I am, of course, kidding.
But there’s some truth to it—many salespeople overreact when they get hung up on.
When you get the dial tone of death, there’s only one thing to do: Focus on controlling only what you can control.
You can’t control whether a person hangs up—so what can you control in this situation?
🧠 Reframe the reason for the hang-up in your mind so you can control your reaction to it.
Most hang-ups are about fear, not rejection. It’s just a defense mechanism.
Hanging up is flight, not fight. The prospect isn’t trying to hurt you—they’re trying to protect themselves.
They’re afraid they’re going to get sold something they don’t want. They’re afraid they won’t be able to say no. They don’t feel in control of the conversation, so they hit the eject button.
They don’t hang up because they hate you or because you suck. They hang up because they don’t have confidence in themselves to navigate the conversation.
Maybe they’ve been burned by a slick-talking rep before. Maybe they just don’t have the skills to say, “Hey, I’m not interested, but thanks anyway.”
The problem is: most sales reps don’t see a hang-up as a prospect fleeing in fear—they see it as a sign of disrespect. They get angry or aggressive. A hang-up can be a huge blow to your confidence and kill your motivation to keep calling.
Once you really understand that it’s not about you, it’s about them—their fears, their baggage, their defense mechanisms—everything shifts.
You stop taking the hang-up personally. You stop retreating. And you start showing up with more empathy, confidence, and control in the next call.
⚡️ Get Dialed-In: Do this after a hang-up
1. Call them back immediately.
If you assume positive intent, it’s easier to pick up the phone again and treat it like a fresh start.
Hit them with something like:
“Hey I think we got disconnected! Just calling back to continue the conversation.”
Or…
“I think you (or I) accidentally hung up. Let’s pick up where we left off.”
If they say they hung up on you on purpose, you can still reply with:
“I appreciate the honesty—I don’t want you to regret ending the call early. Let me just ask you two more questions to make sure you have all the information you need to make a decision, and then we can both move on with our day.”
Calling them back immediately shows the other person you’re not taking the hang-up personally, and you’re assuming the best. That can be a powerful way to build trust and prove you’re not a dick.
2. Show up with a relaxed, calm energy.
People can be emotionally charged when they get a callback. Don’t raise the stakes by being too aggressive.
How you sound matters: Speak with a smile on your face, even if that smile is covering up a boiling hot rage inside. Stay relaxed and confident.
3. Send them a text or email follow-up.
If they don’t answer when you call back, don’t just give up and mark them as “not interested.” Send a quick text or email with the same message you planned to say on the call. Just treat it like a normal follow-up.
4. Take immediate action on your next task.
Most sellers want to take a break after a painful hang-up—get some coffee, smoke a cigarette, vent about it to coworkers, or go on a sad walk.
