Today, let’s talk about Call Reluctance. ☎️
Your brain wants you to believe:
🤬 they’ll hang up on you.
😫 they’ll yell at you.
😆they’ll laugh at you.
Data indicates less than 4% of qualified leads will actually hang up on you. Still, the fear persists.
You’re afraid. And that’s okay.
Let’s start there.
We *feel* fear as a rush of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) anytime our brains encounter a set of circumstances it has recorded as dangerous. This happens without thinking, thanks to something called our sympathetic nervous system (one half of our autonomic nervous system). It’s the bad half. This is the portion that triggers you without warning. 💥
💢 We feel a tightness in the stomach…
💢 our breath catches in our throats…
💢 our heart begins to race…
All of this is happening because your brain wants this to happen. It doesn’t care what YOU think. It’s not here to protect you; its only interest is to protect itself, to preserve the survival of the brain.
This is why I call it the “Bully Brain.” If you haven’t figured it out yet… your brain is kind of a jerk! 🤪
We can fight this.
Thankfully, there’s another half to the autonomic nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system. The PNS calms you down, and it’s the one YOU get to activate.
One of the most efficient ways to do this is to take control of your breathing.
At first, this isn’t easy. But you’ll get better with time. When you can master your breathing you can slow it down. You can remember to breathe more deeply… which will slow your heart rate… which will help wash away the adrenaline… which will loosen your muscles and calm you down.
Start here:
Abdominal Strengthening: Pick anything that works for you. You know the drill. Make working out your abs something you do on a regular basis. Keeping the muscles flexible and strong helps you regulate your breathing.
Mindfulness: Remember this one? It may not be making as many headlines these days, but it sure works. Train yourself to stay in the moment. Be present and there for yourself, your best friend.
The 6-2-6 Method: This is a method I developed myself similar to box breathing.
1) Start by “catching” your breath (the strong abs really help here).
2) Tighten your abs and then instruct them to ONLY breathe slowly in for 6 seconds.
3) Hold your breath for 2 seconds.
4) BLAST all that Co2 out for another count of 6.
There’s more. Lots more. But this is a good start.
No one is going to yell at you. The truth is, no one really cares that much. Unless you’re a complete jerk (which you are not, of course), they will simply go through the motions of what it’s like to speak to a salesperson on the phone. What you do next is part of your sales training, which you underwent for a reason.
Trust yourself. You got this. This isn’t nearly as horrible as you think.
Pick up the phone and get paid. 💲💲💲