TRANSCRIPTS-
CHAPTER FIVE- Skill #2—
Inviting Prospects to Understand Your Product or Opportunity
Once you’ve identified your prospects, the next skill is learning how to properly invite them to find out more about your product or opportunity. This is by far the most critical skill to develop. I call it the “gateway” skill for Network Marketing. If you aren’t successful in getting anybody to take a look, then we can guess what your future will look like in MLM.
Most people think you must start off with a great reputa- tion and have a lot of influence with others for them to take a look at your opportunity. That’s just not true. When I first started in 1988, I had no reputation and no influence. I barely escaped high school, attended one semester of community college before dropping out, and had a total of 18 jobs—all before the age of 23. Do you think I had a lot of respect in the community? I had zero. And since I was a $5 to $10 an hour person, all my friends were the same so they weren’t much help. Most of them were still living with their parents.
But I was desperate and I was scrappy. In the beginning, I made up in numbers what I lacked in skill. I called everyone I knew and gave them my pitch. A few of them joined. Most didn’t. I placed ads in the local newspaper. I gave all of the people who responded my pitch. From all of that activity, a few joined. Most didn’t. I tried everything. I was like a hunter with the goal of bag- ging an elephant. I went around with a gun/opportunity in my hand and shot at everything that moved. I didn’t really care about relationships. All I cared about was getting that new recruit. My attitude was, “Some will. Some won’t. So what? Next!”
But because I was a hunter, everyone around me felt hunted. And they started to avoid me. And it wasn’t fun. Even worse, the people I did get to join my business tried to do the same thing I was doing, failed, and then quit.
After three or four years of frustration, I came to my de- fining moment, and started studying successful people in MLM to see what they did. What I found surprised me. They weren’t hunters. They were more like farmers. They built rela- tionships. They built friendships. They learned how to build trust with the people they met and were able to skillfully transfer the belief they had about their products and opportu- nity. Their goal wasn’t to immediately recruit their prospects. Their initial objective was to educate their prospects on what they had to offer and then let those prospects decide if it was something they wanted to do.This was a HUGE switch in strategy for me and I began to look at things differently. I put myself in the prospect’s shoes and thought about what would be attractive to me and alter- natively, what would cause me to put up my defenses. I real- ized why the pros had such great results. Instead of acting like sharks, they were more like coaches or consultants. They built relationships and then offered common-sense solutions to people’s problems. Who wouldn’t like that? The other thing I noticed with the professionals is they didn’t “pitch” their product or opportunity. Instead, when the timing was appropriate, they just invited people to do one of two things, based upon the individual prospect’s situation.
The first thing they did was to invite people to attend some sort of event, such as a one-on-one or two-on-one meeting with another member of their team, a three-way phone con- versation, a small group presentation in their home, an online webinar, a local hotel meeting, or some larger company event or convention. Professionals understand that personal inter- action is a critical component when it comes to building trust and transferring belief, so they try to connect with people as much as possible.
The second thing they did was to invite people to review some sort of tool. I’m a BIG believer in using tools to help educate a prospect. Tools take many forms. There are CDs, DVDs, magazines, brochures, websites, and online presenta- tions. With some companies, you can even let people sample the product and treat that as a tool.
There is no question that technology continues to evolve, offering more and more convenient ways to help educate pros- pects, but I have to interject a personal opinion based on expe- rience. While technology allows us to get people quality infor- mation quickly, there is nothing like a physical tool. In a world of bits and bytes, and in a Network Marketing world where it’s important to build trust, a physical tool makes it real.
Of the two methods used to help educate the prospect, events are the most effective. There are lots of reasons. There is physical interaction from meeting with people, and that helps build trust. There is the important element of “social proof ”. It’s valuable for the prospect to see that there are other people actively involved, and find out what those people are like. There is education on the product and the financial op- portunity. They get to see first-hand the kind of support that’s involved and they realize they won’t have to do everything by themselves. In most cases, there is excitement and urgency at these events. And, they get to hear stories of how things are going for other people.
