It is magnetic alright (The caller was obviously sincere), but unfortunately it repels rather than attracts.

You can listen to the voicemail in its entirety (1 minute 12 seconds) by clicking the play button:

Hey there,

This is Richard Hinton (?) and sorry to bug you on your voice mail, but I had gotten your name and phone number from a lead list that stated you may be interested in earning some extra cash from home.

You got my name from a lead list?  Really?

And, did you really just tell me that?

I train people very successfully to receive thousands in cash from your home or from your cell phone or actually anywhere you are. I wanted to give you a website to check out when you get time.

I’m pretty sure I won’t ever have time to “check out” your website, thankyouverymuch.

That’s www.cashincomesolution.com.  Again, that’s www dot c-a-s-h-i-n-c-o-m-e-s-o-l-u-t-i-o-n dot com.

Again, that’s cashincomesolution.com.

Oh Gaaaaawd.  Why am I listening to this?

Wasn’t I just about to hit delete?

Now once you get there, you’ll wanna put your email address in down at the bottom to start a 7-step video presentation that will load you full of information on what I do and what I train others to do.

First of all, why would I want to give you my email address?

You don’t even know me, you got may name from a lead list, and you are taking the lead list’s word I **may** be interested in your offer.

Secondly, I’m pretty busy already.  I get solicitations all the time.

Do you think I want to be held captive by a long-winded video presentation that I’m not even interested in and then LOADED FULL of information about what you do?

Thank you for your time today, and sorry again to bug you on your voice mail.  Bye-Bye.

Good-BYE (and Good riddance!)

You see, this is what gives cold calling a bad name.

I do actually get it.  The guy is cold calling me and believes I may be interested in his product or service.  Nothing wrong with that.

But, come on.  Let’s get real.  I’m a person, not a number.

So, just so it’s clear:  If you ever cold (or even warm) call me, make sure you do your homework first.  Don’t tell me you got my name from a list.

And, never, ever load me FULL of information about how great you are.

Because, well,  frankly, I really don’t care.

For example, one real estate agent I know told me that he essentially built his entire business (initially) by basically perusing the phone book and picking out names that looked good.

No thanks.

But, then I met Wendy Weiss, who calls herself The Queen of Cold Calling.

That’s a pretty bold statement.  (I like Queens, don’t you? LOL) It intrigued me, so I decided to listen.

I was so impacted, I not only wrote about her here on my blog (You can read the posts and the comments from my blog readers by clicking here and here.), but I also asked Wendy to do an interview for my “peeps.”

She went beyond that to offer a special webinar to kick off the Prospecting Expert Interview Series I am hosting over the next several weeks as a major part of Prospectpalooza!

(The webinar was held on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, but you can get access to the replay recording of this webinar, as well as all of the recordings of the Guest Expert Interviews, by registering at Prospectpalooza.com)

Not only do I now understand the power of Cold Calling (and how I had completely misunderstood what Cold Calling was) and actually LIKE it now (I still can’t believe it!), but everything Wendy Weiss teaches can be applied to every other prospecting and lead generation method for amplify and maximize results.

Speaking of misunderstanding what Cold Calling is, there are certain specific myths that create the fear response I mentioned earlier.

Wendy addresses 9 of the upfront in her webinar, which I will share with you here.

How many of these myths and misconceptions of Cold Calling are preventing you from reaching more of your ideal prospects and clients?

