Articles

• Radio Interview
• Feeling Fear? Read This
• Inner Game of Recruiting
• Inner Game of Prospecting
• Are You Too Nice to Close the Deal?
• Readjusting Your Referral Thinking
• Fear-Free Prospecting: How to Do It
• Eliminate Your Call Reluctance – Elevate Yours Sales
• Stop Freezing in Front of High Net Worth Prospects
• Get Noticed: Three Keys to Effective Self-Promotion
• How Sales Shame Kills Your Prospecting And How to Stop It
• Seven Steps to Getting Psyched UP to Make Prospecting Calls
• Overcoming Sales Call Reluctance Must be Done to Build Business
• 12 Types of Call Reluctance: Are You Plagued by Any of These?
• Five Hidden Weaknesses That Keep Salespeople from Picking up the Phone

Feeling Fear? Read This

Aired: March 10, 2003

Succumbing to fear is an occupational hazard every salesperson faces. You mustn’t slip here.

“I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself‑nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

Those are the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1932 inaugural address. It’s worthwhile to read the entire speech; it really puts the current economic re-set in perspective.

How is fear affecting you in the current economic climate? How much time are you spending on prospecting for new clients and calling your current clients? Are you afraid to prospect now because of the market? When the financial markets are challenging, it is easy to slip into fear and avoid moving forward because there is added risk and uncertainty.

So what can you do to keep prospecting and keep your head while working through this interesting economic climate?

At a recent medical symposium, psychiatrist Shelley Uram spoke about compassionate communication. She educated her audience on the brain. Near the center of the brain is an area called the amygdale, which produces the fight/flight/freeze response. We know that when confronted by danger, animals automatically attack, flee, or freeze. Some can even change colors and camouflage themselves.

Humans have the same instinctual reaction to fear. We can become immobilized if we haven’t developed alternative emotional and mental strategies to handle the risk and uncertainty. (One can amuse oneself by thinking how fun it would be to camouflage at certain times!)

Dr. Uram gave practical advice about reducing the tendency to freeze by reducing our exposure to danger: “Stop stimulating the amygdale part of your brain.” Now, granted, you cannot completely ignore current market conditions. However, you can stop stimulating the fear or the fight/flight/freeze part of your brain so many times a day. Stop watching CNN all day long, do not waste time in the “ain’t in awful small talk with colleagues and friends,” and avoid thriller/killer TV and books. Because every time you stimulate your fear or stress out, you have to rebalance yourself and regenerate energy to do positive productive activity.

In no way do I mean to doubt the real financial pain and suffering some folks are experiencing. Rather, I’m saying it may be helpful to keep focused forward and create solutions for that pain and suffering. Even in this stressful economic climate, you can make many practical decisions to keep yourself in balance. The following tips and questions may assist you‑and your clients‑in staying emotionally and mentally healthy.

• Keep in mind the bigger picture of what you want for your life and for your family. Look forward in a positive, productive way.
• Keep your lines of communication open with the prospects and current clients. Things can change daily and weekly.
• Glance at the headlines in the paper in the morning and then detach from the news.
• Choose one news station and listen to the first 15 minutes of headline news, and then change the channel to something more positive, amusing, and constructive.
• Stay away from indulging with coworkers in “ain’t it awful” conversations about the economic and political climate. Those conversations stimulate fear and cast you into self-doubt.
• Listen to beautiful music in your car instead of the political pundits. How many different perspectives do you need on health insurance reform?
• What construction activity can you do to avoid getting sucked into the negativity?
• What new prospecting and marketing strategies can you create?
• How up to date are you on the social media? LinkedIn? What kind of new networking or volunteering can you explore that will give you the exposure in your niche?
• How much physical exercise are you getting? It’s no secret that physical exercise reduces stress.
• Look into the night sky and lose yourself in the beauty and magnificence.

We experience fear because we do not believe we have the resources to handle the situation we’re facing. Think about it. If you are avoiding certain clients, it is because you do not believe you have the emotional or mental skills to address their fears and concerns. Are you possibly projecting your fears onto your clients and potential clients? Stop it.

Here are some things you can do to change your behavior and break the paralysis caused by fear:

• Role-play. Talk through situations so that you can have alternative ways and options to go in the conversation. Role playing is far too often downplayed. Find a willing colleague or friend who is open to role-playing those tough conversations.
• Keep in touch. Your clients need you to keep in touch with them. If you hide and deny and stay away, you are succumbing to the fear. What is your non-attention to your clients conveying to them?
• Write down 10 things you are grateful for. Recognize the beauty in your life. When was the last time you recognized compassion and kindness in someone?
• Maintain a positive and productive attitude. The truism that “attitude is everything” has been overused but also not fully understood. That does an injustice to an important concept. Your attitude is the sum total of your beliefs. Your beliefs are just thoughts that you think over and over again. Whatever you choose to believe, you will create situations to validate your beliefs. That is probably the most important sentence in this article. What are you choosing to think about? Your beliefs are creating your attitude. Your thoughts are creating your beliefs.

Behavioral science proves that what you think about, you bring about. What you focus on, you create. What is your strategy to keep moving? To use Roosevelt’s words, “only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.” Nevertheless, we are people who will revive and prosper.

World-renowned behavioral scientists George Dudley and Shannon Goodson have created three questions you can ask yourself when you are ready to prospect but feel reluctance. Ask yourself, “Is there proof this has to be a frightening situation?” If you answer “No,” choose to make the contact.

If you answer “Yes,” ask yourself this question: “Do I have to feel the fear right now?” If you answer “No,” choose to make the contact.

If you answer “Yes,” ask yourself, “Do I have to feel the fear this much?” If you answer “No,” choose to make the contact.

If you answer “Yes” to all three questions, you are caught in a loop of victimization and saying that you are powerless to change. Maybe you should find an indirect way to prospect that won’t threaten you.

When you start down the rabbit hole of doubt and despair, snap yourself out of it. Remember how much someone in your life loves you; go on a rampage of appreciation, and think of all the good that you have created in your life.

Since we’re talking about perspective and now knowing what resonates, let’s take the example of a radio. You can choose to listen to any type of station, from classical music to Bloomberg to National Public Radio, by a simple dialing of the button. You are equally capable of choosing your thoughts for the day. You can tune in to the negativity and fear, or you can choose to tune in to what is working and constructive forward movement.

When you are in fear, you are shining the spotlight on you! How can you get the spotlight off of you? Are you putting service first? How can you serve people more? This is a huge stretch of consciousness for many.

And remember the immortal words of FDR: “You have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Connie Kadansky is a certified coach, professional speaker, and trainer specializing in Overcoming Sales Call Reluctance®. She offers effective tools and training to diagnose Sales Call Reluctance and assists salespeople and financial advisors in highly profitable prospecting. Connie facilitates the Fear-Free Prospecting and Self Promotion Workshops® in the United States and Canada. For additional information, contact Connie at (602) 997-1101 or email her at connie@exceptionalsales.com

Sales Call Reluctance is a registered trademark of Behavioral Sciences Research Press.

Start earning what you’re worth. Solve your Sales Call Reluctance challenges today!

Call Connie Kadansky at (602) 997-1101 or fill out this convenient form The increased confidence you gain means more money in your pocket this year. Call (602) 997-1101 today.



PS If you’re not sure whether or not Sales Call Reluctance is affecting your bottom line, we’ll help you evaluate your unique situation. Call Connie at (602) 997-1101 to talk about your current sales prospecting program, today!