Knock, Knock! Fear's There; A Journey Through Prospecting Rejection

I remember the first time I decided to go door-knocking. I was nervous, really nervous. The idea of knocking on strangers' doors, uninvited, felt awkward and a bit terrifying. I had this narrative in my head about door-to-door soliciting that made it even harder. But I knew I had to push through because each door represented a step closer to the freedom and flexibility I wanted in my career and life.

The stakes were high. Every door I knocked on felt like a make-or-break moment. The pressure was intense because my dream life seemed just within reach, but also so easily lost with every possible rejection.

In order to overcome my paralysis in the moment, I partnered with my buddy Doug. Having someone by my side made all the difference. We encouraged each other and made sure neither of us backed out. The buddy system didn’t silence the negative voice in my head, but it definitely gave me support. When that voice tried to reemerge, Doug was there to metaphorically pull me forward to knock on the next door. There was no way out. I was more afraid of what Doug would think of me if I bailed on him than I was of actually going through the process of door-knocking. So, I found a way to create a fear greater than the fear of the process itself. I was more afraid of letting Doug down.

As we started knocking on doors, I was surprised. People were pleasant. We had respectful conversations, and they were nice enough to let us ask our questions. It wasn’t like people were inviting us in for lemonade and cookies, but they respected our visit. No direct business came from it, but that wasn’t the goal. With processes like door-knocking, expecting a "unicorn scenario" where someone immediately wants to book a meeting isn't realistic. The goal is to develop the habit of getting out there, getting uncomfortable, having conversations, and doing this consistently over a long period of time.

From this experience, I learned a few key lessons: