It's Easier To Do It Than To Think About It©

We all have fears about doing anything new or seemingly unpleasant. When I was in second grade they came out with the polio vaccines that we received by injections - shots. All kids hated shots in those days. So when Mom said, "be sure to come home right after school so we can go get your polio shot," I was a wreck all day. When all of the anticipation concluded and the shot was administered, it was not in any way even close to as bad as I had predicted. Unfortunately, we do not out grow this ability to over create bad things. Working with sales people on a regular basis I am continuously amazed at how many experienced sales people hate to Prospect, simply because they are afraid of rejection. Some psychologist somewhere must have come up with the idea that prospects that don't want to see a salesman on a cold call are somehow "rejecting" them. I think that is too far fetched. If a prospect doesn't want to see me, he simply doesn't want to see me, I am not being rejected! We have a friend who has been in sales for over 30 years. He is extremely well educated, but never really learned how to sell. So for his entire career he has been servicing customers and occasionally making some new sales. He is a wonderfully nice guy who simply has created a mind set that is terrified of what he considers that "rejection" I just mentioned. In reality his fears are groundless, but remember, perception is reality, and he perceives fear. He was in our office not long ago and had a name that he felt would be a good lead for our company and suggested he would write this person a letter and then try to arrange a luncheon meeting for the three of us. Now, I am exactly the opposite of this. I suggested that we call the prospect right then. My friend didn't want to hear that, we needed to "grease the skids" a bit. While we were talking, I got a call and had to go to my office to answer it. When I finished that phone call, I just called the prospect and got an appointment. I went back to the conference room and announced to my friend that he didn't need to worry about writing the letter; I had an appointment with the prospect. He was shocked. "What did you say?" "How did he react?" I was kind of surprised at his response. Prospecting is one of the most important steps in the selling process, yet so many people are uncomfortable with it. Yet is the only tool - skill - we have to get new customers. It is the skill we use to get into a position where we can begin to employ our selling skills. Without Prospects, we don't need selling skills! Of course, we created the BLITZ CALL® System for Prospecting and Making Cold Calls, so I should be able to do this. But whether you use our System, someone else's, or your own you have to actually do it. Once you have a Prospecting system then you should learn it so well that you can implement it on a moments notice. I tell all of our trainees that they should know their BLITZ CALL by memory. By not having to think about what you are going to say, you can observe or listen to what the prospect is saying and/or doing. This makes you much more able to respond correctly to their words and actions. Now I got that appointment by telephone, so obviously I couldn't tell what the prospect was doing. But I have made so many Prospecting calls that I could pretty well know what to expect. I didn't need to sound rushed or nervous; I had the objective of getting the meeting so that is what I did. Incidentally, had I not gotten an appointment, I would not have felt rejected. You are in the same situation. With just a small amount of experience you know what to expect in most business and Prospecting situations that you will face. The whole foundation for Prospecting success is based on planning and preparation. Simply prepare your words for your Prospecting call and the responses you expect the prospect to give. When I comes to Prospecting, after you have planned and prepared, the most important thing you can do is simply Prospect. Grow your business, increase your number of new customers, and make the kind of money you want. And by the way, don't worry about it because it's easier to do it, than to think about it Sell Well and Often Bill Truax Bill@BlitzCall.com © Copyright 2006 WJ Truax