We ran a poll a few newsletters ago:

"What are you struggling with most?"

The options were something like: technical know-how, agency support, finding leads, etc.

But one crushed everything else. Well over 80% of you said:

Consistency with prospecting.

Makes sense. And honestly, I'm probably as qualified as anyone to talk about it. I've been fighting this battle for 15 years and I still fall into the same traps.

What I've learned is that inconsistent prospecting almost always comes down to one of three things.

Even better, there's an easy fix for all three.

I'm introverted by nature.

So cold calls and drop-ins didn't come easy for me in the beginning.

Heck, I still get squirmy at times. Especially after a few days off.

I don't care who you are, we all have some degree of fear of rejection.

Nobody likes getting hung up on or told to buzz off.

Anybody who says they do is lying.

But here's the thing…

The calls still have to get made and the doors still have to get knocked on.

So what do we do when the nerves set in?

Most salespeople try to push the feeling down. They either try not to think about it, or they try to override it with pump-up music, something inspirational, or a couple extra cups of coffee.

That stuff does work. But it's more of a cope than actually addressing the root problem.

What works for me is simply sitting with the fear.

Don't suppress it, don't distract yourself, don’t try to jack yourself up. Instead, stop for a second and just observe it.

I've been doing this for a while now and it’s made a huge difference.

What you'll find is that as you sit with it, it passes more times than not.

By trying to fight it or override it, you give it power.

By observing it and allowing it, it loses its power.

There's an important distinction to make here:

Between established producers and newer producers.

If your book is under 20 accounts and focus is your problem, full stop, you're addicted to your phone.

I hate to be that guy, but you've got the time. You're not actually that busy. You might think you are, but go check the screen time app on your phone and tell me it's not off the charts.

Either that, or you're afraid to pick up the phone but lack the awareness to see it.

Tough love, but true.

Once you're pushing 30+ accounts though? Focus becomes a real challenge.

I just crossed the $2M mark. And some days I genuinely feel like an AE always putting out fires, managing renewals, responding to emails and I haven't made a single call.

My fix isn't fancy. I don't technically time-block on my calendar, but I do time-block in my head. I go into every day knowing I need to hit a certain number of calls. Everything else gets worked around that.

First block runs about 9:30 to 11:30. Knock out 20-25. Then i try to queeze out 15 more in the afternoon.

Done.

The bigger mindset shift is remembering what your actual job title is.

You can call yourself whatever you want. Trusted Advisor, Risk Architect, Senior Vice President of Whatever…

But your actual job is Producer. Because you're expected to produce.

New business is the job. Everything else is support work.

If you don't keep that as your North Star, you will continue to struggle with inconsistency.

You know the guy.

Color-coded call list with three highlighters. Every company organized by industry, sub-industry, and region. Each one researched to the nth degree.

Yet, zero calls made by lunchtime.

I will die on this hill: Most prep work, especially research, is just procrastination in disguise.

Cold outbound is hard enough on its own. But bury it beneath heaps of avoidance and it becomes a monster that only grows. And the bigger it gets, the harder it is to slay.

The solution? Good enough beats perfect. Just start.

Pull up AI, say "I'm calling this company, give me 30 seconds of context," and make the call. Either the person has pain and curiosity or they don't. No amount of LinkedIn stalking changes that.

One more thing on friction: become a beast with your CRM.

I open my laptop every morning with 20-30 warm callbacks already queued up. I'm not staring at a blank list wondering who to call. The machine feeds itself, but only if you actually log everything.

Stop resisting. Be a gunslinger. See phone, dial phone.

Here's the thing.

If you can get over the fear of picking up the phone, you can get over almost anything.

Fear of public speaking, fear of hard conversations, fear of going after that big hairy goal. It's all the same muscle.

And the crazy part? There's no tiger chasing you. Think about it:

You're spinning around on a rock in the middle of space. Nothing bad is actually happening if they say “no”. Your ego is just crafting an imaginary threat to protect itself.

Those feelings aren't who you are. They pass through if you let them.

So yeah, make the calls, make the time, make the decision to just start.

But more than that, know that every time you press through the fear and discomfort, you're becoming a better version of yourself on the other side of it.

Small victories, daily. -MS

P.S. — If this resonated and you want to go deeper on any of it, reply and let me know. Happy to talk.