Top 10 Strategies to Rocket Launch Your Business

Warren Wandling

Top 10 Strategies to Rocket Launch Your Business - Increase Your Confidence and Your Results

Are you looking for strategies to increase your effectiveness in your business?  Would it be helpful if you knew how to keep a full calendar?  Do you need assistance staying focused and positive in your day to day activities?  Then these strategies are for YOU!  The best way to implement these strategies is to pick 1 or 2 that really resonate with you.  Focus on mastering those, and then move on to the others.

1. Take Action

The number one reason people do not take action is because of the fear of the unknown. Unknowns in any business could be prospecting and calling potential clients or business partners.

The way to eliminate fear is by taking action. As you pick up the phone and talk with your prospect; the fear will go away. Why?  Because the result is no longer unknown. If you want to achieve in business you must take massive action. You must pick up the phone and talk with prospects. This will build your confidence as you grow your business.

Anytime you start doing something new or something you have not done for awhile, there could be fear. That is normal. Remember the person you are talking to is human,  just like you.

In the Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, PhD, the author states “a two-step procedure to cure fear and win confidence. 

1.      The first step is Isolate your fear. Pin it down. Determine exactly what you are afraid of.

2.      Second, Then take action. There is some kind of action for any kind of fear." The opposite of taking action is inaction and that only inflates your fear. Don’t let fear control your destiny. Take action and get positive results.  

Tip for getting into activity – Think about the Law of Inertia, an object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays in rest. 

Newton's first law of motion is often stated as:

An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an outside force. 

Let’s think about that for a minute.  Picture a phone on your desk.  Gravity is pulling the phone down and the force of the desk is pushing the phone upward, hence, the phone does not move.  You take your hand; pick up the phone and now YOU ARE IN ACTION!  You dial the phone, make your first call and then you are on a roll!  Each successive call becomes easier and easier because you are in action!

If your fears are keeping you from taking action, there are other techniques to help you eliminate them.

 2.  Write down a list of 100 people that you know.
 One of the keys to overcome fear of prospecting and expanding your business is having enough leads to contact. The best place to start is your centers of influence. Think of everyone that you do business with. Look in your checkbook to see whom you write checks to. Take out the Yellow Pages and think of whom you know that is involved in a particular occupation and go from A to Z.  If you don’t know the phone number, just write down the name. You can come back and fill in the phone number later. Go through your PDA, address book, or holiday card list.   You will be amazed at all of the different people that you know. From this list it will grow, because you can ask for referrals and you will see your list grow 100 times.  There is a quick, easy process to determine who you want to work with and how to build long term relationships for referrals.

1.      From the list of 100 people, write down the top 10 people that you would have the most influence with. This list will be called your Center of Influence list.  Start with this list asking whom they might know would be open to your product and service. 

2.      Develop relationships that are mutually beneficial to you and your Center of Influence.  As you contact your centers of influence, let them know as you come across someone who needs their product or service you will pass on their name and contact information.

3.      Learn who would benefit from their product or service by asking the following question “How do I know if I am talking with a good prospect for your business?"

4.      Build trust by mailing articles and information that you think would be interesting or helpful to those you are networked with.  The next time they need your “widget", they will think of you!

3. Schedule a specific time in your day to make calls.  
Managing your time is a skill that successful people have mastered. Schedule a specific time in your day to make calls. Scheduling time to make calls allows you be focused in a concentrated time. Start by making one call, you will soon get into a rhythm and find great success. If you don’t schedule time to make calls it will not get accomplished. Remember, making calls and scheduling appointments with qualified prospects will increase your income.
Tip:  If you are calling a CEO’s office, call at 7:29 a.m. or 5:01 p.m. because the gatekeeper is usually not available at those times and you are able to get right to the person you are calling.

4. Clear your desk of everything except your calendar and the list of names you are going to call.  You have scheduled time to make calls, be sure you make the most of that time.  Don’t allow yourself to be distracted.  Be focused on your phone calling.  If you have other folders or projects on your desk, you might be tempted to look at these folders and start working on issues associated with them. Even if only takes a few minutes it will take your focus off the activity of making calls.

5. Write and Read Affirmations about being a strong prospector and communicator. Affirmations will assist you in getting greater results in your business.  Since all Results begin with our thoughts, the greatest way to impact those thoughts is in writing and using affirmations in our lives.

The steps in writing an affirmation are as follows:

·        A positive statement. This should include what you want, NOT want you don’t want. The mind cannot focus on the reverse of an idea. Let me prove this to you. I want you to think of a red racecar. Imagine the red race car zipping by you on the highway; see the red car on your television.  Now, I want you to stop thinking of a red race care. Stop.
I bet you are thinking about the red race car. In fact, you can not stop thinking of a red race car. Say only what you want. 