9 Insidious Cold Calling Myths (plus 1 Bonus Myth!)

1. Open the Phone Book and Start Making Calls.
   You’ll recall that this is what my real estate agent friend did.  Far from just calling anyone and everyone, Cold Calling is very targeted and very strategic.
2. Make 100 Dials/Day  and Someone Will Eventually Say “Yes.”
   This is the mentality that Cold Calling is such a numbers game.  However, “Sheer volume of calls is not going to do it,” says Wendy Weiss.
3. Every Call is different, so I can’t us a script.
   These days it is difficult to get people on the phone, so when a prospect says “hello,” you better have something compelling to say!
4. Go through the No’s and hang ups until you finally get a Yes.
   Wendy had me in stitches when she said to this myth “Who wants to do that?  Isn’t that the dumbest thing you ever heard?”
5. Go through the No’s and the hang ups until you finally wear the prospect down.
   This idea that Cold Calling is manipulation is completely ridiculous (but no wonder people who believe this myth want nothing to do with Cold Calling!)
6. Practice rebuttals to ensure that you can corner the prospect.
   The skill, however, is knowing what to say so the prospect says “yes,” rather than creating a situation where you are having to defensively overcome objections.
7. Somehow Manipulate the Prospect Into Agreeing.
   Like Myth #4 and Myth #5, Manipulation and Cold Calling should not used in the same sentence.
8. ABC:  ”Always Be Closing.”
   From Wendy’s presentation, I think the sales profession should change the acronym to mean “Always Be Connecting,” don’t you?
9. The Born Salesperson that Intuitively Knows What to Say & What to Do.
   Cold Calling is a skill that is learned.  No one is born with it.
10. Bonus Myth:  You have to have the Gift of Gab to be Good at Cold Calling.
    Truth is there are many salespeople who talk too much!  The skill is that Cold Calling requires knowing when to speak and when to shut up! LOL

*** To get free access to Wendy Weiss’ webinar and learn the 6 Rules for Cold Calling Success (now that the myths are debunked!), be sure to register at www.Prospectpalooza.com ***

For some of us, we feel it daily.

When we find ourselves in such situations, performance experts and NLP practitioners offer the advice to “Act as if” we were totally confident, completely assured of the outcome.

In a recent article on this blog, I explain what “Act as if” really means and how anyone can use it to manage their emotional states to increase the likelihood of achieving their desired result.

My intention for today’s post is to offer a real-life, personal example that might further illustrate how to employ this powerful technique because sometimes when we are caught up in the moment with debilitating fear or thoughts of inadequacy, we can forget that we have tools readily available to support us.

So, it was the second day of August 2007 and my partner — the poet and English instructor, Chad Helder — was chosen to “open” for the well-established poet (and teacher), James Hoch.

To be sure, James Hoch is brilliant and writes brilliant, heart-stopping poetry.  What an honor for Chad to be able to open for him!  For the occasion, at 7 pm Pacific Time, Chad had prepared several poems to share with the assembled, some of which he had never publicly read before.

Chad called me on this day to tell me that he was exceedingly nervous.

Can you relate?

It’s the age-old, familiar feeling of stage fright — and along with it the feelings of inadequacy and not-good-enough syndrome.

I offered to Chad what has worked for me.

“What if you think of each of your poems as a gift to the audience?  How would that feel?”

This helps me because I immediately access in my imagination the joy and anticipation I’ve felt in the past when someone was unwrapping a gift I had given them.  I had given great thought and taken great care to find just the right gift that I knew they’d love, and now they were unwrapping it.

This way the focus is off me and instead on them, on how I can serve and bring joy to another.

That suggestion seemed to resonate with Chad.  I could hear relief in his voice.

“You might even say just that to the audience when you are introduced,” I added.  “Something like, ‘I’m so grateful to be here to open for James Hoch tonight, and I want to thank you for the opportunity.  It gives me the opportunity to offer a gift to you.  Each of my poems as I read them and you take them in are as if you are unwrapping and honoring each of my gifts to you.’ ”

“Wow,” Chad said.  “That feels good.  I can right now remember other successful poetry readings I’ve done and access those positive feelings.”

I asked Chad to really savor those feelings and those memories — anchor them, as it were — by asking himself how that feeling looks, tastes, feels, smells, sounds, so that when he approached the stage he would take with him not only his own power but also the consciousness that he is there to share his soul and to offer his thoughtful and loving gifts.

Suppose you were to add a similar exercise to your prep routine before making a sales call?  Or, when preparing to attend a networking event?  Or, before you approach a senior sales coach or business professional you admire to ask for feedback or support?

What memory — complete with all of the sensory data of that experience — can you borrow from the past to empower you in the present moment?

Can you feel how this exercise would absolutely support you in calming “stage fright” or performance anxiety?

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image license: Some rights reserved by G.I. Folk

Because the topic is Cold Calling — and I have to admit I’ve had aversion even to the name — I almost did not sign up to attend Wendy’s webinar last week called “How to Sell Your Way Out of a Sales Slump.”

