Reduce Your Anxiety About Sales Calls
I encourage you to test this idea.

I recently watched with admiration as colleagues came together to fundraise to help another in our community.
Our friend’s mom, who is 99 years old with dementia, had run out of money. So a GoFundMe campaign was set up to cover the mother’s facility fees until her daughter could figure out an alternative and sustainable plan.
Donations came in from everywhere, from just a few dollars to large sums of money. Folks posted on social media and sent heartfelt messages to their newsletter lists asking people to help out as they could.
It was a remarkable example of the importance of community, of how we step up for each other in times of need.
Why am I telling you this?
I want to contrast this example with the often-suggested advice that to be successful in business you need to “build a following.”
Instead, I propose a reframe: to thrive in business you want to “grow your community.”
In both perspectives the logic goes, for business, the bigger the better. Enrollment is easier because the pool of candidates is larger, which leads to more clients and income for you.
But there is a difference.
When building a following, the goal is primarily to grow your business. However, when framed as building our community, it includes an intention to help and to make the world a better place.
I often hear from owners that they went into their work to make a positive difference in the world, yet they express goals that show they have bought into the “build your following” mindset.
For example, a coach recently expressed their desire to achieve a 90% enrollment rate. We agreed that to achieve that their marketing and sales campaigns would need to be targeted and refined — two activities that take a substantial investment of time and money.
However, we also reframed her goal to be broader than securing new clients. With the broader aim of “growing community,” enrollment sessions are not just about the sale, but equally about how you can help the potential client solve their problem — even if it doesn’t mean hiring you.
Marketing strategies founded on a community mindset may lead to referring a colleague, enrollment in another person’s workshop, or other useful resources.
And there is an extra bonus: I’ve found when clients embrace the perspective of community versus following, they have less anxiety about sales calls.
They are no longer concerned about “getting the sale,” and all the smarmy mind chatter that goes along with it, dissolves into the background. The focus becomes how to best help folks solve their most pressing issues, not just how to snag another client.
In closing, I encourage you to test this idea, and approach your next few enrollment calls with a community building mindset and see how you feel.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Roberta Ryan is a business coach who helps creative, intuitive small business owners recognize their value, make their vision real, and sustain a business that serves the greater community. To find out more, please visit www.RobertaRyan.com