--- title: Don’t Touch the Stove | The Sales Blog description: Don't touch! It's a hot stove! Stay away, you will get burned! Be mindful! Check out sales tips and tricks here! image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_329705519.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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They have to touch the stove for themselves. You can tell them that the stove is hot and that they are going to injure themselves. You can show them that glowing blue flame is proof that it is too hot to touch, and that they should proceed with caution. You can share with them the bad experience you had when you touched the stove yourself and how you learned not to do so. You can show them your scar. All to no avail, they have to touch the stove for themselves. #### One the Hard Way [Cold calling](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2014/04/21/the-last-word-on-cold-calling-versus-social-media/) isn’t easy. Connecting on LinkedIn and Tweeting is. The professionals will tell you that you have to make your calls. They’ll inform you that the fastest way to connect with the contacts you need to schedule with is to make a phone call. You like email and social media better, so you double down on a strategy that is “anything but the phone.” One quarter with no deals and you’re convinced you need more time. Two quarters and you’ve gotten burned wasting a half a year. Because you are not comfortable asking for the [commitments](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2016/01/22/if-you-are-not-asking-you-are-not-selling/) you need, you mistakenly believe that you can win your big opportunity without gaining the agreements you need. It doesn’t matter that other people have made this mistake or that this commitment is a crucial element of your sales process. Instead, you have to get burned learning this lesson for yourself. You can spend time with [receptive](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2016/02/17/the-business-of-competitive-displacement/) people who have no compelling need to buy what you sell. You can convince yourself that this approach is easier and will be more productive than pursuing the difficult to reach dream clients who already have a strategic partner that provides them with what you sell. But as time passes by without a win, you eventually get burned. #### I Promise, It’ll Burn You There isn’t any reason to make the mistakes that other people have already made. You don’t have to make major mistakes that cost you time—and the results that you need now–learning [the hard way](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2015/04/10/we-learn-the-hard-way/). If you are going to be courageous, then don’t waste that courage making mistakes that you could easily avoid by applying the courage to taking the path that frightens you. Don’t fear the wrong danger. [**Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Don%E2%80%99t+Touch+the+Stove&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&via=iannarino) **Pin [**Share11](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Share8](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Email](mailto:?subject=Don%E2%80%99t%20Touch%20the%20Stove&body=Some%20people%20have%20to%20burn%20their%20hand.%20They%20have%20to%20touch%20the%20stove%20for%20themselves.%20You%20can%20tell%20them%20that%20the%20stove%20is%20hot%20and%20that%20they%20are%20going%20to%20injure%20themselves.%20You%20can%20show%20them%20that%20glowing%20blue%20flame%C2%A0is%20proof%20that%20it%20is%20too%20hot%20to%20touch%2C%20and%20that%20they%20should%20proceed%20with%20caution.%20You%20can%20share%20with%20them%20the%20bad%20experience%20you%20had%20when%20you%20touched%20the%20stove%20yourself%20and%20how%20you%20learned%20not%20to%20do%20so.%20You%20can%20show%20them%20your%20scar.%20All%20to%20no%20avail%2C%20they%20have%20to%20touch%20the%20stove%C2%A0for%20themselves.%20One%20the%20Hard%20Way%0D%0A%0D%0ARead%20More%20Here:%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Pocket](https://getpocket.com/save?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpocket%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Buffer](https://bufferapp.com/add?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2016%2F02%2F19%2Fdont-touch-the-stove%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&text=Don%E2%80%99t+Touch+the+Stove) 19 Shares ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on February 19, 2016 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T5:31:56 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-02-19 21:00:23", "description" : "Don't touch! It's a hot stove! Stay away, you will get burned! Be mindful! 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