How to Prospect Successfully

FREE Excerpt from Chapter 8 of the best-selling book
"How to Build a Multi-level Money Machine" by Randy Gage

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they join the business is they start to think, who can I sell this stuff to? This is completely off base — the opposite of what a successful distributor should be thinking.

Here's the reality.

Every Monday morning at 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00 a.m., alarm clocks all around the world are going off. People are groggily hitting the snooze button, desperate for another five minutes of sleep. They get up at the last possible second, rush through their shower, and then either microwave breakfast, skip it or buy it in a drive-through window on the way to work.

We know that 80 percent of people are going to a job they don't like, or actually hate, and

99.9 percent of them think they should be making more money. Most of them will slog through the day in a comatose state, and grab dinner at another drive-thru window on the way home. Then, they will plop onto a sofa or recliner, and spend the night rubbing the hair off the back of their heads, drinking cans of rancid, fermented hops, watching mindless sitcoms until they're ready for bed.

Until Tuesday morning, when the process starts all over...

'Til Wednesday morning...

'Til Friday morning...thank God it's Friday!

And you know what that means — it's payday. So, at five o'clock, when their boss whistles them over to fetch their meager pittance, they can feel — if for only a few brief moments — like the check is theirs.

Now, of course, that check is already spent, because they have a stack of credit card bills waiting for it. But, for those few glorious moments — it feels like it's theirs. This calls for a celebration. This means tonight they can eat out! So, at least here in America , that means off to Pizza Hut for a stuffed crust, meat-lovers, double-cheese, double-meat pan pizza, which of course they'll wash down with a Diet Pepsi, because they need to “watch their weight.”

From dinner, it's off to the neighborhood video store, where they'll stack up 6 to 8 videos — which is just enough to keep them from thinking about their life of quiet desperation all weekend. Until Monday morning, when the alarm clock goes off, and they start the process all over again...

Do you understand something? You don't need these people. They desperately need and want what you have to offer . So, stop thinking, who can I get to do this? Start thinking, who would I like to offer this opportunity to?

You may think your product is vitamins, or skin care, or discount long distance service, but it is none of those things. What you have to sell is freedom . Never lose sight of that.

You're offering people the opportunity to become their own boss and control their own destiny. For most of them, it will be the first opportunity they've ever had with unlimited income potential. It's also the first time they've had a chance to become successful by empowering others. Obviously, everyone would be interested in this, right?

No. Actually, many are not.

Why?

Because it means getting out of their comfort zone. Because it takes a belief in one's self that they don't possess. Some of them want success, but not if they have to do any work to get it. They're playing the odds, figuring a rich relative is going to die, or that the next time the phone rings, it will be the Publisher's Clearing House Prize Patrol calling for their cross street. And, many more think they want success — but are actually taking actions to prevent it, because they suffer from “lack” consciousness, and don't even know it. So, while the universe of people who need what you have is vast — the group who will seize the opportunity you're offering them is much smaller. You have to screen out the people who have a dream and are willing to do something about it (the prospects) from those who are waiting to hit the lottery (the suspects).

Of course, the first question to arise is, where do you find these people?

The place to begin is with friends, neighbors and relatives. This is the natural place to start, and it makes the most sense. You won't have to make cold calls or talk to strangers. People who know you will give you the benefit of the doubt and usually at least look at your Pre-Approach Packet, or meet you for a one-on-one over coffee.

A lot of people are reluctant to talk to the people they know, fearing that they'll become the victim of the can't-be-a-prophet-in-your-own-hometown syndrome. There is some truth to this. If you've been working alongside Joe for the past ten years, and now come along with this opportunity to get wealthy — Joe is probably going to be a little skeptical. That's okay. This is where edification comes in. Let me explain.

Edification works on the principle that for most people, the expert is the guy from out of town with a briefcase. Also known as the fact that many people place much more credibility in strangers than they do in their own daughters, husbands, fathers, etc. After all, they know all their baggage.

Your family and close friends know every mistake you've ever made, from the lemonade stand you had when you were six that lost money, to the time you tried to make money franchising ant farms. They haven't been able to achieve a happy, fulfilling life (and they figure they're a whole lot smarter than you), so they can't understand how you would know.

So, here's how it happens a lot of times. You join a network marketing company, and you're excited about the possibilities. You start to think about whom you would like to help, and naturally your thoughts turn to your parents. You call them up, go over to the house and make your presentation. It's a beauty. You sit back and relax — waiting for the grateful appreciation your parents are about to express — thankful that you've found a way to repay them for all they've done for you over the years.

