Reach out- add a personal touch.

There are so many things that hold people back from success, and they are almost without exclusion, related to fear.

The people who acknowledge the fear, and do it anyway, are the people who end up with the most success.

This week, while working with some of my team members, I have encountered a very real fear that seems to be much more prevalent than I initially thought.

The fear of connecting with people.

My training with team members includes how to develop a connection with the people you want to work with. It involves picking up the phone and speaking to that individual. A relationship of trust is developed in person, and that is a very valuable thing.

The internet has automated much of our business, and given people the opportunity to expand a business in the global arena, and that is great, but the people you attract on the internet are attracted to a capture page, or really great ad copy. There is absolutely no reason for them not to move on to the next best thing. The key to your success, and theirs, will be the personal touch.

Let me give you an example. One of my team members has a very good personal website. His site talks about his success in the industry and how he can help you find the same success. It is a very compelling site. Yesterday, he received an email from a gentleman who had happened across this website. In the email, the gentleman shared a little about his life and work, lack of time freedom, etc, and asked for help to get out of that grind. My team member asked how he should proceed, and of course, my answer was, "Pick up the phone, and call him right away."

That reply was met by silence. Then he asked, "Why couldn't I just send him a link."

EEK!! This man took the time to share some very personal things about his life, and desires. He took a step and reached out and asked for help. Now he needs to hear a voice. You can not develop a relationship exclusively over the internet. People receive hundreds, and in some cases, thousands, of emails in a week. There is nothing to distinguish your email from the others. The Internet is a really great place to make an initial contact, but my business partners need that personal connection in order to align themselves with me and my mission. They need to have a reason to continue in the face of challenges. They need to be able to ask a question, get an answer, and then ask another question. They need to be able to hear the sincerity in their voice, and find a connection. None of these things can be done effectively without picking up the phone.

Fear of picking up the phone is much more prevalent than I initially thought, and is of course, directly tied to the fear of rejection. How do you help someone overcome that fear?

First, you need to understand that MOST people are more than happy to hear from you. I personally make, on average, 20 cold calls a day, and very very rarely have someone hang up or get upset. I am not emotionally attached to the reaction I receive. Let me ask you this... Would you hang up or get upset, if someone called your home? Well of course, some of you answered yes to that, but I am willing to bet most people said, "No, of course not." Human beings are a very social species, and we have been taught manners, (well most of us, anyway :-) ), and most of us enjoy hearing a pleasant friendly voice.

If you are someone who has a hard time picking up the phone, how do you overcome that?

Here are a few strategies to help you get started.

First of all, Know what you want to say, and start the call by giving your full name. I even go as far as telling people where I live.
"Hi Mary, this is Shelley Penney calling from New Brunswick, Canada."
Ask permission, "Do you have a moment?" If they say no, "I am not going to keep you long, is there a better time that I can call?"

"Mary, you recently filled out a survey on-line about working a business from home. I was wondering what you had in mind the day you filled that out."

Now there are several points about that sentence that are important enough to mention. I do not make the mistake of asking, "Are you still interested." I do not want people to have the opportunity to say NO. The fact is, they may not be interested right this minute, but later today, they may be interested again.

I also want to take them back to the moment thay filled out the form, and remember what it was that appealed to them. This will give you valuable insight into what they are actually looking for, and what will motivate them to look at, and/or work with, your company.

After that introduction, I just relax, and be myself. I allow the conversation to take place in a friendly, non-pretentious way. Whether the person on the line is interested in what I have is of absolutely no concern to me. I am not attached to the answer, what-so-ever. I am just having a conversation. This helps me determine if this person is someone I actually want to work with, as well. The fact is, I don't want "just anybody" in my business, and neither should you. I only want people that I like, because ultimately, I am going to be working very closely with this individual to help them grow a business. I want to work with people that I can respect, and will respect me.

Do not allow yourself to become emotionally attached to the answer. If someone hangs up, or says "no" to what you are offering, that has absolutely no bearing on your business. It is not the result of one phone call that will determine your success. It is the daily activity of exposing your business to many people that will ultimately bring results, and the fact is, you are never going to see that person again, if they do not become a part of your business. Whatever they say on the phone in a few minutes, has absolutely nothing to do with you.

Have more phone numbers than you can reasonably call in a session. There is a specific psycological strategy behind this. If you only have 2 people to call, then of course, the answer they give you is going to be much more important than if you have a list of a hundred people to call. You will be less emotionally attached to the reaction, if you are not hanging all your hopes in one place.

Don't feel like you have to have all of the answers before you pick up the phone. It is really OK to say, "That is a good question. I will find out the answer to that and get back to you." In fact, people will respect that so much more than if you bluster your way through, and give an answer, that later turns out to be incorrect.

If you have made a successful call, and you feel good about it, make one more call. Your feeling of success will carry through to the second call, and you will get amazing results.

The bottom line is, while the internet is a great way to meet people, your friends will follow you to the ends of the earth, and your internet business partners will be on to the next big thing. I choose to work with friends.

Shelley Penney is a residual income specialist an author, mentor and trainer to the home business industry.