I actually do not know how I came to know about it only about 24 hours before it was to happen, but I am very glad I attended.  It absolutely shot holes in my perception of what cold calling is.

Before I share with you what Wendy calls “Insidious Myths of Cold Calling,” on the webinar, she acknowledged that the phrase “Cold Calling” is itself a loaded term.

Her answer to that?

“Call it something else, if that supports your ability to be successful.”  An example might be referring to Cold Calling as “Introductory Calling” or even “Networking.”

Sometimes a simple name change makes all the difference in the world.  But, what if you (like me) had an incorrect understanding of what Cold Calling is in the first place?

Wendy Weiss address 4 specific Cold Calling Myths right upfront:

Myth #1:  “Cold Calling is a Numbers Game.” Of course you have to dial the phone to talk to prospects, but simply calling anyone with a pulse is not an effective use of anyone’s time or effort.

Myth #2:  “Open Up the Phone Book and Start Making Calls.” No wonder people hate cold calling!  Like Myth #1, blinding calling random people in the phone book is a recipe for disaster and is neither efficient, nor sustainable.

Myth #3:  “You have to go through the Nos and the hang-ups until someone finally says Yes.” Talk about demoralizing!  This is also the “Numbers Game” mentality, which positions you as a telemarketer rather than a professional.

Myth #4:  “You have to practice rebuttals because prospects just want to get you off the phone.” Cold Calling is a skill set that can be mastered, and that skill set is about saying the right thing so that people say “Yes,” not about knowing what to say when people say “No.”

What a load off to finally debunk these myths about cold calling!

And when you come to think about it, attending a networking meeting and going up to a perfect stranger to introduce yourself is something of a “cold call.”

In fact, Wendy says that the same communication skills that are necessary for success with other forms of prospecting are also needed when using cold calling as a prospecting strategy.  In all cases, these skills require learning and practice.

So, why would I choose cold calling over other prospecting methods?

Well, if you are using other prospecting methods and are consistently getting qualified leads and prospects, then you absolutely should continue doing what is working.

That said, I think none of us should be all of our eggs in one basket.  Our businesses should have multiple points of entry and ways for people to experience what we have to offer them.

Wendy Weiss offers an additional perspective on Cold Calling versus other prospecting methods.

Most marketing, she observes, is “inbound.”  That is, it depends on the prospects themselves getting in touch with you rather than the other way around.  This makes tactics like referral marketing, advertising, networking, and Web 2.0 activities (as they are typically practiced) inherently passive because you have to wait for someone to do something.

Cold Calling is active marketing because you go to the prospect to invite them to have a meeting with you.

How do you do this successfully, in a way that feels magnetic, authentic, and fun?

Wendy Weiss offered 5 Keys to Successful Prospecting with Cold Calling on the very informative webinar last week.  Unfortunately, she didn’t make available a recording, but fortunately, I took good notes!

In a future blog entry, I will share her 5 Keys to Successful Prospecting with you so that you can begin putting the ideas to use.  They will support you whether you decide to adopt cold calling as a new marketing strategy or if you simply want to improve the rate of success of your existing marketing.

You’ll be happy to know the 5 Keys apply powerfully to both inbound and outbound methods of filling your prospect pipeline.

- – -
image license: Some rights reserved by Graham_B

To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical.

Bob Burg endorsed the authors of Go for No! (Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton) on his blog, and when he was here in Portland, he pointed them out to me in the audience.  At the end of Bob’s Endless Referrals Live in Portland program, Andrea and Richard came up to me to introduce themselves and to gift me a copy of their book.

So, why was I so skeptical?

Well, who in sales really wants to hear “No” to what they’re selling?  I can’t think of anyone, can you?

Yet, sales trainers from time immemorial have taught a version of a Go-For-No philosophy.  Among other things, they preach you must be willing to plow through as many nos as possible until you get a yes.

How absolutely demoralizing!

It’s that whole mindset that goes with the obsession with overcoming objections. As far as I’m concerned, we’re not in the business of figuring out what to say when someone says “No.” We’re in the business of attracting folks who already want to say “Yes” to what we’re selling!

