Fear of The Unknown – Is It Holding You Back?

by Dave Cleinman

Understanding the how-tos of building a business can be quite different from actually doing it.  In particular, despite all the sites that say that we don’t have to sell, since the website does it for us, the truth is that in order for maximum profitability and success, we do have to do the majority of the selling.  Most people figure this out, even if they don’t always admit it to themselves, and often at this point, panic sets in. 

Here are some things you can do to make the sales process easy, and a lot of fun.

1.  Know your product and opportunity as well as possible.  Every aspect, every issue, both good and bad.  This allows you to be confident that you can answer questions and generate enthusiasm.  If you are trying to promote something that holds no interest for you, STOP.  That's equivalent to trying to push a car up a hill.  Use your product, know it well, and have a passion about sharing it with others.

2.  Understand that of all the people you talk with, only one or two of every hundred will enthusiastically want to join you.  Money Is Math.  The more people you talk to, the more people you will recruit.  This seems like a daunting task, but if you enjoy talking about your product and use it and like it, this process becomes second nature.  If it is a product like GVO, who has marketing tools that any business person can use, it’s easy to talk about if you use them yourself and benefit from them.

3.  Set a schedule for yourself so that you don’t go crazy trying to keep up.  Many people try to work their business in a random fashion, hit or miss style, or with no clear goals.  Set an action plan that keeps you doing things consistently, and yet does not overwhelm you.  Break it down to number of people you speak to each day.  Number of ads sent out.  Number of social media contacts made.  Number of leads you contact.  Do a combination each day and focus on what is getting results.

4.  When you come in contact with another person who is interested, show don’t tell.  Show them the product, give them examples of how you and others are using it, explain what it can do for them, and ask them to join your team in such a way that they know you will be there for them.  If they say no, just ask them if you can contact them again in a month or so.  Build rapport and send them a follow-up e-mail every so often until they tell you to stop.

5.  When you recruit a new member, help them.  Show them what you did to find them and help them establish the same routine.  This will help them get started, and also help you have success by passing it on to others.

Sales are all about direct contact, and it’s not that difficult a process if you believe in your product and think that others can benefit from it.  The point is that you run your business in a consistent manner with clear goals and a schedule.  Success breeds success, so don’t be frustrated if you have a slow start.  Be consistent, keep working, and success will come.   ◄

 Am I Worth It?

This question came up for me yesterday when I decided to make myself a healthy lunch. As I was assembling the ingredients that included, lettuce and basil from my deck garden, sliced strawberries, blueberries, shredded carrots, snap peas, walnuts and boiled shrimp dressed with a lovely olive oil that I bought out of a keg in a local specialty store, and champagne vinegar from Trader Joe's it occurred to me how much work this was. It literally took 40 minutes to wash, dry, prep, and clean up after myself. That seemed like an extraordinary amount of time to make little ole' me lunch.

Prior to that, I had spent my time talking to clients, making phone calls related to household issues, going through email, making my bed, swimming for 30 minutes, showering and getting dressed, having a simple breakfast, and all that seemed worthwhile. BUT how much time do I deserve to give myself to make lunch? Had I just grabbed some goat cheese and carrots, an oatmeal bar, or a turkey sandwich on a bagel, or a can of soup it would have taken five minutes. Not only that, but it doesn't take that long to eat all of that. Whereas, it takes quite a while to fork, chew and swallow a big mixed salad.

So many of us are altogether willing to do for others, isn't that the American way? OK. So I decided I'm worth it, and followed it up with a yummy dinner that took about 20 minutes to prep, then cook. I also took the time to read, take a walk and meditate. I really had to work at self-nurturing and to believe that "I deserve it." But all too frequently, we come last. What happens when we come last? We become resentful for one thing, and we tend to expect others to make us first, or at least count, and when they don't, we get really angry. Additionally, no one ends up taking care of us...if we don't.

When you have an underlying belief that "I'm not worth it," you have a tendency to expect less from yourself and from others. Taking care of yourself, contrary to what a lot of individuals believe, is not a selfish act. "Selfish," as defined in Webster's means, "ONLY thinking of yourself." I'm talking about adding yourself to the list of people you care about. And, insisting that others take you seriously and add you to their list. How? In a variety of ways including, respecting you and your beliefs and needs.

There is another thing. You have to remember to think of yourself. Does that sound familiar? Somehow when we are focused on taking care of others - of our job, our kids, our partner, husband, wife, parents - we FORGET ABOUT OURSELVES. This happened to Rachel, a woman who comes to me for Teletherapy. Her doctor had given her some herbs and probiotics to take each morning on an empty stomach. Somehow though, she forgot almost daily because she was so focused on getting the kids out, or doing some other 'wifely' chore, until she came to realize that she was doing herself harm. We figured out that she could set her alarm thirty minutes early, in order to just take care of herself first. Take her herbs, meditate, dress in semi-leisure. She put her needs on the front-burner and it worked.

Needs, I say. Having needs is not a dirty word. Needs are a normal part of being human. And being needy is not a curse or an affliction. Perhaps if you are too needy, it's because no one's sufficiently met your needs when you were little If that's the case, then it's time to become your own good parent. Give yourself the love, attention and nurturing that you were cheated of as a kid. Start taking care of yourself and believing that you are worth it, you deserve it, and others will too. It's amazing how our own attitude toward ourself is contagious.