Those are some of the benefits. The only downside to events is they can be difficult to schedule and confirm, espe- cially for a brand new person. If you don’t have the skills, it’s fairly common to invite twenty people and have only one or two show up. That can be discouraging. For building a large and duplicating organization, I have found that a tool is a better first step. Remember, our goal is education and understanding. We want people to know what we have and understand how it can benefit their lives. A tool is a great way for people to become educated (and hopefully excited) in the middle of their busy lives. They might not have time to drive across town to meet with you, but they could lis- ten to a CD in their car, watch a short DVD, read a magazine, or watch an online presentation.
If you were to look back at my career, you’d see that tools changed everything for me. In 1990 my company came out with a video that was dynamic and exciting. Even though it was wildly expensive at $15 each, back then it was worth it, because when you learned how to invite people to watch that video, the results were dramatic.
Everyone in the company became focused on a daily method of operation that centered around inviting people to watch our video. We allowed no distractions. Our entire culture revolved around this strategy and our growth went through the roof. Events were still very important, but they were a second step after a person watched our video.
By adopting this new approach, my organization finally broke out, and I was able to enjoy the experience of having a group that grew with or without me. It was more fun than I can describe. My group grew from a few dozen to a few hun- dred and then to a few thousand. All I did was learn how to successfully invite people to watch a video, follow it up with an invitation to an event, and teach everyone else to do the same thing.
The second career breakthrough took the form of an au- diocassette. Yes, I said cassette. This was 1992 and that’s all we had. The company was launching something new and exciting, and this time I personally recorded an audio that explained the opportunity in detail. We sold it for 50 cents apiece, which covered our costs, and in less than one year, that little audiocassette sold over a million copies. We taught people how to invite prospects to take that cassette, put it in their car, and listen to it right away. The results were amazing.
We trained people to get 100 cassettes at first, get them out to everyone they knew, and then had them focus on get- ting out two-a-day after that. Using that simple system, my income grew to almost $1 million a year.Different companies use different tools and event strate- gies to grow their business. Some use home parties. Some use online presentations. Some use one-on-ones with magazines and flip charts. Find what’s working best in your particular company, develop your daily method of operation, and then train your people how to effectively do the same and invite their prospects to plug in.
As a professional, you are going to be inviting your pros- pects to review a tool or attend an event. Here’s what you’re NOT going to be doing: You’re NOT going to be pitching people and trying to dazzle the world with your wisdom. That approach will feed your ego but steal from your bank account.
Let me give you my formula for financial independence in Network Marketing.
It was this formula that helped me break out of Network Marketing mediocrity, and it will help you do the same.
For years, I focused and depended on my ability to persuade people to join me. Then I graduated to finding a few key leaders I could train to do what I was doing. And finally, I learned the formula I just gave you and began to focus on getting a large group of people to consistently do just a few simple things and to keep doing them. When that happened, everything changed for the better. Those are the fundamentals. Let’s take a moment to talk about the emotions of inviting. There are four basic rules.
Rule Number One
You must emotionally detach yourself from the outcome. This is extremely important. Remember, our initial goal is education and understanding. It’s not getting a new customer or signing a new distributor. In other words, if you disconnect your emotions from that outcome and just focus on educa- tion and understanding, everything gets very simple.
This sounds easy, but it’s difficult to do. All of us come into this business with the hope of recruiting some great people. It’s hard to disconnect from those expectations. But you need to remember, we’re not hunters. We’re not sharks. Our job is to educate people and help them understand what we have to offer. We act as consultants offering suggestions on how people can live a better life. If you focus on getting a customer or new distributor, you’ll constantly be disappointed and you’ll find your pros- pects running away from you.
If you focus on education and understanding, you’ll have fun and your prospects will enjoy the experience.
Rule Number Two
Be yourself. So many people become a different person when they start inviting. This makes everyone uncomfort- able. Be yourself. Just focus on being your best self.
Rule Number Three
Bring some passion. Enthusiasm is contagious. It’s okay to get a little bit fired up. Get focused. Listen to some music that inspires you. Smile when you’re on the phone. I assure you, your positive emotion will translate into better results.
Rule Number Four
Have a strong posture. This was a big one for me. At first I was so insecure. I didn’t think anyone would take me seri- ously. But as I watched the professionals, I noticed their pos- ture. They were bold. They were confident. They were strong.
