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Mary Lou Evans, an insurance agent for State Farm, finds it very easy to defer her calls and instead bone up on her product knowledge by reading journals and newsletters pertinent to her industry Brian O'Brian with Cellular One finds himself giving in to the impulse to write proposals for prospective clients rather than pick up the phone. Jack Brodsky. a real estate agent, reviews the MLS catalog to make sure he knows of all the new listings that might be of interest to his buyers - but he does this instead of cold prospecting.
This conflict is hidden by the fact that the prospector is captured by a variety of erroneous ideas concerning the possible consequences of cold calling, but doesn't know it. He or she is blind to the immobilizing power of these false beliefs and is held hostage by them. Because of the inability to perceive the conflict, the caller does not know what is holding him or her back; the caller experiences only the reluctance or averse feeling and feels blocked and immobilized by some mysterious force that prevents the activity. By understanding there is a conflict, the way is opened to explore different ways to more functionally resolve the conflict and move ahead.
Procrastination Is Not The Answer
Paralysis is what happens to most of us as we face something threatening we don't want to do: we procrastinate or find a substitute activity. One of my friends in the securities field, Joe Murray, claimed he was the most creative procrastinator he knew. He would go to the bank, talk to friends on the phone, write letters, make "to do" lists, anything to avoid picking up the phone to make cold calls. Those who have studied the matter (Jane Burke and Lenora Yuen, Procrastination, 1983) say procrastinators avoid taking action that is revealing of their abilities, skills or intellectual competence. They hide out, in other words, to avoid being judged. Many a cold caller, I'm sure, will resonate with this thought. As William James said, "With no attempt there can be no failure; with no failure, there's no humiliation,".
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