This was the frame of mind I was in when first introduced to Andrea and Richard’s compelling (if off-putting) title: Go for No! Though I better understood where they were coming from after hearing Andrea speak at Lori Richardson’s Fab 50 Tour stop in Vancouver, Washington, I still didn’t “get it” at a core level.

But, then, I read the book.

Now, I’m pretty much a convert — so much so that after reading the book on Tuesday, I immediately decided I had to offer it as a valuable door prize at a networking event I was cohosting on Wednesday.

Why such a miraculous conversion?

Well, now I don’t actually have the book.  Some lucky sales professional won it. So, until I get another copy, you’ll have to rely on my memory and the few notes I scribbled on a note pad while reading the book.

One of the first lessons that stood out for me is that failing and failure are two different things.  Just because you failed to reach a certain goal doesn’t mean YOU are a failure.

(One caveat about semantics is that there are certain words that no amount or degree of appropriation will make them mean something else.  So, when asserting linguistic distinctions, it’s important to be responsible and take carefully into account historical, social, cultural, and political context and influence.  Language does not exist in isolation.)

The example the authors give in the book is of a child asking a parent for something she or he wants —  say, a cookie, for example.  When the parent says “No, you can’t have a cookie,” the child remains undeterred, asking again and again.

He or she may or may not get the cookie, but the point is that the child does not equate rejection of the request with rejection of him- or herself as a person.

Sadly, for many sales professionals, when someone rejects their product or service, it feels as if they were rejecting them.  Somewhere along the line, comments Richard and Andrea, adults have lost the “natural sense of tenacity” that children seem to be born with.

If you haven’t read the book, I want to say upfront that the following insight may be considered a spoiler, so you may or may not choose to read on before you’ve read the book. But as you’ll see, the lesson was particularly pivotal in the “miraculous conversion” that led me both to give the book away last evening and to be extolling its virtues in this blog right now.

(By the way, I do have a couple of minor criticisms of the book, but they will have to wait to be shared at a later time.  This blog entry is already a longer than I intended.)

So, the book is written in parable form and it opens with the protagonist having a goal to make 4 sales that week.  On Monday, he makes 3 sales right off the bat.

Time to celebrate, right?

So, off he goes on Tuesday and Wednesday, allowing other things to distract him.  It really doesn’t seem like a big deal.  After all, he’s never missed quota before, and he only has 1 sale to make this week.

Piece of cake.

I won’t tell you what happens that actually ends up derailing his week altogether (Something about Dorothy, the Land of Oz, and eventually returning back home to Kansas!), but isn’t that a perfect example of what salespeople typically do?

The average salesperson slows down when they reach (or approach, as in this case) their goal.

The cure to this common challenge?

Go for No!, of course  Rather that set the usual “Yes Goals”, Andrea and Richard advise us — through the pages of their parable —  to create weekly (or daily) “No Goals”.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it?

How this works is let’s say your normal goal would be to make 2 sales this week.  In order to do that, you know that you’d need to talk with 5 qualified prospects to close 2, for example.

If you happened to close 2 right away, the usual tendency is to stop or slow down. But, if your goal was instead to get 5 Nos, getting 2 yesses right away would mean you were BEHIND, not ahead.

You’d be compelled to reach for the stars, not for what’s safe.

This is the psychological brilliance behind the Go for No! philosophy, as taught by Andrea and Richard.

To drive the point home, one of the characters in the book, asks the protagonist something like ‘Would a manager keep a player out of the game because he was on a hot streak?’

The reason most sales professionals slow down or get out of the game when they are on a “hot streak” is because they are focused on Yes Goals (which are also typically Safe-of-course-I-can-make-this Goals) rather than getting super-excited about pursuing No Goals.

Get the book.  Read the book.  Apply the book.

As Andrea and Richard often say (which takes on a completely new meaning for me now): “Yes is the destination. . . No is how you get there!”

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image by Brian Negin, under a Creative Commons license

Secondly, with the specific client in mind, you need to appeal to them in a way that engages the emotions (people nearly always buy based on emotions – how they perceive making the purchase will make them feel – especially high-ticket items, and later justify the purchase based on factual information) and compels them to see, feel, and experience what their life will be like to have what it is you are offering.