So I decided to be bold as well. I stopped apologizing all the time. Instead of saying, “Yes, I know I’ve had a lot of jobs so far in my life, but I’m hoping this will be the change I’ve been looking for,” I started saying “Guess what? I’m sick and tired of the life I’ve led up until this point and I’ve decided to take charge. I wouldn’t bet against me because I’m serious.” Do you feel the difference?
Be yourself, but be a bolder self. Be yourself, but be a stronger self. Be yourself, but be a more confident self—at least when you’re inviting. I found I could do that for short periods of time at the beginning and, just like building a new muscle, I could eventually do it longer and longer until it be- came a part of me.
So now that we’ve set the stage, let’s go through the invi- tation formula. This formula is designed to be used over the phone or face to face. It’s NOT to be used with texting, email, or any other communication tool—just on the phone or face to face. This can work with your warm market prospect (someone you know) or cold market prospects (someone you meet while living your life). I’ll give you examples for both.
There are eight steps to a professional invitation. That might sound complicated, but with a little practice, you’ll find it’s an easy skill to master.
Step One: Be in a hurry
Step Two: Compliment the prospect
Step Three: Make the invitation
Step Four: If I, would you?
Step Five: Confirmation #1–Get the time commitment Step Six: Confirmation #2–Confirm the time commitment Step Seven: Confirmation #3–Schedule the next call Step Eight: Get off the phone
Step One: Be in a hurry
This is a psychological issue. People are always more at- tracted to a person who has things going on. If you start every call or face-to-face conversation giving the impression that you’re in a hurry, you’ll find your invitations will be shorter, there will be fewer questions, less resistance, and people will be more respectful of you and your time.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but it was really im- portant I reach you.”
“I have a million things going on, but I’m glad I caught you.”
“I’m running out the door, but I needed to talk to you real quick.”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“Now isn’t the time to get into this and I have to go, but…”
“I have to run, but…”
Get the message? Set the tone with some urgency.
As for the examples I’m sharing with you, don’t worry too much about the exact words. Just focus on the concept and use your own words. Let people know you’re busy, you’ve got a lot going on and your time is short, but it was important for
you to talk with them real quick. And do it with some passion in your voice.
Step Two: Compliment the prospect
This is critical. The sincere compliment (and it must be sincere) opens the door to real communication and will make the prospect much more agreeable about hearing what you have to say.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“You’ve been very successful and I’ve always respect- ed the way you’ve done business.”
“You’ve always been supportive of me and I appreci- ate that so much.” (Great to use with family and close friends.)
“You have an amazing mind for business and can see things other people don’t see.”
“For as long as I’ve known you, I’ve thought you were the best at what you do.”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“You’ve given me some of the best service I’ve ever received.”
“You are super sharp. Can I ask what you do for a living?” “You’ve made this a fantastic experience.”
The key to the compliment is, it must be sincere. Find something you can honestly use to compliment your prospect and use it. This simple step will literally double your invitation results. When you start with urgency and a compliment, it be- comes very difficult for a person to react negatively to your invitation. People don’t hear compliments very often. It feels good. You will find your prospects will become very receptive.
If you study the pros, you’ll find they are constantly put- ting people in a good mood through their honest and sincere compliments. It helps to build rapport, it helps to open peo- ple’s minds, and mostly, it helps achieve our goal of education and understanding.
Step Three: Make the invitation
This is a situation where one size does NOT fit all. There are three kinds of invitation approaches for the Network Mar- keting Professional.
- The Direct Approach
This is used when you are inviting people to learn more about an opportunity for THEM. Most people use a Direct Approach for all of their prospects. It usually goes something like this: “I found a way for you to get rich! Let me tell you all about it. Blah, blah, blah.” I understand the passion, but really, who’s going to get excited about that, unless they’re getting a call from a millionaire? That doesn’t mean the Direct Approach doesn’t work. It does. It has an important place in your invitation process. But it should be reserved for people who know and respect you or for people that you know are searching for something better.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“When you told me you (hate your job, need more money, wanted to find a new house, etc.), were you serious or were you just kidding around? (They’ll almost always tell you they were serious.) Great! I think I’ve found a way for you to (get it/solve the problem/ make that happen).” This is for situations where you know an area of their dissatisfaction, need or desire.
