Has any of you ever had to contact businesses to promote the company you work for, but was scared about it??

AT ONE TIME, I WAS YOU! I loved going door-to-door soliciting for real estate listings - doing my very best to get folks to put their houses and properties on the market for sale or rent - through my parents’ real estate brokerage business. I LOVED going door-to-door. I DID EVERYTHING I was supposed to do - AND MORE! I would start at the appointed time and work until I knew I had to quit for lunch. I went back after lunch and worked until just before the children got home from school. After dinner, I did the same thing! Out there - knocking on those doors.

I would start at the rear of the properties - a development of townhouses [back then, they were called “rows” or “row houses”], - walking down the rear driveways, catching the nice ladies and gentlemen who were putting up their wash on the clothes lines; taking their children and pets for walks, sitting “out back” with a morning cup of coffee or tea or a cold beverage. I met LOTS of wonderful folks!

I worked all day Saturday. AND ALL day on legal holidays - President’s Day, [Back then Washington’s AND Lincoln’s birthdays were separately celebrated!]; Good Friday; Memorial Day during the morning hours; the same on July 4; Labor Day, ditto; Friday after Thanksgiving; day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve day.

I wrote “Thank You” notes to the very nice ladies and gentlemen; I gave small gifts to those same wonderful people AND MORE “TY“ notes!. On more than one occasion, I was invited in for coffee, or something cold to drink [YES, times were A LOT different back then!].

BUT when I was told to “call back tonight when my husband/wife is home”, I JUST couldn’t bring myself to do that lousy little task! I would go back attempting to see those folks who weren’t home - but that stinkin’ phone call? Those seven little numbers [What? Oh YES< this was WAY before we HAD to use area codes!] - I JUST COULDN’T pick up that 5,000,000 pound monster! I JUST COULDN’T put my finger in the hole and push it around until it stopped [That‘s why they call it “dial“ and “dialing“ today]. Did I have the numbers? ABSOLUTELY! Did have the names? Yep! NO PROBLEM there! I had EVERYTHING I NEEDED!

BUT I absolutely hated using the telephone.! I just had this terrible gut feeling I was going to have my head bitten off and jammed into my stomach!

UNTIL … UNTIL I said to myself, “YO! What the %^&* [no need to use that word, is there?] am I doing to myself? NO ONE works harder than me! NO ONE does the job as well as I do! Do I see any one else out there in ALL kinds of weather [hot and cold, any way] banging on those doors? %^&* NO! Well, what am I waiting for?”
I looked at my list with MY NOTES - MY OWN handwriting! “Pick-up that phone AND call these wonderful people.” They TOLD ME to call! THEY TOLD ME WHEN to call! C-A-L-L -- CALL! Call NOW!”

AND I DID CALL. AND the man answering the phone said, “OH, YES, Ron, I’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOUR call!” For the sake of my answer to you, I emphasized the language with UPPER CASE letters. IF I didn’t call I would have disappointed that man, wouldn’t I? Is there any other way to look at it? I don’t see any other way.

Did I get the listing? No. BUT I made that call. I spoke with that gentleman.

TRUE STORY: Many, many years later, I was taking a real estate investment course. On the very first day of one of those classes, we [about 6 or 7 others and myself] walked into the room. One of my mentors, Dennis C., wrote this on the upper left corner of white board: SW3 - N! From my seat, pointing to the board, I asked, “Dennis, what does that mean?
In a very calm voice, Dennis said, “You’ll find out, Mr. Berue. In due time, you will all find out. I promise! For right now, don‘t pay any attention to that.” AND he erased it.

