A WORD ABOUT FEAR

It is perfectly normal to feel apprehensive about calling strangers on the phone. You have no idea how your call is going to be received, and if the person on the other end refuses to speak with you or isn’t interested, it’s hard not to take it personally. You may not even realize that you are afraid of making calls, but somehow, mysteriously, a hot lead will sit on your desk day after day and you just won’t get around to picking up the phone. Perhaps you’ll resort to sending a letter or e-mail without a companion phone call, which is nowhere near as effective.

Try asking yourself, “What is the worst thing that could possibly happen if I made that call?” Would it be hearing, “Don’t bother me,” or “Not interested”? Or would it be worse if the person you called was interested and you got tongue-tied and lost the sale? You know, though, if you don’t place the call, you’ve lost the sale anyway. So how bad could making the call really be?

The fact is that most people are polite in their refusals. They say, “No, thank you,” and hang up. And when someone is interested in what you have to offer, the conversation gets easy pretty quickly; your prospect may actually help you along.

So what do you think: Can you pick up the phone? You’ll never know what you are missing out on unless you make the call.