Good marketing (tailored to a specific market segment) is good marketing, and here is an excellent example:

You can check out the full story and the insightful comments below the video by clicking here.

This example, of course,  is of a higher-end real estate transaction opportunity which may or may not pertain to you, but how can you use the same principles (and technology) to engage the senses and the emotions of your audience?

I’m honored to have a man of Jonathan Farrington’s stature write this guest post on The Magnetic Entrepreneur weblog.

Enjoy, and take notes!

~ TB

By Jonathan Farrington

This post is in response to a comment that was left regarding my recent webinar – “How to Become a Sales Superstar in 2010”

The question was:

“Why does Jonathan put knowledge at the very top of the pyramid? Can you touch on that? What knowledge is he defining, specifically?

Knowledge of the product/service, or something else?”

I am delighted to be able to offer this expanded response.

I first began to recognise the need to be able to benchmark sales performance more objectively and more rigorously over twenty five years ago: The motivation to do this was strong because I knew I was wasting thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pounds on sales skills training programmes which were not providing me with a proper return on my considerable investment. But I needed to prove my theory because without an accurate analysis of my requirements, I would continue to abdicate that responsibility to the training providers, most of whom had only their own interests at heart.

So with this quote from Drucker, “The most effective way to manage change is to create it” firmly in my mind, I set about my task; a task that became a journey, which began in 1981 and is still ongoing.

By taking an analytical approach, I arrived at the following equation:

Attitude + Skills + Process + Knowledge = Success.

My initial reasoning was this: Attitude is fundamental to any achievement because individuals with the right attitude are far more likely to embrace the essential Skills, recognise the control that Process brings and have the desire to continually expand their Knowledge.

Skills are the ‘tools of the trade’ and have to be developed on an ongoing basis. They also need to be specific, because too much time can be wasted over-burdening employees with inappropriate and irrelevant skills without any identifiable plan for their future requirements.

Process brings organisation, efficiency and control, both for the individual and for management. Effective process provides objective analysis and indicators which can be benchmarked and accurately measured.

Then there is of course a need to build in knowledge and that must include knowledge of products, industry, market sectors, competitors, business, own company and last but not least, self!

So you see, at the bottom of my pyramid, is the foundation – attitude.

But never think that you can remove any one of these four factors from the equation – you do so at your peril. Each is equally important if you are to achieve sustainable success.

You can also catch his hugely popular daily blog at The JF Blogit – http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk

These masterclasses are about $60 for non-members, but my fabulous friend (the Sales Coach & Fundraising Auctioneer) Lori Richardson gifted me this one for free.  (Thank you Lori!)

The topic was “How to Become a Sales Superstar in 2010,” and it centered around Jonathan’s 4-tiered Success Formula Pyramid.  The four tiers are Attitude (the fundamental foundational piece), Skills, Process, and Knowledge.

As we find ourselves beginning the last month of the first quarter of the year, how are you setting yourself up to be Sales Superstar this year?  Where can you improve in these 4 areas?

Here is a graphic depiction of Jonathan Farrington’s Success Formula (Click to Enlarge):

I just learned that you can download (or listen online) this webinar from the Jonathan Farrington’s Blog, or by clicking HERE, but I want to offer a few of my notes on each of these four components to Sales Success Superstardom — a position that is absolutely within your reach.

1. Attitude:  Jonathan says there are two types of personalities:  The “running away” personality, which describes people whose behavior is driven by the desire to avoid pain, and the “running towards” personality, defined by people who are in control, prepared, and allow themselves plenty of time to accomplish what they set out to do.

   Which personality are you cultivating?

   Jonathan puts Attitude at the bottom of the pyramid, the fundamental component of success in sales.  Plan for success by improving and nurturing your “running towards” attitudinal personality, mindset, and action-orientation.

2. Skills:  Sales professionals and teams tend to perpetuate mediocre results because they assume that skills are needed, but have no diagnostic approach to ascertaining exactly what skills are needed, how and when they are needed, and how they will be assessed and measured before and after the training.

