HODGEPODGE BLOG

This is a great way to turn incoming calls, or emails into customers, and to turn an annoying situation into an Opportunity.

Do you gets LOTS of annoying emails, and even annoying phone calls from sales people?

STOP it . . . look at it another way . . . You can’t keep doing what you’ve always done and still expect a different outcome. In other words as long as you keep just getting annoyed at those emails and phone calls you can’t expect anything different can you? Hanging up doesn’t help either. They’ll keep coming and you are missing an opportunity.

There’s always opportunity within that annoyance.

The problem is that we are STUCK in our way of thinking. We aren’t looking for the opportunities.

In the book “5 Questions that Change EVERYTHING” John Scherer mentions “facing your tiger.” When you accidentally run into a tiger on the trail your first thought is RUN!!!!!

But do you realize that by running you are INCREASING your chances of being eaten?

Ever play with a kitty? They like POUNCING, they like chasing down their prey, and they LOVE to see that little mouse running from them . . . it’s FUN to chase it down and kill it even if they don’t eat it right away.

That tiger is just one of those big kitty’s that loves chasing ANYTHING that RUNs and playfully tearing all of the little parts off of the body, and some of those parts are rather tasty.

Many times your first instincts will usually get you killed.

Now, I know that when you face that tiger that you aren’t stopping long enough to think, Kitty . . .hmm . . . better not run. No, we REACT from instinct.

But, that doesn’t change anything. It’ll still kill you when you run.

To change whatever you are facing, it requires that you face it, face your tiger. Facing a tiger on the trail and staring it down, is your ONLY chance. NO guarantees here that you’ll survive, but it increases the probability that you will. Running increases the probability that you won’t.

Which side of this coin do you want to play on?

But back to that annoying email, or phone call.

No, you aren’t going to get killed when you run from it, or just plain avoid taking it.  But you aren’t increasing your changes of more success either. The bottom line is nothing will change until you face it.

Instead of running, or just plain avoiding those annoying emails or phone calls, you just might find an opportunity by facing it squarely.

Turning Incoming Calls into Coaching Customers

For instance, I once got a call from a local IT company trying to sell me their IT services. My gut told me, “Hang up” it’s just another one of those pesky salespeople.

But do you know what? As a business coach, I have exactly what those pesky sales people want, I can help them get more clients. That’s what their call was about.

Hmm. As long as I think like most people do, I’ll just hang up annoyed with that pesky sales person. But, when I start thinking about THEM instead of ME (remember in marketing it isn’t about you, it’s about them . . . and it applies right here) . . . in any case, when I start thinking “what does this guy want, and my job is to help people get what they want” then I realize that what he wants I can provide to him with coaching.

FACE the TIGER, look it straight in the eye instead of running and things will turn around. At least it has a higher probability of doing so.

So, when I got that call from that IT company, I fought the urge to slam the phone down in his ear, and said, “What are you looking for? Specifically what kind of business is your ideal customer, and how many of them are you getting with these calls?”

Suddenly he was “off script” and talking with me. I asked how well these calls are working.

Now to What HE Wants . . . and Watch It Turn Around to Opportunity

“Actually,” he said, “I get about one appointment every day or two. And that’s pretty hard work for only one potential customer.”

Well, how many calls a day do you make?

He said, “I’m working my butt off, making hundreds of calls a day.”

Hmm, would you like to see more people falling in your lap for a lot less effort than these heart wrenching cold calls are delivering? It sounds like you are making about 200 calls over about 16 hours to just get one potential interested person, and that’s AWFULLY frustrating isn’t it?”

And, we set an appointment to talk the next day. He felt the pain, and I had what he wanted to resolve that pain. Bingo, the call turned from an incoming sales call to me reaching out to help him increase his sales. Actually, I was delivering what he wanted, so it was easy to turn the call around.

Yesterday I got an email to exchange links with someone. I usually ignore them. I even know that most of these link exchanges don’t work for anyone, and know why they don’t work.

So, instead of doing what I normally do, ignore it, delete it, I replied with, “Hi Jim. I looked at your website. Care to tell me about what you do in business, and how well this link exchange is working for you?”

A couple of emails back and forth within the next 10 minutes, and we are scheduled to talk later today.

Two main points here how you can do the same thing and get more clients.

1. Face the tiger – whatever scares you, annoys you, or angers you, FACE it and find the opportunity. It’s VERY likely that it’s there.

One hint: stop looking at the negatives in the situation. Ask yourself what does this person want, and how can I help him get there. It will turn from the negative, scare, annoyance, anger to an opportunity. You’ve just got to face it and look for the opportunity. By avoiding nothing changes. Look for opportunities in everything, even the negatives.

2. Zig Ziglar said, “Find enough people to help and you’ll have everything you ever wanted out of life.”

And many times behind the negatives, are people trying desprately to get what they want. It’s just that most of them don’t know how to get what they want, so they do things that annoy and anger us. But under all of that they need help to get what they want. It’s an opportunity for you to help them.

And, those of us who are coaches/consultants/trainers/speakers we have the tools to help them get what they want.

Whenever you offer to help someone it will increase the probability that you will be able to help them and turn the negative around to an opportunity.

There is a beautiful rainbow in every dark cloud if you look for it.

Where’s yours? Face it, find it.

Would you like to find more ways to get more coaching/consulting/training clients. It’s really easy when you know how? Would you like to have lots more tools at your hands to grow your business.

Sign up for your coaching business growth emails at

www.100k-small-business-coach.com/sq-pg/Super-Star-Coaching-Business.htm

To Your Coaching Business Super Success

Alan Boyer

The $100K Small Business Coach

Shortcuts to your first $100K (and many more) in your coaching/consulting/training business within 2 months or less.

www.➡.ws/LifesCoaches