Call Reluctance - Do You Have It?

By Author: Jackie Ulmer
Total Articles: 3
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Does the thought of picking up the telephone to call
a potential customer or prospect make your stomach
churn?

Do you clearly map out a game plan of when
and who you are going to call tomorrow, only to find
yourself distracted with busy work and unable to make
any calls?

Do your visions of all-expense paid, tropical vacations,
big promotions and 5 digit bonus checks evaporate as the
phone stares viciously at you like a ten ton one-eyed,
one arm fire breathing monster?

Call the Doctor, you have a bad case of Call Reluctance.

If you are in the business of selling, and let's face it,
we ALL are to some degree, you need to identify, address
and work through this disease if you are ever going to be
successful.

Before we talk about ways of working through this, let's
talk about what doesn't work -

*Oh, just go out and do it!*

Ever hear those words and want to choke the arrogance out
of the one who uttered them?

*Get over it! No one is going to bite you.*

Again, visions ...
... of acting out a mad fantasy invade your mind.

* It's the messenger, no one really cares what you say. *

Well, that sounds great to the slick master of sales sitting
next to you, but when you are dealing with call reluctance,
this shallow encouragement will NOT get you off of start and
into the race.

So, how do you overcome Call Reluctance.

The first step is to recognize and acknowledge it. It is
not unique, something to be ashamed of or incurable.
Simply admitting that you are dealing with this is half
of the battle.

Second, identify what type of Call Reluctance you are
experiencing. Below are a few categories -

Reluctance to call someone you view as having a higher
socioeconomic standing.

Reluctance to admit that you are * selling * something.

Afraid to * bother * family and friends.

Obsessed with having a perfect presentation.

Fear of using the telephone.

Fear of actually closing the sale.

These are just a few of the categories that could be
afflicting you.

If it's any consolation at all, you are not alone.
Call Reluctance is the single biggest killer of most
sales related careers.

Knowing this, what can you do to cure yourself once
and for all?

To begin with, Call Reluctance can usually be traced
to one of these originating factors - personality
traits, hereditary factors and environmental
influences. Environmental influences are by far the
biggest cause.

Perhaps a bad experience early in your career, a
close, respected friend, family member or mentor who
told you that you couldn't sell or be successful in
your endeavor or the pressure of unrealistic quotas
or goals.

Because these are environmental influences, they are
learned behaviors and, consequently, they can be
unlearned.

Properly identifying the type or types of Call
Reluctance you are experiencing will help with the
cure.

Spend a few quiet moments clearing your mind and
allowing events of the past to filter through. If
you have an instinctive feeling about someone or
some event that may be causing your reluctance,
don't disregard it.

Write your thoughts down and try to remember
everything you possibly can.

Do this on a regular basis until you feel that you
have uncovered everything that could possibly be
causing your dilemma.

Then, one by one, work through each of the events or
people you have written about and write out what you
would like to change about these experiences. Get
very creative and actually see in your mind's eye
the perfect experience.

Next, do regular mental exercises where you view
yourself experiencing the events in the positive
way that you have written out. Rehearse these over
and over in your mind. Feel the empowerment and
renewed confidence?

After doing this with some frequency, you are now
ready to experiment with making a few calls.

Spend a few minutes visualizing a successful outcome,
and then choose those areas that are the most
comfortable to you. Gradually, as your
self-confidence builds, you can move on to the more
challenging areas.

These exercises will prove very powerful in helping
you to break through your barriers, if done
consistently.

Before long, that one-eyed monster sitting on your
desk will once again become a communications device
known as a telephone.

You'll be packing your Bermuda's and sunglasses in
anticipation of your company-paid, tropical vacation.

Oh, and those bonus checks? Six Digits!!! ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jackie Ulmer is a successful Home Business Owner, and
has coached thousands of representatives both inside and
outside of her sales organization. Her free newsletter is available through
email at
mailto:streetsmartwealth@quicktell.net
She can be reached through her web site at
http://www.streetsmartwealth.com/