Mother leans forward, about to speak, “So, Mister Big Shot, you're going to make all this money. Don't you remember when you had the paper route and you couldn't wake up in time? Your father had to deliver all the newspapers...”

You're devastated. Here you're trying to do some good, trying to help them, and they're reacting like you were offering them a gift certificate for a complimentary office visit with Dr. Jack Kervorkian.

You've just experienced the prophet-in-your-own-hometown syndrome. No one is immune from this. To this day, I still maintain the hardest presentation I've ever given was to my sister Leise. This is the reason most people are afraid to talk to their friends, neighbors, and relatives (their warm market).

There is a solution...

Edify your sponsorship, line and bring your first people to them . Your warm market is your best market. But, when you first begin the business, you shouldn't be making your own presentations. Your sponsor (or, in cases of fast growth, someone further up your sponsorship line) should be making your initial presentations, while you're taking notes and learning the presentation. This is the time to get to all of your can't-be-a-prophet people. Get them to a one-on-one, or give them the Pre-Approach materials. Make sure you let them know that this is a brand new opportunity for you, you've just discovered it and were introduced to the business by someone with a savvy business mind who's really good at helping people reach financial freedom. By edifying your sponsor in advance like this, you're already building up their credibility in the mind of your prospect.

Your friends and family will hear things from strangers that they cannot hear from you . If you want to start fast and get the best results, get these people in front of your sponsorship line and let them do the presenting. To break through with your warm market, you must take your ego out of the equation and edify your sponsor. This allows your sponsor to give you the most support. If your sponsor is already successful, bill them as “an expert in the business.” If they're relatively new, moving up, but not mega-successful yet, refer to them as a “rising star.” What you're doing in this scenario is leveraging the credibility you have with your warm market for maximum effect.

Here's why.

If your sponsor were to cold call one of your friends, neighbors or relatives, and try to tell them about an opportunity — they'd probably hang up. If you try to tell your friends about the opportunity, you get the hometown prophet treatment. But, here's the secret ...

Your warm market trusts you enough to review some initial materials, like a Pre-Approach Packet, or meet for coffee. If it looks interesting, they'll be intrigued enough to meet someone with you (or come to your home for a meeting). And, because you said you're new to the business, don't understand it all yet, and you've edified this person as an expert — they will hear things from them that they couldn't hear from you. This is the secret to getting started fast, and it really works!

Over the course of time, while you are learning the presentation from your sponsor (usually a five- to eight-week process), you'll be bringing in all your “chicken list” people. (Your chicken list consists of the people who are the most busy, successful and ambitious people you know — the ones you're “chicken” to make a presentation to.) Just get them in front of your sponsor. And during this time, your own presentation skills will be getting better; and you'll be gaining confidence and getting new distributors into your group. By the end of your first week, you'll be able to do a one-on-one presentation by yourself. By the time your five to eight weeks are up, you'll be quite capable of holding home meetings yourself. Here's the best part:

When you have people that you're still nervous with, or who still give you the hometown prophet treatment, just edify your sponsorship line and bring those people to a second-look meeting, where your sponsorship line is presenting! This is the way huge organizations are built! It's completely warm market, non-threatening, and very easily duplicated. Anyone can build a group this way .

Even if you have no formal education, you're shy, and afraid of making presentations — you can still get started in this business. You simply profess your ignorance, edify your sponsor, and bring your people to them. And, you have as much time as you need to gain confidence and build your presentation skills . Moreover, everyone you talk to will see how they can get involved, and gradually learn the business in a non-threatening way. It's completely duplicatable by everyone.

The first one-on-one presentation you give a prospect is really not designed to get them to immediately sign up, although as you get more experienced in the business, many people will. As a rule, this presentation is simply a “first look,” designed to get the prospect into the sponsoring process, or “pipeline.” Your goal is to book the next meeting .

This first look should be non-threatening, and require a short time commitment by the prospect. Do not go into all the details about why the current economic and distribution systems are not working. Begin by mentioning some of the benefits of the business, and then getting right to the part about how the business is built. This does three things:

1. It ensures that the prospect doesn't feel we're attacking his position;

2. It means the prospect's second exposure to the presentation will be a bigger event than this one; and,

3. It allows you to do the presentation in under an hour, which means many more prospects will be willing to sit down and listen to you.

