By Calloway Newman
As my college years are dwindling to an end, I am reflecting on how beneficial cold calling was throughout these years.
Let’s be real, when I first had to make cold calls, I was terrified. My voice would shake as I dialed the numbers, knowing my coworkers heard me struggle through each and every call. I’d secretly pray to reach a voicemail. Looking back now, those nerve-wracking moments turned out to be some of the most valuable experiences of my college years. Not because I became some cold calling wizard, but because it taught me lessons I will continue to use every single day.
I still remember my first hang up. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. The gentleman interrupted my pitch, harboring a tone of frustration, saying “Do you even know what you’re talking about? I can’t figure it out myself” Sure, it stung, but I’d soon learn to shake it off. The thing about cold calling is that it’s basically a crash course in handling rejection. Slowly, I’ve reached the conclusion that rejection is a part of life. Pouring focus into navigating rejection isn’t feasible, but learning to work through it allowed me to grow. These days, when a prospect hangs up, or becomes dissatisfied with my cold call, I can handle it without losing sleep. Don’t get me wrong, rejection never feels great, but I’ve learned it’s just part of daily life.
The biggest shift for me was I stopped waiting to feel “ready.” Cold calling taught me that sometimes you just have to dive in and figure it out as you go. That mindset pushed me to raise my hand for projects I probably wasn’t qualified for, and speak up in rooms where I felt out of place. Some of my greatest jumps in improvement came from embracing that uncertainty.
Here’s what I’ve learned, that feeling of “I’m not ready” never really goes away. The difference is, now I see it as a sign to lean in rather than back away from a challenge. Every time I feel that knot in my stomach before taking on something new, I remember those first cold calls and think, “Well, if I survived those, I can probably handle this too.”
Calloway Newman