“I think I’ve found a way for us to really boost our cash flow.”
“When I thought of people who could make an absolute fortune with a business I’ve found, I thought of you.”
“Are you still looking for a job (or a different job)? I found a way for both of us to start a great business without all the risks.”
“Let me ask you a question, off the record. If there was a business you could start working part-time from your home that could replace your full-time income, would that interest you?”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“Have you ever thought of diversifying your income?” “Do you keep your career options open?”
“Do you plan on doing what you’re doing now for the rest of your career?”
You can follow these cold market scripts or any variation with the following: “I have something that might interest you. Now’s not the time to get into it but…” - The Indirect Approach
This is another powerful tool to help get people past their initial resistance and educate them on what you have to offer. The Indirect Approach is about asking the prospect for help, input or guidance. I used this approach extensively and with great success when I first started out. Because of my lack of credibility at age 23, I couldn’t get much success with a Direct Approach, so I learned to play myself down and play up to the prospect’s ego. It worked incredibly well and it still works today.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“I’ve just started a new business and I’m really nervous. Before I get going I need to practice on some- one friendly. Would you mind if I practiced on you?” (This is a GREAT approach for family and close friends.)
“I found a business I’m really excited about, but what do I know? You have so much experience. Would you look at it for me if I made it easy on you and let me know if you think I’m making the right move?”
“A friend told me the best thing I could do when starting a business is to have people I respect take a look at it and give me some guidance. Would you be willing to do that for me if I made it simple?”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
When you meet someone from another city, state, or country, and if your company does business there, you can say:
“My company is expanding in your area. Would you do me a favor and take a look at it and let me know if you think it would work where you live?”
When you meet someone who might provide good input on your product, you can say:
“I’ve started a business with a product I think makes a lot of sense, but I’d like to get your input. Would you be willing to check it out and give me your opinion?”
- The Super Indirect Approach
The third approach is the Super Indirect Approach. This approach is incredibly powerful because it works on a number of psychological levels. In this approach, you tell the prospect they aren’t a prospect and you’re just interested in finding out if they know someone else who might benefit from your busi-ness. It’s very effective.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“The business I’m in clearly isn’t for you, but I wanted to ask, who do you know that is ambitious, money- motivated, and would be excited about the idea of adding more cash flow to their lives?”
“Who do you know that might be looking for a strong business they could run from their home?”
“Who do you know that has hit a wall with their busi- ness and might be looking for a way to diversify their income?”
“I work with a company that’s expanding in this area and I’m looking for some sharp people that might be
interested in some additional cash flow. Do you know anyone who might fit that description?”
In most cases, they’re going to ask you for more informa- tion before they give you any names (behind that request will be curiosity and intrigue, thinking this might be for them, but they’re not going to admit that to you yet).
When they ask for more information, you can respond with:
“That makes sense. You’ll want to know more about it before you refer some of your contacts.” Then you can just move to step four.
Examples for cold-market prospects:
Cold market is exactly the same as warm market for the Super Indirect Approach. Just use the warm-market scripts or any variation that’s comfortable for you.
Step Four: If I, Would You?
This question has been my secret weapon for a very long time. It is by far the most powerful phrase I’ve come across in building a large and successful Network Marketing business.
“If I gave you a DVD, would you watch it?” “If I gave you a CD, would you listen to it?”
“If I gave you a magazine (or some other printed ma- terial) would you read it?”
“If I gave you a link to a website with a complete pre- sentation, would you check it out?”
“If I invited you to a special invitation only webinar, would you attend?”
“If I invited you to a special invitation-only confer- ence call, would you listen in?”
This question is SO POWERFUL, and for a number of reasons.
First, it’s reciprocal. You’re saying you will do something if they will do something. As human beings, we are hardwired to respond positively to these types of situations.
Second, it puts you in a place of power. You’re in control. You’re not begging. You’re not asking for favors. You are simply offering a value exchange.
