Tales from the Online Marketing Crypt #15

Whether It’s Riding A Bike Or Making Sales Calls, We All Have to Face Our Fears

Let’s talk about fear.

What is your deepest fear? Mine is falling.

I’m quite certain my fear of falling originated when I was first learning how to ride a bike.

I remember having just mastered going up and down the sidewalk, peddling like a pro, feeling invincible with my newfound freedom. Right around that time, we headed over to Oma and Opa’s for the day. Feeling pretty confident about my riding progress, I asked Opa to borrow my aunt’s old bike to go play with the kids on the block.

Oma and Opa lived in North Vancouver at the time – a very hilly terrain with steep hills.

Across the street from their home was a cul-de-sac where the kids were heading. This cul-de-sac happened to rest at the bottom of one of the infamous Lynn Valley steep hills. But with only a touch of hesitation on my part, I tightly gripped the handle bars and headed down to meet the rest of the gang at the bottom.

Very quickly I realized I may be a pro at riding a bike, but not so much at stopping one.

Panic hit.

Fear overcame me.

How do I stop this thing?!?

I wobbled.

And of course, I lost all control and crashed at the bottom. Thankfully I only had a few scrapes and bruises to show for my amateurish nose dive to the bottom of the cul-de-sac, but my borrowed bike was not so lucky.

One of the neighbour kids alerted my Opa of the crash and he came running down to check out the damage. He did manage to fix the bike but, as you can imagine, there was no riding that sucker back to the house. We safely walked.

I didn’t realize I had a fear of falling until much later in life. Looking back, I realize many of my choices were made based on that fear.

For instance, you’ll never find me riding a roller coaster. (I did that once at the PNE and literally died.)

Or ski. I mean, what sane person would ever want to do an out-of-control, head-first nosedive down a steep mountain? Not me! (And yes, even as I type this I see the correlation with my bike disaster clear as a bell.)

Fear certainly has a way of creeping into our lives, whether we realize it or not. And sometimes that fear is so completely irrational, it’s sad. Think of all the fun and excitement I’ve missed out on due to this insidious fear of falling? At least I don’t have a fear of heights!

What fear do you have lurking inside of you, preventing you from enjoying life, or creating a successful business for that matter?

When it comes to our business, fear can definitely stop us in our tracks, preventing us from moving forward and achieving our goals.

Fear of success

Fear of failure

Fear of rejection

Fear of the unknown

Fear of being called out as a fraud

Fear of change

Fear of losing it all

Fear of judgement

Fear of _____ you fill in the blank.

I was working with a consulting client a few weeks ago where we were mapping out a strategy to help them build their one-on-one coaching business.

Since in-person networking is not an option while we make our way through this pandemic, reaching out to past clients and associates is a great way to reconnect, find out how they’re doing, let them know what’s been happening, and ultimately ask for referrals.

Since this client had lots of people they could reconnect with,  I challenged them to embark on a 30-day outreach initiative where they were to call 3 people a day, 5 days a week, for 30 days.

After 3 weeks, they proudly announced they had reached out to 25 people. By email. Not once was the phone used in this challenge. And guess what? Not one single person replied to their email.

So this time I made it abundantly clear that emails were not a part of this challenge and had them start fresh with a new challenge. Whatever fear they may be feeling about picking up the phone, they had to face that fear and to do it anyway.

What fear do you have around phoning potential leads in your business?

Getting  yelled at? Do it anyway.

Them saying, “no”? Do it anyway.

Getting hung up on? Do it anyway. (This actually did happen to me once back when I was a Mary Kay consultant.)

I know you’re saying, “that’s easier said than done, Susan.” I get it. Been there, done that. But realistically, what’s the worst that could happen?

Can they physically harm you? Nope.

Can they emotionally harm you? Only if you let them.

Moreover, what do you think is going on for them when they yell or hang up on you?  What fear are they feeling that prevents them from just politely saying, “no”?

We all have fears. And maybe one day I’ll face my fear and get on a roller coaster again or even go skiing. But luckily my fear of falling doesn’t adversely affect my ability to pick up the phone and use it to build my business.

If your business needs clients, the best way you can generate new leads is to pick up the phone and reach out to people. Here are some great places to start:

• Past clients to see how things are going with them
• Past warm leads you never followed up on
• People you met at previous networking events. You know, that big stack of business cards you have just sitting there. Call them.
• Associates and colleagues to deepen your connection and explore referring to each other
• People you chat with on social media. Message them and ask if you can call them to find out more about them.

The key is to not call with the intention of selling anything. Make the call about them. Ask them questions. Find out how they are making out.

The conversation will naturally turn to you having an opportunity to share what’s going on for you. And instead of trying to sell that person, ask them if they know of anyone who would benefit from what you’re offering.

There’s plenty of opportunities out there to get more leads in your business, without paying for fancy lead funnels and expensive Google ads. You just need to feel the fear and pick up the phone.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

1. Read: 6 Ways to Grow Your Revenue Month After MonthFor a business to grow their revenue, it requires strategy, goal setting and planning. Read these 6 top sales strategies to grow business revenue.
2. Watch: The 4Cs: Your Formula for Entrepreneurial Success Is your business not successful? Struggling to get clients? Watch my guest Cheryl Bishop of Resilient Women in Business with the 4Cs solution.
3. Book: A Mind for Sales: Daily Habits and Practical Strategies for Sales Success by Mark Hunter CSP. For salespeople tired of feeling stressed out, burned out, and bummed out that their customers don’t want to hear from them, A Mind for Sales is the guide they need to develop a success mindset and the habits required to breakthrough to a whole new level of sales performance.
4. Book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. An oldie but a goodie: Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway: How to Turn Your Fear and Indecision into Confidence and Action.

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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