By Jackie Simmons

Lesson 4
– ACT – “Leap and the Net will Appear”* eventually

It is time to get into action because the only way to get good at doing anything is to, well, do it! My intention is to guide you to do the right things in the right order so that you get comfortable being in action sooner.

No one likes this part. It feels risky and you know you are going to get told “No” and you may even be afraid that you will “mess-up” a few conversations. You will.

I told you, you were not going to like this. I get it. I didn’t like it either.

The reason “Act” is Lesson 4 and not Lesson 1 is because I messed up a huge number of conversations along the way. I didn’t have a single place to record what happened in the conversations so it took me a very, very long time to notice patterns and to figure out how my “mess” connected to other people’s.

Getting into Action, before I had the pieces that you have been putting together in the earlier Lessons, cost me time, money, and even a few relationships. Because you have put in the pre-work, you have a much higher likelihood of success sooner.

I know, that doesn’t change the fact that getting into action is risky and it is not “fun”.

The question to ask is: “Am I willing to be uncomfortable?”

–          Maybe?  If the thought of getting into a conversation with a prospect still tenses you up – don’t worry, it’s just an “elephant” and we are going to tame it – one prospect at a time.

The script is simple.

If you are looking for customers and clients or if you are looking to get booked for speaking gigs the script is similar, and call lists begin the same way too.

Starting with the easy part, each day of this Lesson will build on the Language Lists you created in the last Lesson.

Just like Lesson 1 about the breathing, this Lesson will be an ongoing practice for the rest of your business life.

It may always be a challenge to get yourself to get started, or you may find that it gets to be something you look forward to.

For me, it got fun when I started making money.  The reason we worked through the Language Lists first is because I know, if you are addressing what is important to them in Language that they understand, people will pay you to help them.

*American naturalist John Burroughs

Lesson 4-Day 1
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: Get dressed in your business clothes and go to a networking event. No business cards? No problem.

If you have never been to one or you simply do not like going to them this plan will make it easy for you.

Your goal is to LISTEN.
Your goal is to collect contact information from 3 people that you want to have follow-up conversations with.
Your goal is to practice your “Problem/Solution” statement from Lesson 3 (the one that you tested out on your friends) with at least 10 people, 20 is better. Keep it verbatim – no changing it up yet.
Your goal is to leave with all of your own cards still in your pocket.

HUH! Re-read that last line again – Do not, I repeat, do not offer your card to anyone.  Give them one if they ask for it, but otherwise, keep them in your pocket. Trust me, they do not need your card, in fact sometimes it is an advantage not to have cards yet.

Now, take a deep breath. No one ever died from networking. Here is one of my favorite ways to start a networking event:

Look for a person on the edge of the room who is more nervous than you are (holding a folder in front of their stomach is a clue). Walk over near them and stand BESIDE them, not facing them. Glance at them, catch their eye, grin sheepishly and say: “I’m not quite ready to jump into this yet, do you mind if I stand here with you for a bit?”

I have made life-long friends by asking this one question.

Now, go out and meet 3 people who might be good prospects for you.
Write their names and phone numbers here.
Remember to breathe.

Lesson 4-Day 2
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: Following up is THE critical activity in business. Most people fail to follow-up enough to be successful because they have not done the pre-work that you have. You understand that the connection is more important than the transaction.

You have prospects from networking, business cards you have collected and other people you know.
Write down a list, or start a spreadsheet. Columns you will need: Name, Phone number, Notes, and Next Steps. Other columns will come up as you have conversations.
These four will be enough to get you started.
Now call three, and only three, prospects.
Start every conversation with: “Hi, this is (me) and we met at (event). Do you have a minute? (“Yes”). I’d like to get to know you better and see if there are ways I can help you (Benefit Statement). Would tomorrow morning at 10 work for us to chat for 30 minutes?”

The goal of these reach out calls is to set up a longer conversation. Pick a time that you want them to schedule in advance and be prepared to be flexible with it.

(Note: If you are in a network marketing/direct sales business get with your mentor and plan your calling strategy. They may have a different call pattern that works in your industry. If your mentor has offered to do three-way calls with you to make it faster for you to grow your business, use them! Plan your calling schedule with your mentor AND change your script. Give your prospect the head’s up that your mentor may be joining you on the call.)

If your call goes to voicemail – hang up. Do not leave voicemail messages. I mean it. Do not leave a message. Let them be curious.

If an assistant offers to take a message, ask: “What’s usually a good time to catch them?”

Now do your conscious breathing, smile, and dial.

Write your results here. Remember, it is all just feedback. How many conversations did you schedule? How many dials did you make to get three people on the phone? All dials count in this game.  Make notes on your spreadsheet and you are done. Whew.

Remember to breathe and congratulate yourself for taking action.

