MLM Success: Secrets to Get Over the Fear of Talking to Strangers

Scared of Public Speaking? Cold Calling? Talking to Strangers?  Tim Sales reveals key strategies for conquering these barriers to your MLM success.

Diffusing live explosives can produce some enormous fears. But fear is not welcome while working on anything that blows up. It distracts one terribly. When I was in the U.S. Navy Underwater Bomb Squad, I was fortunate to have a Master Blaster, by the name of Master Chief Hufty, teach me how to overcome fear.

Little did I know the number of times I would recall this lesson, nor did he realize he helped me become a better public speaker and an MLM success story. I would like to share this valuable lesson of how to overcome fear with you.

Master Chief Hufty was probably the smallest physical man I ever met. He stood about 4'3" and weighed around 95 pounds. Yet he is the largest man I've ever met. In the military when one achieves something praiseworthy, he/she receives "medals" to be worn at formal events. In non-formal situations he/she substitutes ribbons for metals.

The ribbons go above the left shirt pocket and each ribbon is approximately one-half inch high and one inch long. Master Chief Hufty had so many rows of ribbons they actually went over his shoulder and started down his back. He was the most decorated soldier I'd ever seen! To be educated by him was a true honor.

One afternoon we were working on a bomb and I freaked out...I'd rather not detail that portion of the story. But, Master Chief Hufty disassembled fear for me. He broke it down into digestible and visible parts so that I could "see" it and define each section and thus control it.

Since fear is a major problem for many MLM distributors, your MLM training needs to include how to overcome fear.

When we (you and me) encounter unpleasant or alarming conditions, our mind becomes a stage of conflicting voices. Some would define this as the Fight or Flight theory. Parts of us want to fight whatever we fear, and other parts of us want to run (flight) from what we fear.

Master Chief Hufty called it "mind chatter." Fear, especially sudden fear, can cause the best in us to freeze. What is "freeze?" Freeze is stuck between fight and flight. If you neither fight nor flight you're wasting your only asset: TIME.

To gain control of my thoughts again, Master Chief Hufty told me to repeat this sentence over and over, "First I do this, and then I do this, and then I do this." By repeating this, I could slowly walk myself out of the "mind lock" by directing 100% of my attention to what I needed to do next.

Worst case scenario for a bomb squad technician is obviously death. Dwelling on harmful outcomes only leads to that reality. Yikes!

Now let's take a look at the fear of public speaking and how this relates to your MLM business. As a network marketer, this could take the form of conference calls or MLM training and opportunity meetings. The fear is that you will look or sound stupid. What are the chances of delivering an intelligent presentation while mentally forecasting stupidity? Very low.

So what is the solution to the fear of public speaking?

1. Be prepared. Know what you're going to say. Never "wing-it." Before diffusing my first live bomb, I spent copious hours studying the anatomy of explosives. I furthered the learning process by role playing for days with dummy bombs. In our platoon we lived by the phrase, "The more you bleed in training, the less you bleed in combat."

Bravery and success come from confidence in one's own ability, not from placing oneself at risk. The same principle applies to MLM prospecting and public speaking. Study your materials, prepare your notes and role play what you will say into a tape recorder. When you stand up in front of people, just think: "First I'll say this; then I'll say this."

2. Don't focus your attention on you. Focus your attention on your audience. If you're scared, you're thinking of you instead of your audience. Put 100% of your attention on your audience and what they most need to hear from you. Rarely does a speaker sound "stupid" if they're focused on helping their audience.

You must earn the right to being a great public speaker. There are no natural public speakers. It takes practice, persistence and more practice to truly master the art of public speaking. If you will take the time to think through each step and learn how to bypass the mind chatter, you can improve your abilities to present a great conference call, conduct an electrifying MLM training seminar or host a successful opportunity meeting.

To your success!

Tim Sales