Five Ways to Cure Your Fear Of Rejection Forever (Part II)
Five battle-tested tips to beat fear of rejection and start landing more customers — because confidence comes from action, not the other way around.
KickStart: Clarity In Your Intentions Makes Everything More Pleasant
Fear really is the world’s ugliest emotion. 🫣
True, our fear(s) as residential service providers can’t possibly compete with an orphaned child’s terror, a homeless family’s fear or even worse, the loss of a child. 🥹
However, this message is directed to you folks- entrepreneurs who work in and on their clients’ homes. And yes, from a business standpoint, the all-too-common, paralyzing ‘Fear Of Rejection’ has a devastating impact on us and our families’ futures!
As I recently mentioned in my ‘Dump Your Fear Of Rejection to Supercharge Your Business’ article we KNOW what we need to do as in, “1) Git our butt out there, 2) knock on doors, network, etc. and 3) land some new customers.” And yet…
We don’t! Yes, the “we” is there on purpose. True confessions time? I was the King of Displacement Activities, which allowed me to shirk the essential ownership task of reaching out to new sources of business. 🫣
But I’m not here to beat you up! 🙄 Instead, here are the five main tips that I developed to conquer (most of the time) my Fear Of Rejection forever!
1. Lighten up and laugh a little.
Is your family going to actually go hungry if your next prospect says “no”? Of course not. So, stop treating every sales call or residential pre-inspection like it’s a life-or-death situation. Instead…
a) Walk in relaxed, b) with a bounce in your step, and c) a self-deprecating sense of humor about the whole thing. People respond to energy. “Easygoing confidence” beats “tense and desperate” every single time.
2. Lock down your opening 20 seconds.
The Fear Of Rejection hits hardest right at the start — those first 20 to 30 seconds when you’re introducing yourself and explaining why you’re there. After that? It’s just a conversation, and your friends tell me you’re good at “shooting the bull”! 😦
So, practice your opening lines until they are automatic. Say them to your spouse, your mirror, your dog — whoever will listen. When those first words come out naturally and confidently, the rest flows on its own.
💡 ProTIP #1: SMILE! 😁 I get it. You’re nervous which means your face gets contorted into a ghastly frozen expression. UGH! So, take a deep breath, reflect on point #1 and smile at people!
💡 ProTIP #2: Look people in the eye. I get it. You’re STILL nervous? This means you’ll look everywhere except straight into the eyes of your prospect. Fight this tendency. When you don’t confidently meet the gaze of a new potential client you telegraph that you’re unsure or worse, untrustworthy! 👎👎
3. Understand that selling is a process, not an event.
Every “no” you get is not a failure. It’s just a data point. It has become a cliché but never forget, every “no” means you are one step closer to a “yes!”
I call it the Law of Large Numbers — the more doors you walk through consistently, the more accounts you will land. It’s math, not luck. Commit to making a minimum number of new potential client contacts each week. (A daily goal is better.) Then… hold yourself accountable.
👍 Never forget: Consistent, Massive Action is what separates the home service businesses that grow from the ones that go out of business or (even worse in my opinion) really should hang it up but endure 30 or 40 years stuck in a rut! 😥
4. Make every visit count, even the short ones.
Didn’t get to speak to the decision-maker? Got the brush-off at the front desk or in the client’s home? That’s fine — smile, leave your card, grab a name, find out the best way to follow up.
Every visit should produce something useful. A contact name. An email address. A better sense of who makes the buying decisions. Nothing is wasted if you’re intentional about it.
ProTIP #3: Always make a ‘Last Ditch Request’. Precede it with, “Before I go, (quizzical expression appears on your face) let me ask you…”
🗝 My Favorite Commercial ‘Last Ditch Request’: “Before I go, let me ask you, “Could you put me down on your Vendor List for upcoming projects or RFB’s (Requests For Bids)?”
5. Above all else, just walk through the door.
Somebody once told me, “The hardest door to get through is your own.” This is so true. The hardest part of any sales call happens before you ever leave your home or get out of your truck.
Once you’re standing in front of someone, your Fear Of Rejection shrinks fast. So. make a personal commitment to get out there on a regular, consistent, DAILY basis. (Not just when business is slow or when you’re feeling brave.) Make it a habit. Build it into your schedule like any other task.
The business you want is already out there waiting. The only thing standing between you and a growing, dynamic exciting home service business?
😡It is that nasty, negative subliminal “FOR” voice whispering that you should 1) wait, 2) avoid, and/or 3) postpone! Now you know what it is, where this FOR voice comes from, and exactly how to shut it down!
Remember, my mom transformed my life with her simple, “Steven, it costs nothing to ask!” So, ummm… WHY are you hanging out here with me? Git yerself out there and start… ASKING! 👍👍
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