Research: To the Detriment of Getting Started

Ever been caught in the "over-analyze" trap? C'mon, you know you have. I know I have! My brain starts screaming at me, "Glen, you're not ready to make that first prospecting call. You MUST invest more time in researching the prospective company. Have you googled the contact yet? Man, you haven't even searched for white papers, news releases, or their latest Annual Report. Don't pick up that phone! If you do, you'll be sorry"

Sounds like a bunch of excuses to me.

Let's get honest here: I've already done enough research to make the first call. I know the industry. I have searched for the contact on LinkedIn. I did google the company, read the "About Us" section on their web, and searched for latest news releases. I have done my homework. Yet, my brain still tells me that I need to do more.

Why do we fear getting started? Why is it so hard to make that first phone call - take that first action?

Dale Carnegie said it best, "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy"

But Dale,  you say, "Isn't research an action?"

"Sure it is", he might say, "as long as you do something with it. Get out and get busy!"

 

Getting busy means making that first call... and the second, the third, the fourth ... and the twentieth call.

 

As you make the calls you will discover something about yourself. You WILL be more confident. You WILL be more courageous. You WILL overcome your fear of getting started. Along the way your words will flow much smoother. Your smile will be genuine instead of forced. Your nerves will have relaxed and the much needed humor-factor will have crept into your conversations. As sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer says, "If you can make them laugh, you can make them buy."

Stop making excuses. Be a person of action.