Overcoming the Top Obstacle to Commercial Real Estate Success

The other day I was about to undergo another grueling physical therapy session with Mary. Mary has a knack for point at the mat and making me get into contortionist poses. Does it help my chronic lower back pain? Absolutely! Do I fear I am going to break my neck? Heck yeah. But I don’t – in fact, after a 90-minute session with Mary, I am feeling as good as new. Mary, an eternal optimist (one of the reasons I love working with her), shared with me a quote by author Neale Donald Walsh: “Fear is simply false evidence appearing real”.

[Tweet “Fear is simply false evidenve appearing real. ~ Neale Donald Walsh”]

Fear is one of the top reasons many commercial real estate professionals either fail, or simply achieve below-average to average production throughout their careers. Fear of failure is true for many, but the bigger issue is the fear of rejection, which leads to a significant fear of asking for business.

I understand, picking up the phone or walking across the floor of a networking session to share your value proposition or recent market information can be intimidating. Unfortunately, a fear of failure or rejection will expedite the actual event of failure itself.

[Tweet “Fear of failure or rejection will expedite the actual event of failure itself.”]

So how do you overcome these fears – or at the least find a way to deal with them? Here are a few lessons that seem to work for me (yes, I too have fears of failure and rejection) and many of our coaching clients.

6 WAYS TO OVERCOME FEAR OF REJECTION

Call yourself

Yep, if you fear calling others, then first call yourself. Leave a message on your home phone. Call yourself 100 times if you must, but get in the habit of making a call and introducing yourself and the purpose of the call. Pay attention to the pitch of your voice, but don’t harp on the sound – no one likes how they sound.

Role play with friends

 It doesn’t matter if they are in commercial real estate – in fact, it is better if they are not. Get with some friends or colleagues who also need to ask for business and meet them for lunch or after work. Take turns making your phone pitch.

Start Small – build winning streaks

Don’t set audacious goals when asking for business. If you have a hard time making phone calls, then set a goal for one call a day. Anyone can make one call a day. Soon it will be 2, then 3, and before you know it, you will be making 50 calls a week. The key is to build winning streaks.

Test different approaches

Once you start making calls, mix up your introduction. You will find that you are more comfortable articulating some than others. You will also find some introductions work with certain prospects while others work better with a separate set of prospects.

Allocate time

If you allocate time in your calendar, every day, to a task, you are more likely to do it. Schedule a time slot in your calendar for making calls. You will find yourself feeling guilty when you don’t. For some guilt overrides fear.

Keep things in perspective

You are asking for a meeting, not trying to sell Amway, no offense, or vacuums. You have something of value to share with your target audience. Should they reject the idea, this is not a rejection of you personally. In fact, the more rejections and failure you experience, the closer you are to success.

[Tweet “Don’t let false evidence appearing real stifle your growth. Learn to overcome it.”]

False evidence appearing real can stifle your growth if you let it. Don’t. Learn to overcome. If not, live with your fears by following these simple steps. So what do you fear – what’s holding your back? Let us know in the comments below and we will give you some feedback on how to move forward.