Have you ever sat and stared at your computer, feeling paralyzed and not sure what to do next? You know you need to grow your business and make sales calls and yet …….the fear of picking up the phone is crippling.
I know. I’ve been there. And I hear this all the time from my coaching clients.
What is that all about? Where does that fear come from and why do we let it control us to that extent? What I’ve learned, these past few years, is that once you’ve identified a few key things for your business, it’s a whole lot easier to pick up the phone and make those sales calls!
1. Identify your ideal client.
2. Learn where they hang out.
3. Keep your ear to the ground and know what the market is looking for.
4. Who has the ability to pay for what you have to offer.
5. Go get ‘em!
Ok, so that makes it sound a bit easier, right? But you’ve still got to pick up the phone and make those calls. People are not going to come knocking at your door looking for what you have to offer.
One of the barriers to making this happen is our own mindset. Fear is simply a mindset – and my definition of fear is lack of information. Once you/we have information, we can put it into action. Here’s what works for me – and has helped me to grow my business, attract ideal clients and make money to support the lifestyle I want.
1) PREPARE AND PRACTICE
Most of you just don’t know who to call and what to say. Period. Plain and simple. Well, here’s the thing – we all know 100 people. I coach my clients to make a list of the 100 people they know and get their phone numbers. Then, prepare a script for your call (once you get into the habit of making these calls daily, you won’t need a script – but it does help in the beginning, that’s for sure). I find that the best time for me to be making these calls is early morning – I am a morning person – that’s when my energy is high and I feel ‘at my best’. Making calls between 9 and 9:30 a.m. EST has worked for me – people are up and at ‘em and for my target market, that’s exactly when I find entrepreneurs sitting at their desk, staring at their computers, uncertain about what steps to take next – because they need guidance. They need me as their coach. Bingo! When you develop the habit of making sales calls each and every day, you will grow your business. You will find the ideal clients. You will make more money!
2) TALK LESS AND LISTEN MORE
Many of you, when you do get on the phone, are doing all the talking. How’s that working for you???? Ask some great questions (‘what is your #1 challenge? On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to changing this? What are you prepared to do today to make this change?) Ask great questions – and then ‘zip it’! Listen. People will tell you what they need and want. Then make the offer. This is another huge mistake – people don’t ask for the sale! Do it!
3) FOLLOW-UP
This is where the money is, people! Be sure you have systems and processes in place to follow up with people. Check out these stats:
ENOUGH SAID, RIGHT????!!!!
Want to increase sales? Want to work with ideal clients – people who need what you have to offer? Want to make more money? Then you want to develop these 3 easy habits – so……get going!