   Skills are another foundational component for success, but it must be the right skills at the right time with a specific, clear, and tangible Return On Investment (R.O.I).

   Key Point:  Your training is your responsibility, and it must be continuous and ongoing.

3. Process:  Many sales professionals are resistant to employing process in how they approach sales.  To them, it feels like a time-consuming chose.  Yet, the most successful sales professionals embrace a sales process, which actually saves time.

   In the age of Sales 2.0, exploring and incorporating social media and online tools (examples:  SmartSellingTools.com and FillTheFunnel.com)  in your sales process is essential to sales success in 2010.

4. Knowledge:   Knowledge itself has several components beyond Product Knowledge.  How would you rate yourself in the following additional areas:

• • Industry Knowledge
  • Sector Knowledge
  • Company Knowledge
  • Competitor Knowledge
  • Commercial Knowledge
  • Self Knowledge

That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

It is indeed a lot to take in, assimilate, and put into systematic action.  But, do you think you could make just a 1% improvement in 1 or more of these areas each day or each week?

It’s the small, incremental approach to improvement that wins the race every time.

“Every journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” quotes Jonathan.  ”Why not take that step today?”

Another colleague is in the medical field and expressed how much he hates having to sell a client on another visit or series of visits.

It’s a common challenge.  “Sell” is a dirty four-letter word to so many solopreneurs — especially to those who consider themselves “heart-centered” entrepreneurs.

I can understand that.

No one likes the feeling of being manipulated, hounded, chased or hunted down by a too-enthusiastic (to put it nicely) salesperson.

However, provided you have done the research and are connecting with someone who needs and wants your services, clients and prospective clients WANT you to offer them your services.

In fact, if you know your service or product is the best thing for them and you genuinely are interested in their well-being, you are doing them a disservice if you do not market to them and make appropriate offers.

That said, selling the person is really the very last thing you want to be thinking about anyway.  When you go out on a first date with someone, do you immediately ask them to marry you?

(I hope not!)

What is needed is a specific marketing plan, where your prospect sees your message over and over again until they are ready to buy, ready to refer someone to you who is ready to buy, or they tell you to stop marketing to them.

Another possible purpose behind a marketing plan might be to establish and maintain relationships with colleagues, persons with specific industry influence, and referral partners.

In most cases, sales professionals give up too soon.  They don’t have a follow-up system in place that they follow regularly and consistently.

This may be why my friend wondered whether he was bothering people.  Without a system, all efforts to market or follow-up are random, at best, and you really don’t know when and how often you are following up with someone.

Besides that, if you don’t follow up regularly with people who have shown interest, they may forget who you are or that you provide the service they are looking for when the time comes that they need it.

People have so many choices about where to spend their money, positioning yourself so that you occupy a prominent place in their minds requires actively and frequently reminding folks in your target market about how you can solve their challenges.

Gary Keller in his The Millionaire Real Estate Agent points out that over 86% of buyers and sellers (in 2002) met with only one or two real estate agents.  “In the battle for real estate consumer mind share, you’re either first or second or you’re out of contention.”

With most consumers pre-shopping for homes (or anything else, for that matter) on the Internet, I’d wager that this is even more important today.

In almost every industry (not just real estate), there are tens or hundreds or thousands of people who do what you do.  How are you standing out and differentiating yourself?

How often are you reminding qualified folks of that difference?

People want you to educate them and make life easier for them.  They are so busy with family, work, and other obligations that if you give up out of fear of looking like the proverbial “used car salesman”, they will have already forgotten about you.

This personal example I’m about to relate is a little embarrassing because it illustrates how disorganized I can be (and I bet I’m not alone in the disorganization department!), but I’ll share it anyway.

Just last week, I met with Portland, Oregon-based Corporate Shaman, Jacke Schroeder.  For the last several weeks prior to that, Jacke left me several messages via email, social media and phone before I finally got back to her weeks later.

(I told you it would be embarrassing.)

Was I uninterested in connecting with her?  Did I feel she was bothering me?

On the contrary, I let myself become so consumed with who-knows-what-all that I didn’t respond to her efforts to communicate with me.  Still she (thankfully) persisted.

