Overcoming the Fear of Prospecting
By Wes Schaeffer
"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me." This was the mantra of Stuart Smalley, a fictional self-help guru on Saturday Night Live. The Stuart Smalley's of the world tell everyone who will pay them that "You can change your career and change your life but if you'll only do these 5 things:
Be positive. Make positive affirmations and have a vision board.
Set some goals. Dream big. Go sit in the new BMW you want and see yourself driving it.
Work on your attitude.
You gotta BELIEVE in you and your product and your company.
Get motivated. Come on, stand up, do some jumping jacks, shout "Yes" 10 times.
Now go get 'em!"
Really?
Is that all it takes?
How I wish that were so.
I wish we all possessed telekinesis and could float the pen into the prospect's hand with our energizing smile. Then move their hand across the dotted line ("press real hard, the 3rd copy's yours.") Then have the prospect hug us and cry Grande's and Venti's full of happy tears because our product or service is so wonderful and they're going to sing our praises from the top of their cubicle...SLAP!
"Send us some literature!" Click!
"We're already working with someone!" Click! "
May I ask who's calling?"
"May I ask what this call is in regards to?"
"Is she expecting your call?"
"He's in a meeting. May I put you through to voicemail?"
"See-more, our resident one-way, dead end, cul-de-sac, expert will talk to you (and drink your coffee, and pump you for information, and tell you he needs a company shirt and a golf outing and never recommend you to the boss!)
Welcome to reality my perennially paralyzed prospecting pals. If you are like most people in sales today - and like me when I got started - you are confused and exhausted, under quota and over your recommended resting heart rate despite your darndest efforts at following the self-help gurus.
Why?
The same reason your sour cream coffee cake won't win any prizes with 1 cup butter, 1 1/3rd cups of sugar, 3 eggs, 3 tsps baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 8 oz of sour cream and 1/4 cup cream.
That recipe, just like your self-help sales recipe above, is missing one key ingredient. Both are 90 - 95% complete.
Both are almost good enough. But both, as is, will leave you in a far distant second.
For the coffee cake, that missing ingredient is 3 cups of flour (and baking it at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.)
To be profitable in prospecting the missing ingredient is...WORDS.
And not just any words but the proper SEQUENCES OF WORDS that are appropriate for your situation.
While I cannot teach you telekinesis, I can help you form the proper sequences of words for virtually any sales situation you may encounter. This will empower you with the ability to perform what will seem like "Jedi mind tricks."
When you are confident that your training has equipped you to handle any situation it's amazing how positive and motivated you will become. Your attitude will improve. You'll believe in yourself and you'll be flying by your goals on a regular basis.
Are you willing to commit the time, money and energy to master those sequences of words?
Beginning Monday, April 27th, at 8 am PT, I'll be covering this topic and more for 6 straight weeks via live teleconference.
I'd snag a seat right now if I was you.
"The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense."
Thomas Edison
Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer�
P.S. For the first 10 of you that take action you will be able to invite a co-worker, staff member or business partner to participate in the full 6 week training program with you at no additional charge! So do not dilly-dally!
P.P.S. Would you like to participate in this program at no charge? The Sales Stimulus Contest Rules of Engagement will be posted soon but one committed, hard-working, sales champion will have their full tuition reimbursed! Stay tuned.
Wes Schaeffer is The Sales Whisperer�, http://www.TheSalesWhisperer.com
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