Daily Inspiration 8-6-11

"To the man who is afraid

everything rustles."

-- Sophocles

"Be careful how you interpret the world:

It is like that."

-- Erich Heller

Prospecting calls are among the worst things for the caller and the prospect until they both desire to and begin to listen. Until then, it is often just "white noise," or chatter. If you're the caller, you expect rapt attention and you most often get irritated denial and celebrated disinterest. If you're the prospect, you hear someone talking about themselves or their company and what they think they can do for you, but most often, they haven't got a clue--and, they always seem to call when I'm in the middle of something and I was hoping it was a prospect for me.

It's not hopeless, but it is certainly not a great way to spend time. But, there is hope with a different tact or approach. And, that is the place the consultants run in and offer up all the scripts and magic lines and systemizations to turn the calls into conversions and profitability.

The problem is almost always fear and it is not fear of the call so much as fear in general. FDR said that there is nothing to fear except fear itself, and he is absolutely right. People call that fear something they think to be legitimate such as "the economy," or "taxes," or "lack of business," etc. There are all kinds of names for it and it is all just fear. And, the reason that FDR said that at the time he did, was that this fear was making some circumstances change into a contagious epidemic of fear that is transmitted one to another, thereby becoming a self-fulfilled prophecy.

It is happening today. In fact it is happening always, but not always in epidemic form. In "normal" times (whatever that is), it is contained, and in those other times, the fear has a tendency to be legitimized and that sets off another contagious epidemic.

What can a seller do in this environment? First, understand that it is just fear and that the fear is real to them. Second, even though your product or service may indeed help them recover and prosper, they cannot and will not hear you until you get their attention. We have to find ways to appeal to what it is that they want within what they believe. It is often hard to do that knocking on the front door. It might take some research, or study to learn more about the prospect. Third, develop relationships and network. This will help find ways to influence contacts because even a friend of a friend of a friend is better than a stranger at the front door.

It is also common for the seller to become infected during the epidemic and legitimize the prospects reaction. They then have the same excuses and responses that the prospect gives. At this point, it is like trying to take a cross country trip while the car is in neutral. First things first--get the booster inoculation and cure the epidemic, then begin again with a more effective plan.

Reality Is Real, Even Though It May Not Be.

Spread Some Joy Today--Fear is easy to release. 1. Decide you don't like that feeling and want something better. 2. Turn and walk in the direction of better feeling thoughts. 3. Keep going.