This first presentation can be conducted at a neighborhood coffee shop, your home or the prospect's home. My first choice is the prospect's home . You are much less likely to get stood up this way! Some people, however, are gun shy. They're afraid that if they let you into their house, you won't leave until you sell them something. They will want to come to your house, where they can make a ready escape. Yet, others will be afraid to be trapped in either place. They will feel safer meeting you at a neutral site. If so, select a neighborhood coffee shop and pick a non-meal time. Here's why:

You don't want to meet for a meal, because while this may not be out of your budget, it could be for a lot of other people. You want to keep what you're doing as duplicatable as possible. Make sure that your prospect is aware of this by using such language as, “Let's meet for a cup of coffee and I can show it to you.” In addition to scheduling the meeting at a non-rush time, ask for a table out of main traffic paths, so there will be fewer distractions and interruptions for your prospect. Pick up the tab when you're through, and double or triple your usual tip to pay for your “office.”

When you're presenting at their home or yours, cut the chitchat and get to the presentation. You probably obtained the appointment by promising not to take more than an hour of their time, so honor your promise. (In addition to keeping your word, this is good business and it allows you time to get in three or four presentations on a night you've set aside to work your business.)

If you're meeting at their house, lose the radio and television, ask them to unplug the phone, and get to the dining room table. Your goal is to expose them to a first look to determine whether or not they really are a prospect and have a dream. Once you determine this, schedule the next meeting . This will be a home or family meeting – a bigger event and their second look at the program. Remember, success is not determined by whether you sold a kit, but by whether you booked the next meeting . Pull out your calendar, and mark the appointment in front of your prospect.

Now, the question always comes up, Hey, I want to build faster. Why don't I take out ads in magazines and do mail-outs?

And, the answer is — because they work, but they're harder to duplicate . That doesn't mean you can't do them. I'm just saying that the farther you get from your warm market, the harder it will be for some of your people to duplicate you. A lot of people will not have the necessary skills or investment to do display advertising or direct mail. You can train people to become proficient in these areas, and many groups do. But it just makes sense to start with warm market strategies, and expand from there. Work with your sponsorship line, and they can help you find the right balance of cold market recruiting and duplication. If you'd like to research the subject in more depth, I recommend you get my Massive Action Marketing audiotape album and Study Guide .

One of the things that concerns me is when new people tell you they don't want to talk to their warm market. Usually, there's one of two variables at work.

One is, they simply don't believe it will work. They say things like, “I don't want to talk to anyone I know yet. I want to take out ads and talk to strangers. Then, when I'm rich and successful, I'll go back to my friends.”

Of course, this is craziness. If you really thought you had an opportunity that could bring you wealth, happiness and fulfillment — wouldn't you be burning up the phone lines to tell your friends and family?

These people need to be sponsored all over again, so they really understand the business. And, they need a tough-love sponsor who will guide them, and even prod them into doing the things that are in their own best interests. In later years, I wouldn't spend my time working with someone if they weren't willing to at least approach their warm market. When someone told me that they were not willing to talk to their warm market, I was quick to refund their money and suggest they look elsewhere.

Now, of course, the second variable that can be at play here is that your new distributor has been an “MLM junkie,” and they've already been to their warm market 20 times. They're simply too embarrassed to go back one more time. I can relate to this personally, since I went through exactly that.

But, I found a solution to this dilemma...

Whenever I am faced with a difficult challenge, and there seems to be nowhere to turn — I do something that too few people do. In fact, most people think it's quite radical to even think about it. I tell the truth.

Picture this phone call:

“Rod, this is Randy. You're never going to believe this — you have every right in the world to hang up on me — but I've got to tell you something. I know we thought we were going to make money in that vitamin deal, and the bee pollen thing didn't work out, and the no-run panty hose deal, and I know you still have those water filters I sold you — so you have every right in the world to hang up on me — but, I honestly found something, and I think it's different. Here's why...”

Now, what if Rod hangs up? He's not a prospect. Remember, all you need is a yes or no. The only thing you can't use is a maybe. So, if Rod does hang up, you can probably assume that you can put him in the no category.

Truth be told, he's really not likely to hang up. When you just tell the truth, and put it out there — most people will give you a listen. And, there will be dozens more people on your list who have never joined any of the programs you ever worked. And, you're meeting new people all the time. You met at least three to five new people this week. So, it would be a mistake to just eliminate all your warm market people without even trying.

Now, let's talk about finding people, and what you say to the ones you would like to sponsor. The reason most people in Network Marketing never make it to the director or breakaway level, is because they don't know how to meet people outside of their sphere of influence.  They have a short list, so they need a perfect “invite” every time, or they run out of people.  Of course, when they only have a few people left on their list, there's a subconscious tendency to ‘save them' for fear that once they're used up — they'll have no one to talk to. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy — one you want to avoid. So, let's talk about how you can meet some new people on a consistent basis.