Lesson 4-Day 3
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: Having a conversation with a prospect is an opportunity to make a new friend.
Let’s review your preparedness for these conversations.
You have your relaxing picture from Lesson 1 Day 7
You have your gentle questions from Lesson 2 to help you learn what they might be struggling with.
You have your “Bridge” drawing to remind you that you are the connection that will get them from where they are to where they want to be.
You have your “Problem/Solution” statement from Lesson 3 that you tested with friends and networking.
You have everything you need except an invitation – You will need to invite people to work with you.
(don’t laugh, it is the number one reason people do not make money – they do not ASK)

What is your offer? What do you want people to do?
Buy your product? Join your team? Take a course/class? Become a client in a program? Have one free session at your gym? Join you at a meeting?
It depends on what you are ready to receive and what their needs are. Clarity will come from your conversations and from the later Lessons. You do not need to be clear yet. You simply need to make your calls and LISTEN.

Keep your conversation appointments:
At the end of the day: Review your Lesson 2 Day 7 Conversation and compare your imagined conversation with the real calls.  Write down what you learned from these calls.

Even though you may have conversation appointments today, you still need to make 3 calls to more prospects. In fact, you will need to do this every day from this moment on. It will likely take you 10 Dials to get 3 people on the phone. Even if it is your 2nd or 3rd attempt to reach someone, do not leave a message yet. It will only slow you down.

Commit to making 10 DIALS every day. Do these before you do anything else, including checking email.

Remember to breathe.

Lesson 4-Day 4
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: Start using tools to help you keep track of your dials and calls.
A bubble chart with 10 circles that you can fill in for each dial. A set of three circles for the names of your three conversation appointments.
A checklist
A stack of poker chips that you move from one side of your desk to the other
Pick SOMETHING, it is vitally important that you have a visual way to keep track of your actions.

Use this page to try out one of these ideas as you make your dials and calls today.

Recommit to making 10 DIALS every day before you do anything else.
Remember to breathe.

Lesson 4-Day 5
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: Make your calls and then read this section.

Email contact has the same goal as the “quick call” and NO, email cannot be used in place of making “reach out” calls.  The best way to use email is as a “reason” to call someone and ask: “Did you receive my email?”

How fast do you want success?
Nothing is faster than Face to Face for building connection. Voice to Voice is next best. Email is slowest.
That being said, email is important and there are rules that make it more effective.
Reach out emails are short and to the point and most often used by speakers or to invite to something.
“Do you take outside speakers for your meetings?”
“Please join me for my open house”

These are not advertising or marketing messages, this is just about making solid contact so that you can build connections.

Write down a list of when you might use an email.

Review the list, are any of the ideas a way of postponing picking up the phone?

Keep the ones that will motivate you to reach out to people by phone faster and write them as template in a word doc and save it.

Recommit to making 10 DIALS every day before you do anything else.
Remember to breathe.

Lesson 4-Day 6
It’s not about getting it right.
It’s about getting it done – ACT –

Applying the Lesson: The Money is in the Follow-Up
Repeat after me: “The Money Is In The Follow-up”

True story: Client, many years in business. Scared of not being able to grow and not being able to fund her normal life, much less fund a retirement.

I suggested that she create a quick 1:1 follow-up to the classes she was teaching as a fast path to create more income.

My recommendation was that she call everyone who had ever take this type of class in the past and make the offer to them as well. That’s when I learned that even though she had kept files on every one of her clients, she had NEVER followed up with any of them, about anything.

We are doing a major remake of her business including adding amazing CUSTOMER SERVCE a.k.a.: follow-up.  Customer Service does not ever go out of style and if you get it right, it will set you apart in the marketplace.

I hereby challenge you to Keep Your Commitment to do 10 Dials-a-Day to new prospects AND 10 Dials-a-Day to existing and previous clients.

Recommit to making 10 DIALS every day before you do anything else.
Remember to breathe.

Lesson 4-Day 7

Applying the Lesson: ACT = show up at networking events, follow-up with your prospects and clients and former clients. Remember to LISTEN and remember that it is all just FEEDBACK – it is not about you.

Check in – what are you using to keep track of your outbound calls, call backs and scheduled conversations? Is it working for you? This is important.

Whatever you use, be consistent with it.

Earlier I recommended setting up a spreadsheet to keep track of your calls.

Here’s why: Using a computer-based system makes it easier to scale your business. Spreadsheets will make it easier to delegate some of the phone calls to an assistant when you get to the point that it makes sense – like now.

If you are serious about building a business, hiring an assistant is one of the first goals I recommend. Even 5 hours a week can take some of the busy work off your plate so that you can focus on making phone calls and having scheduled conversations.

Recommit to making 10 DIALS every day before you do anything else.

Remember to breathe.