You know the drill. Extraverts spread their message by talking to as many people as possible. They will tell you that it’s a “numbers game.” They’ll tell you that you have to talk to anybody and everybody about your product or service. They’ll tell you that the way to be successful is to prospect X number of people, and as a result, X number of people will set appointments, out of X appointments, you will get X number of sales, X referrals, X re-orders, so on and so forth.

And, they’re right. (HA! I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming!)

We all play a numbers game, true. But, here’s where my philosophy differs. When it’s time to call up your uncle Rudy to sell him something, and it’s the first time you’ve called him in four years, it’s natural to feel a bit uncomfortable. When you’re fidgeting with your phone, trying to put off calling anybody, your extraverted sales manager will gladly tell you to just suck it up and call them. You go through with it, you read your awful script, you hang up the phone, and try to convince yourself that it wasn’t that bad. Just do it 19 more times, and you’re done for the day! Enough of those phone calls, and somebody will actually buy something! And they will.

So yes, it’s a numbers game, but I’ve decided to tweak the formula a tad.
1. E-mail X number of people to ask how they’re doing.
2. X number of them will respond.
3. X number of the responses will ask what you’re doing these days. To these people, tell them a brief 3-4 sentence summary of what you’re doing. Then, back to the conversation.
4. For every X people that ask what you’ve been doing, X of them will express a desire to know more. Ask some qualifying questions and find out if they’re serious and interested. Then, go back to talking about something not related to your business. X of these will get a solid idea of what you do and will approach you about doing business.
5. For anyone who doesn’t reply to the e-mails, wait 1-2 weeks and then call them. Do steps 2-4.

I think you’ll find that my numbers game is a lot more fun to play. Also, take another look at your names list after having read my formula. Does it still look as scary? I’ll bet it doesn’t!

We still need to work on your message, your qualifying questions, and your follow-up. Stay tuned!