Lessons From 14,000 Cold Calls with Colin Mokhtary
Release Date: 01/09/2025
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info_outlineMark McGraw sits down with Colin Mokhtary, a sales development representative who’s made an incredible 14,000+ prospecting calls. Colin dives deep into the strategies that have fueled his success, from developing a resilient mindset to navigating rejection with ease.
To find our handout for this episode, click here.
Tune in to discover actionable tips on talking to customers for better conversations, build rapport, and confidently close deals. Whether you're an SDR or a seasoned sales pro, Colin’s journey offers powerful lessons to refine your approach and boost your results.
- Colin starts by sharing his journey from a professional guitar player to becoming a successful sales development representative.
- He shares how he made over 14,000+ prospecting calls and the key lesson learned--there isn’t such a thing as losing, it’s all learning.
- Collin covers the benefits of being bad at prospecting early in your sales career and why it can be the best thing to happen to you.
- Mistakes are gold mines for growth. Colin’s first disastrous call was a tech mess, but it taught him lessons he still uses today.
- When talking to a prospect, your goal is to get them talking as much as possible. According to Mark, when someone feels like they have no control in the conversation, that's when they want to hang up.
- Mark and Colin discuss the skill of getting people to open up.
- People love talking about themselves—just listen, and they’ll tell you exactly what they need. If you let people talk, especially about themselves or their situation, they will keep talking.
- Nobody picks up a cold call on purpose. So, be upfront about it. Your prospect already knows it’s a cold call, own it with confidence and honesty.
- Colin breaks down the key elements of the permission-based opener, sharing examples of how to open, and why the opener is super effective.
- For Colin, the first 1.5 seconds can make-or-break your sales call. Nail your opener with the right tone, and the rest of the call flows much smoother.
- It helps when you make your prospects laugh. But don’t try too hard to be funny.
- Mark and Colin agree that pausing before you respond is a power move. Just half a second of silence makes the conversation feel more thoughtful and natural.
- Keep your tone professional and real. For Colin, warm and confident works better than fake-friendly or overly enthusiastic.
- Mark adds that prospects can spot fake energy when they hear it. Stay authentic, and don’t try to oversell with forced enthusiasm.
- Colin’s success comes from consistent systems. Repeating what works, day in and day out, is what gets results.
- Colin talks about rejection and why salespeople need to see it as part of the process. When you hear a “no,” don’t dwell—focus on dialing the next number.
- SDRs need to understand the importance of the role. The SDR is the most important person in the sales organization because every dial is potentially money.
- Finally, your mindset determines your results. Confidence, persistence, and a positive attitude turn “no’s” into stepping stones.
Mentioned in This Episode:
BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/follow
BuildingYourSalesEngine.com/sandler
Colin Mokhtary on LinkedIn