Andy Acciaioli
Prospects are a skeptical bunch. Gone are the days of inviting someone to take a look at a business opportunity and they show up, no questions asked. Now they want to know what it’s all about before they come over and find out what it’s all about.
I am quite sure the reason for their skepticism is rooted in the number of times they have been deceived into being shown a business opportunity which they probably were not interested in. Or perhaps they joined one – or a few – with little to show for it except some remaining autoship products gathering more and more dust in their basement.
The art of the network marketer – you – is to tell a prospect just enough to get him/her to a presentation either in person or online. However, you must know where to draw the line and control the conversation to not give out too much information so that your prospect will think he/she has enough information to make a decision (which is usually, not interested).
For example, do not be afraid to use the term “I’m too new at this, I’m sure it will be answered during the presentation”. I was with one network marketing company for years and I used that expression constantly, preferring that the prospect view the entire presentation rather than bits and pieces which would lead to a decision being made without seeing the complete scope of the business.
Another trait which is usually found in new reps is telling too much. Not that I am advocating concealment of information. Far from it. But a new representative in a zealous effort to get people sponsored may “make it up” as he goes along. This makes him/her think that he/she is being perceived as being knowledgeable by the prospect when it could actually be turning the prospect off to the business.
Ever wonder why someone is with a network marketing company but rarely sponsors anyone else? I have found a major cause of this is burying a prospect with information. You probably know this as information overload. For a number of years I was with a telecommunications network marketing company. One of my personally sponsored reps could tell you how deep underground cable was buried…he could rattle off overseas calling rates faster than I could find them in our overseas directory. This was his problem: he knew too many nitty-gritty details and would share these details with any new prospect he would talk to about the business. The result? The prospect would not join probably thinking that they too would have to know all of this information.
Keep one thing in mind: the less telling is selling. The less you tell to get someone in front of your company’s business presentation, the better the odds that that person will join your business.
