In last week’s post, we covered the basics of call reluctance: the reasons why we get it, and the signs we are struggling with call reluctance.Fear is a major factor leading to call reluctance. Fear gets stirred up when we dread some future activity and our initial response is to run for cover, or distract ourselves with any number of procrastination strategies.Zig Ziglar, the late inspirational guru and business consultant said that “Fear has two meanings: forget everything and run or face everything and rise. The choice is yours.”Today’s follow-up post tackles call reluctance head-on, with strategies designed to help you face your reluctance and rise above it on the way to the success you deserve.
- Think in terms of purpose: Do you question your purpose as a real estate agent? If you’re not proud of what you do for a living, then maybe it’s time you reframe your purpose. You’re much more than a “seller.” You are a consultant, a problem-solver or, most importantly, a dream facilitator. Selling a home is a huge step for your clients. They are likely to be anxious and fearful. That’s why they will long-remember you for playing the role of counselor, friend and problem solver.
- Have clear business goals: You need to have clearly-defined goals to serve as both motivation and a benchmark for your success. If you don’t have goals set, now is the time to do it, especially with a new year on the horizon. Consider two goals. First, your base goal, what you need to keep your business running. And, second, your “stretch” goal, or what you might dream of achieving if you’re focus and energized. Once your goals are set, you can use them to help define your daily activities, such as the number of calls you’ll need to make to secure a certain number of listings.
- Embrace rejection: If you study top sales professionals in any industry, but especially real estate, you’ll find that many use rejections as a goal. Indeed, they measure their success in phone prospecting based on the number of people who reject or hang-up on them. The rejections are tangible proof that that they are working the phones with the belief that for every X number of rejections, they are likely to secure a listing.
- Use your tools: You have tools at your disposal that can make the prospect of phone prospecting less daunting and help drive your success. Let’s look at a few:
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- Leverage the value of scripts to make your phone prospecting easier and more productive. Scripts are particularly valuable in helping with objections, which are often the most intimidating aspect of phone prospecting for agents. Scripts work!
- Work with accountability partners: Find another real estate professional to help you work on both your phone prospecting delivery and process for handling objections. Starting each day with just 15 minutes of role-playing with a trusted partner can go a long way towards bolstering your confidence.
- Learn to love affirmations: There are myriad websites offering a variety of affirmations that can help you get your mind focused and remind you that you are success waiting to happen. Spending as little as five minutes each morning on your affirmations can energize and motivate you for the day ahead.
- Take care of yourself: One of the best ways to combat fear and anxiety is to have a daily, self-care routine. This could be physical exercise, meditation, and, of course, affirmations. Or, a combination of all three. Without a way to release pent-up fear, it can feed on itself. So, wake up a half-hour early and take a brisk walk, then get to your day!
Zig Ziglar also said: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”He’s right. Call reluctance is a big deal, but you can beat it with a little dedication, perseverance and courage, especially the courage to fail, to be rejected. It starts with small steps, and a belief in yourself.