And third, it implies that YOU have something of value to offer. You’re saying you will do something, but not unless the other person will do something in exchange. When you value what you have, people will respect you.When I first started, I didn’t know about this magical question. I just said things like, “I really, really, really, want you to watch my video, try my product, listen to this CD, etc.” You can imagine the results. The whole psychology of it is weak. If you use, “If I, would you,” you’re having a business conversation. If you use, “I really, really, really, want you,” now you sound desperate, and a desperate distributor is NOT at- tractive. If you’ve used this approach you already know what I’m talking about.“If I, would you,” gets results. It gets people to say “yes.” It helps prospects see what we have in a different light. Remem- ber, our goal is education and understanding. “If I, would you,” helps us achieve that goal.
If you’ve started the call with urgency, complimented the prospect, made the invitation and asked, “If I, would you,” their answer will be “yes” almost 100% of the time, and you can just go to step five.
If they ask for more information first, just respond with, “I understand you want more information, but everything you’re looking for is on the (DVD, CD, printed piece, link, etc.). The fastest way for you to really understand what I’m talking about will be for you to review that material. So, if I give it to you, would you review it?”
If they say no, then thank them for their time and move on. Also, review steps one through three to see what you might have done better. But do NOT give your material to them.
So you’ve gone through the first four steps and the person said yes! Success! They’ve agreed to review your tool! Does that mean they will follow through? Nope. In fact, only about 5% of your prospects will do what they said they would do if you just use the first four steps—and 5% is not a good num-ber. To get closer to 80%, you need to complete the invitation process professionally.
Step Five: Confirmation #1–Get the time commitment
You’ve asked, “If I, would you,” and they’ve said yes. The next step is to get a time commitment.
“When do you think you could watch the DVD for sure?”
“When do you think you could listen to the CD for sure?”
“When do you think you could read the magazine for sure?”
“When do you think you could watch the link for sure?”
Don’t suggest a time for them. (That’s another mistake I made early on in my career). Just ask the question and wait for them to respond. This question makes them think about their schedule and their commitments, find a place to review your tool, and communicate that back to you. In other words, it makes it real.
When you first asked, “If I, would you,” and they said yes, it was someday. When you get the time commitment, it starts to be real. The only thing that matters is that they give you a time. It doesn’t matter what that time is. Let them think about their schedule and tell you when they will have reviewed the materials for sure.
About 90% of the time, they’ll give you an answer. The other 10% of the time, they’ll be vague, saying something like, “I’ll try to do it sometime.” If they do that, then tell them, “I don’t want to waste your time or mine. Why don’t we just lock in a time when you’ll have seen it for sure?” Remember, they already said they’d review it in step four. This is just confirm-ing the time.
The key to all of this is they have now said yes twice—the first time when they answered, “If I, would you,” and the sec- ond time when you received a time commitment from them.
So now you can give them the tool, right? Wrong. You’re not done yet. The professionals take a few more seconds to complete a couple more steps before they’re finished.
Step Six: Confirmation #2–Confirm the time commitment
If they tell you they’ll watch the DVD by Tuesday night, your response should be something like, “So, if I called you Wednesday morning, you’ll have seen it for sure, right?” If they say they’ll listen to the CD by Thursday morning, your response should be, “So, if I called you sometime later in the day on Thursday, you’ll have listened to it for sure, right?” If they say they’ll watch the link by July 1, your response should be, “So, if I called you on July 2, you’ll have looked at it for sure, right?”
They will either naturally say yes, or they will adjust the time slightly. In any case, the significance of step six is they’ve now confirmed three times and they are now much more likely to follow through—and,
They said they’d review the materials, they would do it by a specific time and, if you called them after that, they would have reviewed the materials. You’ve asked the questions. Their answers made the appointment.
Step Seven: Confirmation #3–Schedule the next call
This step is simple. Just ask, “What’s the best number and time for me to call?” They’ll give you what works best for them, and now you have a real appointment. All you have to do is be sure to remember to call when you said you’d call.The key is, this isn’t an appointment you’ve set. It’s an appointment they’ve set.
They’ve said yes four times. The whole invitation took a few minutes, and your chances of achieving your goal of education and understanding has gone from about 5% to about 80%.
Step Eight: Get off the phone
Remember, you’re in a hurry, right? Once you’ve con- firmed the appointment, the best thing to say to someone is something like “Great, we’ll talk then. Gotta run!”
