Sunday, March 10, 2013

Overcoming The Fear of the Telephone To Build Your Network Marketing Business


AAGGHHH!!! It's...it's.......it's a PHONE!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!! Okay, so I am obviously being a tad bit facetious here, but over the course of the past year or so that I have been involved in the business of network marketing; I have observed the rather STARTLING fact that MOST people are afraid of the TELEPHONE.

We use telephones on a daily basis. We use phones to communicate with friends, family members, co-workers, various business entities, etc. So why is it so difficult for individuals who are new to the direct sales industry to pick up a phone, and to invite close friends and relatives to check out a business opportunity?

One of the first steps in overcoming the fear of the phone, is to confront the fear of rejection. For most individuals that are new to the industry, just prior to making that first phone call, the mind is BOMBARDED with all sorts of negative thoughts.

"You are not good enough."

"You're broke. Who would ever want to hear about making money from YOU?"


"You're going to make an absolute fool of yourself."

"Your friends are going to laugh and you, and mock you."


"Your voice sounds horrible on the telephone."

As a direct result of this attack of negative SELF-TALK on the MIND, the telephone suddenly takes on an entirely new meaning, and appearance. The phone goes from being a fun outlet, or an effective resource for providing good times with friends and family members, to this one-thousand pound weight, with poisonous fangs!!

I have witnessed individuals become paralyzed at this point, to the extent that quitting the business was an IMMEDIATE option......prior to their ever making a phone call!!!! These individuals associated so much pain to the other end of the telephone, that they did not wish to make a single attempt at what APPEARED to be a TERRIFYING process!

Perception vs. Reality

I was reading a story recently about a conversation that had taken place between Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Howard was traded to the Lakers this past off-season, after a very tumultuous time with the Orlando Magic. Orlando is a small NBA market. The members of the media in Orlando are polite, friendly, and diligent in their efforts to avoid offending the local athletes. The fans in Orlando were desperate to keep Howard in their small-market, and so they also established the habit of providing unconditional love and support on and off the court.

Los Angeles is one of the largest media markets in all of pro sports The members of the L.A. media are cut-throat, merciless, and willing to confront performance issues head on. The fans in L.A. are just as brutal. Adding to this difficult situation for Howard, was the fact that he had alienated himself from NBA fans from all across the country, by forcing the termination of his former head coach, and then demanding a trade.

Bryant noticed that his new teammate was playing with an absolute lack of aggression, and so he decided to approach Howard to discuss this issue. At some point in this conversation, Howard expressed to Bryant that he was afraid to fail. He was afraid to miss free throws, which resulted in his ranking at the bottom of the league in free-throw percentage, and he was afraid to attack on offense, because he did not want to shoot free-throws.

Howard pointed out that he was being hammered by the fans, as well as the national media. As a result of the WEIGHT of lofty expectations, Dwight Howard was falling apart at the seams, and he appeared to be a shell of the player that he had been in Orlando. Keep in mind that while in Orlando, surrounded by love and acceptance, Howard had established himself as the most dominant big-man in the LEAGUE!

Bryant responded by telling Howard that his routine involved shooting 1,000 shots per day. Bryant pointed out that shooting 1,000 shots per day helped him in two ways:

1. This allowed him to drastically improve his skills as a shooter.

2. This routine planted the understanding in his mind that it was OKAY to MISS shots!!!

We often marvel at Bryant and his ability to miss multiple shots to start a game, only to find a groove in later quarters, that results in 35-40 points in games. Bryant shared with Howard, that missed shots have no impact on his game. Bryant goes into games with the understanding that he WILL miss shots. He also believes DEEP IN HIS HEART, that EVENTUALLY the missed shots will be replaced by TONS of MAKES, and he BELIEVES this, because he PRACTICES day-in, and day-out!!

This conversation between the two players took place at or around the NBA All-Star break. Howard returned from the All-Star break, looking, playing, and attacking as an ENTIRELY different player! He has since adopted a new shooting regimen, and he now takes to the floor each game, looking to have fun, and understanding that missed shots are NOT the end of the world. Dwight has conquered his FEARS, by changing his PERCEPTIONS, and focusing on the development of his SKILLS!

Change Your Perceptions Of Making Calls

You are going to experience rejection on the telephones! PERIOD! I do WISH that I could sit here and tell you that your calls to broke friends and family members who have been PROGRAMMED to accept living check-to-check, barely getting by, etc, would be met with smiles, credit cards, and CASH!! You WILL experience rejection, but I want you to understand that rejection is nothing more than missed shots.

Practice making calls on a DAILY basis! Start with an INORDINATE number of calls. EXPECT missed shots. Understand that there is NO SUCH THING as perfection. Heck, Michael Jordan once stated the following: "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I have been trusted to take the game winning shot, and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed."

Smile each time that you experience rejection. Laugh when family members tell you that you're NUTS for joining the industry! Track your progress in written numbers. Create a success/failure ratio for your calls. Strive to improve your closing ratio with each given month. GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE! I WISH that I could sit here and tell you the number of times that I have experienced rejection in my business. Unfortunately, I can't, because I'm too busy enjoying my free BMW, and the five checks paid out to me each month!!

Instead of viewing the phone as that KILLER with poisonous FANGS, I want you to view the phone as an endless fountain full of money! I want you to view the phone as the vehicle that will transport you to the life of your dreams! When it is all said and done, like Michael Jordan; you will be able to say the following: I have failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.

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