into a charred and crispy Anakin Skywalker.
In a related story, after my workout I fried myself an egg.
Dark Room Confessionals:
Bonus Video: Kim | Jason
So, who was most creative with today’s challenge? Who went beyond the comfort zone and put the biggest hammer on Adultitis? Who did a better job of capturing the spirit of childhood, Kim or Jason? Cast Your Vote!
Tomorrow’s Challenge: Audio Sneak Peek
I wouldn’t say this is a most dreaded task (I grocery shopped and looked at the budget yesterday), but I get a wee bit tired of cleaning the high chair tray. I think it’s the sheer number of times that it’s done day in and day out. So before I washed away the oatmeal and applesauce this morning, I popped in a lovely CD I made for myself entitled Cardinal Bar. Yep, Stayin’ Alive was heard over the water running…
Kim: For more fun cold calls, try introducing some quirky behavior into your pitch. Not a corny or unprofessional joke, but something for your answerer to find remarkable.
If your cold call is so straitlaced that it sounds just like someone else’s call, your potential buyer isn’t going to remember it. Next time you’re dreading a particular call, prepare a comment to inject into the conversation that may not even elicit a response but that will make the person on the other side of the phone take note.
Try “wow, this sandwich is wonderful” or “I need to get the poodle shaved tomorrow.”
Well, I took the double challenge today – making the dreaded task more fun and trying to make cold calls more fun. I decided to take Kim’s tally/race idea and sweeten it a little. I went back to the basic urge of childhood – get candy! I had candy hearts for my “sad” calls and M&M’s® for my “happy” calls. I had a bowl that I was making my desposits into so I had a sweet reward I could see growing as I kept making calls. I wouldn’t recommend doing the candy thing every time you make calls, but it couldn’t hurt when you’re especially dreading them!
I’m dreading a difficult conversation that I need to have (since I HATE confrontation). A friend invited me to dinner tonight (a nice and much needed surprise!)….so we talked and shared advice over cheese and spinach pizza (yummy!) I’m still a little anxious about how the conversation will go…..but I feel better having talked it through….and by the way, the pizza was fabulous!
I usually dread brushing my teeth at night – not because it’s hard or anthing, but I typically am so tired I crawl into bed & completely forget about it. That again happened tonight, but this afternoon I had thought of what I wanted to do for this task, so I hopped right back out of bed, put the toothpaste on the toothbrush & then stepped right into the shower, pj’s on, curtain closed, & standing on 1 foot – brushed my teeth in the shower. I’m glad I got back out of bed to do this one.
There is nothing in my life that really is a dreaded task. My life at work and home has so much variety. At work I am 2nd in command and if I have a task that I really don’t want to do I delegate! I only have to please my boss and the real bosses, our customers. At home I am 2nd in command and if I have a task that I really don’t want to do I put it on the “LIST” and being documented like that means it will get done… all in due time. I have to admit that some things have been on the “LIST” for years!
And the one huge advantage of finally being an adult and a parent is that if I really don’t want to do something like pulling weeds in the gravel driveway I make the boys do it and now that they have left the nest I buy weed killer. Procastinate. If you are dreading a task today there is always tomorrow!
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I used to make cold calls when I ran the office of a karate studio. I would make it my challenge to sound the opposite of a telemarketer. (didn’t want to be hung up on!). My calls were local so I was able to use that to my advantage. Humor is the best way to connect with folks, at least it works for me. So try being honest:
“Hello”
“Hi! I’m Kim and there is no reason in the world that you should know me, but this phone call could change your life.” Chuckle lightly, ask them how they are and continue with your topic. Go Kim Go!!
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