More thoughts on “Practice”

April 18, 2010|Mary Jane Copps
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First, my thanks to all of you that are diligently doing your phone work and checking in here. You are not only keeping yourselves inspired but also inspiring others to “Pick it up. Make things happen!” It”s a great thing to be doing. Second, I want to expand a bit on the notion of cold calling as a practice, like yoga. The more I think about this, the stronger the connection. I take yoga from a dear friend, a woman who’s yoga practice is a daily part of her life, part of who she is. And it shows, not only in her physique, but in her attitudes towards life and aging. Me, on the other hand … well, I get to yoga once a week and I feel fabulous afterwards. In fact, the tougher the class, the better I feel and the longer the benefits last. I know (as does my husband who takes yoga with me) that I would benefit in many ways from a daily yoga practice. Have I done anything about it? No – and shame on me! My friend has even helped me design a simple 15-minute routine to get me started and there are yoga books here at home, sittling quietly on shelves. There are DVDs of yoga and even recordings of televised yoga classes. Yet still I’m letting it slide. And I know I’m going to regret it, that it will catch up with me. If I’m going to reach the place where I enjoy yoga everyday, where it is no longer a “to do” on my list but actually part of who I am, I have to get started. Cold calling is exactly the same. I developed a cold calling practice years ago – 23 years ago to be exact – and I’ve never let it slide. Picking up the phone and introducing myself to someone new is something I do everyday, so it is now part of who I am. But there was a time when it was on my “to do ” list, when I dreaded it, the seemingly endless practising. But I got better and better and had more and more fun – simply because I did it everyday. So please, find a way to pick up the phone and make at least one cold call everyday. The benefits to the growth and health of your company will surprise you and before you know it, you’ll be dialling without giving it a second thought. It will be part of who you are as a business person. Happy phone work this week! TPL

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