We went through the morning’s session. We stopped for lunch. Then completed the afternoon session.
Next day, it was back on the board. It was almost a videotape replay of the previous day’s Q: “Dennis, when are we going to get the answer to that?” Dennis said, “What did I tell you yesterday?” Nothing more was said. Nothing more needed to be said.
The third and last day: Morning session. Done. Stopped for Lunch. Afternoon session ditto. UNTIL about 20 minutes before we finished the class. Dennis wrote it on the board: GREAT BIG LETTERS - right in the center:

After he finished writing, Dennis turned to us and with the black marker, pointed to the whiteboard and said, “Can ANY ONE tell the others what that means?” For about 2 seconds there was silence. I said, “No, but for 3 days you sure had my curiosity raised.” Everyone laughed and said or murmured, “Yeah, me, too.” “Yep” or something in the affirmative.

“No one has a clue what that means?” Almost in unison, “No.”

He turned and erased it. Then he started writing AND as each word was being written, we, in unison, started saying each of these words: Some Will. Some Won’t. So What! NEXT! When Dennis finished writing, he stepped aside, nonchalantly flipped and spun the black marker in the air, caught it and said, “Now you all you know! Folks, what have we talked about for some of these days?”

Someone said, “We talked about talking to people.”
Dennis said, “Not quite, but close.”

Someone else said, “We learned how to speak with people about

Dennis stopped him COLD! “What was that? What was that word? Come on -- SAY IT!”

The young man started over and continued, “We talked about talking WITH people about their real estate and their problems WITH their real estate ---- and how we might help those people WITH their problems.” [I emphasized “WITH”]

THAT is 100% CORRECT! I’m telling you right now - NO ONE gets up to bat and hit’s a home run each and every time he or she steps up to the plate. No one. I can almost guarantee it - you are going to strike out A LOT more times than you will hit that home run. You may be able to help people with their problems. You may - inadvertently - say something which will set those wheels in motion, which could cause those folks to do something you may have thought would apply only to you. BUT you know what? There are a hundred other people out there trying to do the exact same th9ng each of you will be doing. Helping people.

You aren’t going to get any money for saying something in a certain way to make them do - or not do something. You have to go to bed knowing you did the best job you could under those circumstances and with those people.

THEN the next day you get yup and do it all over again. AND that’s what that saying - that “cryptogram - for lack of a better word is ALL about.

Some of those wonderful people WILL see things as you AND them see them. THEN you might be able to help them with their particular situation..
Some of those wonderful people WON’T see things as you AND them see them. THEN you WON’T be able to help them with their particular situation
For those who do as you suggested, then do what you suggested with someone else, SO WHAT! There are others out there doing the exact same thing you are doing - only in a slightly different way.
THEN the ONLY thing you can do is shrug your shoulders and move on to the NEXT person and their situation.
DON’T GET STRESSED-OUT OVER IT. JUST DO IT! Then learn from your mistakes and keep doing it untill you get it down, COLD! Honest to God, folks, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, wouldn’t they? ”

THE HARDEST PART IS GETTING started! THE EXTREME HARDEST PART IS CONTINUING! THE MOST EXTREME PART IS FOLLOWING THROUGH! DO IT!”

Back to you and your situation: You lack at least one very important element or trait: Confidence! YOU MUST believe in yourself and what you do, what you want to do and what you have to do. No one is going to give you confidence. Confidence is in you.

You should be able to do just about whatever it is you want to do. I’m sorry, you won’t be able to walk on water - I don’t think - unless you know where the rocks are! You “learn where the rocks are” by doing and learning from your mistakes. THEN you do your best to correct those mistakes.

At one time, I WAS YOU! NOW its time for YOU TO BE YOU AND DO! DO IT, isn‘t it? Honestly, no one is going to bite off your head. Some folks might holler. Others might hang-up or slam the door in your face. Still others might out and out lie to you. And there may be other situations you’re going to have to deal with. Don’t you think its time to get out of your “sterile” environment?

I must move on. Just like you, there are other wonderful folks who need honest answers to their Qs, aren’t there?

Thank you for asking your question. I enjoyed taking the time to answer your question. You did a great job - not only for your information, but for every other person interested in reading my answer. Thanks to everyone for reading my answer.

I wish you well!

VTY,
Ron Berue
Yes, that is my real last name.