Here's your mantra: “Two people a day brings freedom my way.” Think it and speak it every morning. Put it in a sticky note on your mirror. Then, just go out to live your life with the expectation of meeting new friends every day.

Start the day with two silver dollars in your left pocket.  When you meet someone — move one to your right pocket.  When you meet the second person, move the next coin over.  You'll probably discover, as most people do, that you already meet new people every day.  You just haven't been aware of it before, because you just let the moment pass.

Now, instead of just acknowledging new people and moving on — practice the art of

conversation. Don't try to sell them anything — don't approach them about your business. Just talk.  Be their friend and get to know them. Here are some of my favorite questions:

“You from around here?”

“So, how did you get from ____________ to here?”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“Is that a tough business/job?”

“What's the hardest part of that business/job?”

“Are you married?”

“Got a family?”

“So, what does someone do for fun around here?”

These questions get people talking about their favorite subject — themselves.  Asking if they're from around here usually gets people going.  Almost everyone you talk to is from somewhere else.  When I ask them what brought them here — invariably, they tell me it was to take a job or be closer to family or spouse's family.  Either way, that leads the conversation to family or what they do for a living — both good lines of conversation to pursue.

Of course, when I ask if that is a tough business or job — 98% of people tell me, yes.  Then, when I ask what the toughest part is — in most cases, they give me lots of good reasons why they should be in Network Marketing.

The key here is — you don't bring it up.  It's not appropriate, and it wouldn't be effective anyway.  At this point, all you want to do is make new friends — two a day.  This gives you more than 700 new friends a year!  Now, if you're meeting 700 people a year — doesn't it make sense that you'll find a few who are looking for an opportunity?

Of course it does.  You'll know which ones by your conversation.  Those who seem sharp, ambitious, and who express dissatisfaction with their job or business are your best prospects — the ones you'll want to approach later.

Now, before we talk about that — we need to address two other issues.  First, what about if you're speaking to someone you meet and they come back with, “What's it to you — are you writing a book?”

Hey, get away from them as fast as you can.  Obviously, they're not a prospect for this business at that point. And, they're certainly not someone you want as a friend.

The second issue is getting the phone number of the good prospects.  I have a technique that makes this so simple you're going to be amazed.  The most important thing is — never ask for their phone number.  Most prospects get nervous here, and don't want to do this.  Instead, use my “magic” million-dollar question, the one that never fails.

Simply say, “Ya' got a card?”

Instinctively they reach for a card and give it to you.  And you'll be surprised. Most will even write their home phone number on the card.  Those who do not have business cards invariably let you know they don't have one, but write their number down on a piece of paper.  If you're truly being a friend, just getting to know them and not trying to sell them anything, they'll be happy to give you the number.

That's the main thing.  Don't go looking for people to sign up — just go out and make friends.  And, remember your mantra: “Two people a day, brings freedom my way.”

So, now you're going out each day with the intention of meeting two new friends. As you do this, you're collecting cards and phone numbers. When you get home each day, add these people to your prospect list. When the lines you have are going down in depth, and don't need you doing their presentations anymore, you can now open some new lines. So, you look over your prospect list and decide who is the best of those prospects.  I recommend you contact them by phone.  This allows you to be brief; get to the point; and control the situation better. 

The call should go something like this:

“Hey Ray, this is Linda.  You probably remember me. We met at Radio Shack when you were buying a cell phone.  You seemed like a sharp guy, and from our conversation it seemed you might be open to taking a look at a business opportunity.”

Usually now, they'll ask what it is.  You respond with something like:

“I run a marketing business, and we're expanding here in the Dallas area.  I can't promise you anything, but I'm looking for a couple of key people.  If you're interested, I'd like to suggest we meet for a cup of coffee and I'll run it by you.  You can't buy anything and you can't sign anything .  It will just take 30 minutes, and you can see if it looks like something you want to explore further.”

Now, it doesn't have to be this exact script.  In fact, you'll find at least a dozen different ones in my new resource Duplication Nation Leadership Kit. Find one or two that feel comfortable for you.

The keys in this situation are:

* suggesting that they'll probably remember you;

* telling them you “can't promise them anything”; and,

* letting them know that they can't buy or sign anything.

Because they remember you, you were friendly, and it's only a 30-minute, no-risk commitment — most people will be more than happy to meet you for a one-on-one.  And, because you're out there always meeting two people a day — you will never run out of qualified prospects!