Kelly sat with her list of leads in her hand and just stared at her phone, paralyzed by the litany of “what ifs” that ran through her head.  What if they hang up on me?  What if I stumble with my words and it comes out wrong?  What if they say no?  When she finally got the courage to pick up the phone and dial, she chanted to herself, “Please don’t answer.  Please don’t answer!”  When, to her relief, she got a voice mail instead of a real person, she simply hung up.

Making phone calls is critical to the success of a business.  Yet with her negative behavior, Kelly seemed determined to sabotage her business---first by procrastinating making the calls and then hoping no one would answer when she did.  Kelly suffered from a common problem in the business world---lack of confidence.

As a kid, I used to spend weekends with my grandparents in their home in the mountains.  One of the things I remember was a barometer that hung in their kitchen window fashioned in the shape of a Swiss chalet with two doors.  Depending on the humidity level, either the Swiss boy would come out of one door or the Swiss girl out of the other door.

When I think of a person’s confidence level, the image of that chalet with its two doors always flashes in my mind.  I see one door as being labeled “confidence”, and the other door “self-doubt”.  Most of us find ourselves alternating between these two doors.  When we are confident, we get the job done.  When we lack confidence, we procrastinate. 

So how do we remain consistently confident?  I don’t believe we can.  As we take risks and pursue new challenges, we will always be swinging back and forth between those two doors---confidence and self-doubt.  It’s natural to go through these cycles.  When we take a risk and venture into something new, it’s perfectly normal to feel some self-doubt.

But here’s a common pitfall that comes with trying something new:  When doubt creeps in, most people put off what they need to do.  Or worse, they quit!

Don’t fall into that trap!  Remember, self-doubt is a natural by-product of challenging yourself to try something new.  The following steps will help you gain the confidence you need to take action.

Three Confidence-Building Steps

When self-doubt creeps in, take these specific steps to get rid of it:

1. List your objectives.

2. Write your opening line.

3. Practice and memorize your opening line

Let’s go back to Kelly’s situation with the phone calls.  She lacked confidence in her ability to communicate by phone.  She worried everything would come out wrong, so she procrastinated in making calls, which kept her from moving her business forward.  In our coaching session, I asked her what her objectives were.

She said, “I want to schedule an appointment with the person so I can give her the facts about our business opportunity.”  Next, I had her write down the first sentence she wanted to come out of her mouth as soon as someone answered.  Then we took her initial sentence and she practiced saying it out loud to me.  Her delivery sounded awkward and choppy at first, but as she said it over and over, the words started to sound natural.  Soon the sentence flowed smoothly, and the tone in her voice rang with confidence.

You can overcome your procrastination with your phone calls by taking some simple steps to help ensure your success.  Don’t let things happen haphazardly with your business.  You can be successful beyond your wildest dreams if you work smart and you begin to build your confidence level.  Once you have the above three steps completed, then get on that phone.  What’s holding you back?  Your phone is waiting for you, and your business is counting on you!

Tonya Grimes

Dynamic Performance Institute, Inc.

http://www.tonyagrimes.com