Too many people make the appointment and then un- make it by talking and talking and talking. Remember, our goal is education and understanding and we’re going to let the third-party tool do most of the work.
Here are some examples of all eight steps:
A person you know who hates their job—Direct Approach
“Hey, I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but it was really important I reach you. Listen, you’re one of the most financially intelligent people I know and I’ve always respected that about you. When you told me you re- ally didn’t like your job, were you serious or were you just kidding around?” (They say they were serious.)
“Great, I think I’ve found a way for you to create an exit strategy. I have a CD that describes what I’m talking about better than I can. If I gave you this CD, would you listen to it?” (They say yes.)
“When do you think you could listen to it for sure?” (They say Tuesday.) “So if I called you Wednesday morning, you’ll have reviewed it for sure, right?” (They say yes.)
“All right, I’ll check back with you then. What’s the best number and time for me to call?” (They give the information.)
“Got it. We’ll talk then. Gotta run and thanks!”
A good friend—Indirect Approach
“Hey, I’m running out the door, but I needed to talk to you real quick. Do you have a second? Great. Listen, you’ve always been so supportive of me and I appreci- ate that so much.
“I’ve just started a new business and I’m really ner- vous. Before I get going I need to practice on some- one friendly. Would you mind if I practiced on you?” (They say sure.)
“Great! If I gave you a DVD that laid out the informa- tion in a professional way, would you watch it?” (They say yes.)
“It’s about 15 minutes long. When do you think you could watch it for sure?” (They say Thursday.)
“So if I called you Friday morning, you’ll have reviewed it for sure, right? Fantastic, what’s the best number and time for me to call?” (They give the information.)
“Great, we’ll talk then. Gotta run and thanks!”
A highly successful person—Super Indirect Approach
“I know you’re busy and I have a million things going on too, but I’m glad I caught you. You’ve been wildly successful and I’ve always respected the way you’ve done business.
“I’ve recently started something new and I’m looking for some sharp people. It’s clearly not for you, but I wanted to ask, who do you know who is ambitious, money motivated and would be excited about the idea of adding a significant amount of cash flow to their lives?” (They say they do know some people.)
“I understand that you’d want to know more about it before you recommend people. I have a DVD that ex- plains exactly what I’m doing and the kind of people I’m looking for. It’s brief.
“If I sent one to you, would you review it? (They say they would.) “Thanks. When do you think you could view it for sure?” (They say next Monday.)
“Okay, so if I called you next Tuesday, you’ll have re- viewed for sure, right?”
“Okay, I’ll check back with you then. What’s the best number and time for me to call?” (They give the in- formation.) “Okay, great. Thanks again, I appreciate it so much. Talk to you next Tuesday.”
A cold-market prospect who’s done a good job selling you some something—Direct Approach.
“Now isn’t the time to get into this and I have to go, but you are super sharp and I happen to be looking for some sharp people. Do you plan on doing what you’re doing now for the rest of your career?” (They say no.)
“Good. I have something that might interest you. Now isn’t the time to get into it, but I have a DVD that explains it all in great detail. If I gave it to you, would you watch it?” (They say yes.) “When do you think you could watch it for sure?” (They say Sunday.) “So if I called you Monday, you’ll have reviewed it for sure, right?” (They say yes.) “All right, I’ll check back with you then. What’s the best number and time for me to call?” (They give you their information.)
“Okay, here it is. Thanks again for the excellent ser- vice and I’ll talk to you soon.”
Are you feeling the flow of how this works? Obviously there are many possible variations for different kinds of pros- pects, but I hope these examples help you understand how everything comes together.
In terms of scripts, it’s best if you get the basic concepts down and don’t focus too hard on the exact script. Life doesn’t work that way. But if you learn to let your prospect know you’re in a hurry, then compliment them, then invite them, then pass on a tool with, “If I, would you,” then confirm using the process I described, and finally get off the phone or com- plete the invite, you’ll do just fine.Remember, in recruiting, there are no good or bad experi- ences—just learning experiences. On your journey to becom- ing a Network Marketing Professional, the best thing that can happen is for you to develop the skills to recruit on demand, in any situation. Then you never have to worry about being lucky. So practice, practice, practice.
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