·        Use first person statements, such as, I have or I have achieved or I am.

·        Tie it to your goal.  For example. I have 10 appointments scheduled every week, my calendar is booked and I love it. 

·        State it in the present. You don’t want to use past or future language. For example, “Someday I will be a master prospector."

Use words that state the affirmation in the Present.
     For example, I am a master prospector, I love to schedule appointments.

·        Focus on the power of what you say to your self. Learn more in Shad Helmstetter’s book, “What do you say when you talk to yourself?"

6. Set up a Rewards Program by creating your own Rewards Sheet.

Take out a piece of paper and make four columns on the page.  In the first column, write down a list of activities that you enjoy. For example: Watching a movie, working out, taking a walk, playing golf or tennis, enjoying a Latté’, going to dinner.

In the second column, next to your list of activities, put a number from 1 to 10 describing the importance of enjoyment. The third column would tell how long it might take to enjoy the activity. The final column would reflect the level of activity you would like to complete before engaging in that activity.
For example: You would not go golfing after you scheduled one appointment. You might reward yourself a round of golf after you scheduled your month of 10 or more appointments per week.

If you have a challenge picking up the phone to make calls, you might reward yourself a sip of a Latte after you schedule an appointment or every time you make a call. You adjust the reward based on level of behavior you want to change.  See the following table for ideas.

 7. Highlight 10 different times on your calendar that you can schedule an appointment.

You do this for two reasons
     1.  You are creating the opportunity to schedule appointments, to be in business, if you will.

     2.  By creating these time slots, you are setting a measurable, achievable goal.

Example: You are available to hold appointments Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Your mind will focus on what you want to accomplish. You will have a sense of focus in filling up your calendar with quality prospects. Now when you visit with someone about your business, you know exactly when you are available and you can focus on getting the appointment.  Remember this is only a guideline. If you are available at 2:30 pm, schedule the appointment. Don’t tell your prospects that you have a wide open calendar; you will keep your posture by focusing on the time slots you have set aside. 
Start using this scheduling tip today ---you will be amazed at how simple and powerful this technique is!

8. When calling, state the purpose of the call and focus on scheduling the appointment. The goal is to book the appointment, not to sell your product or service. Keep it short. You want to get on and off the phone.

 Format for calling a prospect/acquaintance about your business.

1.      Compliment and connect

2.      Statement of interest

3.      Ask for the appointment

4.      Eliminate anxiety associated with the appointment.

5.      Confirm  the date/time

Sample script:  Hi, this is Bob Smith; I had the pleasure of meeting you last week at the ball game.  It was so fun to connect.  I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but I work with busy professionals just like you, who want to break free from the ball and chain feeling their business has on them, so they can spend their time the way they want to.  Would you be open to learn more and see if we can work together?

Bob…Yes.

You – What does your calendar look like on Monday at 10 or Wednesday at 3?

Bob…Wednesday at 3pm.

You…Great Bob, I look forward to visiting with you on Wednesday.  And Bob, I want you to know in advance that if it doesn’t work out for us to work together, that is okay, at least you will have the big picture, in case you are ever interested, you will know what I do.  See you on Wednesday.

9.  Belief - In The Magic of Thinking Big, By David J Schwartz, PhD
Dr. Schwartz states, “Belief, strong belief, triggers the mind to figuring ways and means and how-to. And believing you can succeed makes others place confidence in you"

(HINT:  read this book it will change your life)

You must believe in your product and service and your ability to service your clients. If you have the belief that you only have time to meet with ten clients each week, and think to yourself “Who is going to be lucky enough to meet with me this week?" You will attract more prospects than you are able to meet with in a week. Remember the areas that beliefs come from are affirmations. When you are prospecting, have the belief that you are going to meet more friends today. Ask yourself this question - What is your belief about yourself and your product and service? That belief will come across to your potential clients.

10. Be positive and enthusiastic!  Have Fun----- Life is too short, have fun in whatever you are doing.  Don’t just be positive---- be positive with a purpose.  Webster defines enthusiastic “as having or showing great excitement and interest;" When you are talking with a prospect, be interested, not interesting.  In other words, learn about that person, enjoy getting to know him, and then you will have the privilege of sharing your business with him at that time, or at a follow up appointment. That person might lead you to the next person who will become one of your clients.

As you implement these strategies, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and success.  Many business owners, like you have rocket launched their businesses by implementing these tips.  For more information on the author, Warren Wandling, go to www.awakeningsignificance.com

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