After meeting with her last week, I now know that she and I will be working together in some capacity in the near future.  I’m kicking myself for letting so much time elapse.

What an incredible loss for both of us had Jacke decided she’d had enough of my silly antics!  I may never have called her back!

I imagine all those prospects you let slip through the cracks may have a similar story.  With SPAM filters, multiple inboxes, and having to check multiple voicemail messages, who’s to say your potential client even got your last message?

Of course, no professional wants to feel like they are wasting their time.  Certainly, if a prospect tells you they are not interested (like unsubscribes from your newsletter, for example), I don’t recommend stalking them!

Craig Klein of Sell, Sell, Sell! suggests that sales professionals get to fire their prospects after following up with them a certain number of times without a response.  He even offers a way to do this via a voicemail script (complete with a downloadable pdf tip sheet you can print out and place right at your phone when you’re doing the “firing”!) you can drop right at the end of your follow-up system.

This, of course, assumes you have a follow-up system in place in the first place.

It also assumes that the person you are spending time following up with is really a qualified candidate for your services and likely needs and wants what you have to offer.

If that’s the case, if you do change nothing else, follow up!  Show your prospects you care and are thinking about them.

Your perfect clients WANT to hear from you!

(You can view Caelan’s 3-minute-52 second video by clicking the link above or by accessing it here below this blog entry.)

This is an intriguing thought because of its apparent paradox.

Caelan subscribes to the now-familiar-but-ancient-school-of-thought described as The Law of Attraction, the surface understanding of which holds that “like attracts like.”

Is it possible, then, to focus on certain negative emotions (which theoretically a person does not want) and manifest more sales (something that same person probably does want) as a result?

Caelan answers affirmatively to this question, using a personal example to drive the point home.

As he explains in the video, he was working toward a sales award, called Liberty Leaders, that should he accomplish the various prescriptive sales goals by the end of the year, he would receive a sizable monetary award and a trip to Southern California.

Caelan enjoys selling, but absolutely dislikes (It might be safe to say that he HATES it) the subsequent paperwork his company requires that he does in order to actually complete the sale.

He asserts that he’s been focusing so heavily on how distressing the paperwork is to him that he ended up selling 6 insurance policies at once, resulting in him having to come into the office on Saturday to spend 4 hours completing paperwork.

In this way, explains Caelan, he was able to concentrate on what he didn’t want in order to get what he did want (My interpretation).

The first thing I want to say is that resisting negative emotions is never a good thing.  In fact, there is nothing “negative” about any emotions.  They just are what the are.

It is when we resist them and judge them instead of allowing them to naturally flow through us is when we run into problems.

It’s more accurate (and helpful) to think in terms of an outcome that we desire as opposed to one we would rather not have.

What happens when our thoughts and emotions are aligned with what we want is that we perceive corresponding people, things or events that allow us to easily, almost miraculously achieve our desired result.

Focusing on a certain way for what we want to happen (what coaches call “being attached to the outcome”, or labeling an emotion as bad or negative, or concentrating on a result that we do not want in efforts to obtain something else we do want is a recipe for disaster.

First, it sends a signal of confusion to the Universe, and secondly, it runs the risk of setting up contrary intentions (also called “psychological reversal”) which results in a neutral result.

So, was Caelan’s experience an example of using negative emotions to get more sales?

Well, all of us manifest multiple things on an ongoing basis.  We are creating some kind of experience every minute of the day.

In my view, Caelan was more likely using so-called “negative” emotions toward what he didn’t want in order to attract to him more of what he didn’t want, in this case, more paperwork.

He also created more sales.  But that is more likely attributable to his love of sales.  The love of sales naturally led him to situations, events and circumstances that presented him with the opportunity to manifest more of that “loving feeling.”

The truth is (Well, “my truth,” to be exact) that the best, most efficient (and reliable) place from which to manifest is from a place of clean, unencumbered energy.

From this place, the Magnetic Entrepreneur who operates from a place of joy knows exactly what to expect and easily attracts perfect clients and perfect sales/selling experiences.

Here’s Caelan’s video:

What’s YOUR take on the matter?

How are you using emotions in the act of creating more sales?