I had a dream last night that I was meeting with a group of women in the parking lot of a bank to discuss the issue of making calls to potential clients. This was after I arrived from the heart of Africa on my flying mattress. Yea, a bunch of symbolism there!
But what was said in the meeting still rings true in the light of day.
Our discussion centered on the fear and anxiety most people feel at the thought of picking up the phone and calling a prospective client. It’s safer to sit in the discomfort of uncertainty than risk rejection. The hope is that the prospect will just call on their own to sign up.
This used to be me. Honestly, I still get caught in my fear occasionally. But with one small mind shift, I’ve changed both my actions and income.
I start with by deep belief that there are women I am meant to serve. And others for whom I am absolutely not the right coach.
My goal when making phone calls is to sort through my list of women to find the ones waiting for someone to show up with exactly what I offer and help them move forward into the life and business they really, really want.
Since I know my numbers, how many calls I need to make to set up one strategy session and how many strategy sessions will result in the perfect client, I have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done in order to meet my goals.
So instead of worrying that someone might not want to work with me, I simply shift my mind so I’m thinking are you one of my tribe? Are you one of those people who are waiting for me to show up and walk with you on the next leg of your journey? It’s ok if you are not. But if you are, I’m not willing to abandon you because I’m afraid.
When you take a stand for your clients, both current and future, it’s easy to let go of your own fear.
No matter what business you are in, you must at some point have a conversation with a potential client. Next time you feel the anxiety about picking up the phone try making the shift. Instead of setting an appointment in order to sell the client, set the appointment to discover if this client is one of yours.
What do you think? Is this a mind shift that works?
Timing for this article could not have been better. I’ve been contemplating the effectiveness of the phone calls to potential clients versus just media and web connections. I appreciate this change in mindset. I would go so far as to ask if the customers end goal is in line with our company goals. My question is, how long does the return on profit take if I actually start weeding out customers that do not align?
Leslie,
When you weed out those customers that don’t align, you leave space for those that do. It seems like a scary thing to say no to a client, or to fire them, but I’ve found that it always leads to a better client very quickly. I’d love to hear more about what happens as you weed people out and really just focus on the ones you love to serve.