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Network Marketing Like a MLM Pro
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| Sep 24, 2004 7:49 pm |
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40 Telephone Prospecting Tips You Can Use Right Now |
Gregg Sparks
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40 Telephone Prospecting Tips You Can Use Right Now
By Gregg Sparks
September 24, 2004
Apply these pointers and watch your prospecting calls improve—instantly.
Get out your notepad, your highlighter, and a good pen. We're going to travel through every part of the potential business partner call, in order, discussing proven tips that can help you right now. Are you ready? Let's go!
Pre-call planning
1. Set a primary objective for every call. What do you want potential business partners to do as a result of this call? What do you want to accomplish?
2. Prepare questions for your call using your call objective. Ask yourself, "What questions can I pose to persuade them to take this action?" Remember, people are more apt to believe ideas that they articulate themselves than they are to believe what you tell them.
3. Set a secondary objective for each call. Think about what you want to accomplish at minimum in every call. Pick an objective that gives you a reasonably good chance of success. This way, you can enjoy success on every call you place, which does wonders for your attitude.
Dealing with gatekeepers
4. Treat screeners as you would treat actual potential business partners. Remember that screeners determine whether or not you'll even have a chance to speak with potential business partners.
5. Gather as much information as you can prior to speaking with your potential business partner. Busy decision makers grow impatient quickly when faced with a barrage of basic qualifying questions. When speaking with screeners, use the "Help" technique: "I hope you can help me. So I'm better prepared when I speak with Ms. Big, there's probably some information you could provide..."
6. Have a reason for needing to speak with the decision maker, and be prepared to sell it to the screener. Be aware that the screener is thinking: "Does this person have anything of interest or of value?"
7. Be prepared to leave compelling messages. Whether leaving a message on voice mail or with a screener, offer a hint of a benefit or result to spark curiosity, but refrain from talking about products or opportunity.
Creating good opening statements
8. Pique curiosity and interest. Your opening should get potential business partners interested enough so that they will willingly and enthusiastically move to the questioning phase of your call. You must answer the question "What's in it for me?" for listeners; otherwise, they will immediately begin the getting-rid-of-you process.
9. Don't use goofy, resistance-inducing phrases. Avoid using phrases like "If I could show you a way to _____, you would, wouldn't you?" The only decision you're looking for in the opening is the one to continue speaking with you.
10. Don't start the call with, "I was just calling people in your area..." People want to feel like they're the only person you're calling, not just one of the masses from a list of compiled names. “Your name and number were referred to me as someone, who at one time, was interested in a home based business.
11. Use flexible words. Non-threatening words and phrases like "depending on," "might," "maybe," "perhaps," and "possibly" intimate that you might have something of value for the potential business partner, but that you really need to ask questions first. For example, "Depending on what you're now doing with your career, I might have something that could potentially increase your income. I'd like to ask you a few questions to see whether this is something you'd like more information on."
12. Have something of value to say on every call. This especially goes for those regular calls to existing clients. Avoid conversation openers like "Just checking in with you to see whether you need anything" or "Just calling to touch base." That's not providing good service—that's being a nuisance. Be certain potential business partners are able to say they're better off after your call than they were before it. Call with relevant news or ideas about your opportunity that they might be able to take advantage of.
Effective questioning
13. Get information before you give it. How could you make an effective presentation otherwise?
14. Don't present from a "benefit list." Instead, use that list to create questions that determine whether those "benefits" truly are of value to your potential business partners and customers. Some "benefits" could actually be liabilities.
15. Avoid asking go-nowhere questions. Questions that are too general—"Is everything going OK with your current occupation?" "What are your needs?" "Are you having any problems now?" and "What are you looking for besides money in an home based business?"—force potential business partners to think about their future. Get potential business partners emotionally involved in seeing and feeling the pain or problems that your opportunity can resolve—especially problems you know they're likely experiencing.
16. Ask one question at a time. That's how many they'll answer at a time.
17. After asking, be quiet. Don't be intimidated by silence. If potential business partners don't answer immediately, resist the urge to jump in. They're probably just thinking about what they're going to say.
18. After you think they've finished, count to two (silently, of course). Some potential business partners will pause and then continue with even better information. Counting to two ensures that they're really done.
19. Be confident in your questioning. Business operators often ramble with questions when they're ill prepared or lacking in confidence. Prepare your questions. Role-play them—with yourself, if necessary.
20. Always know where you'll go with answers. Regardless of the answer.
21. Follow up on their answers with related questions. Too often, business operators work from a rigid list of questions, losing the opportunity to pick up on potential business partner statements that just begin to touch upon their real feelings. For example, if a potential business partner said, "I'm not comfortable investing in a home based business right now," you might follow up with, "I see. What are your specific concerns?" or simply, "Tell me more."
22. Quantify the problem whenever possible. Ask questions like "How often does that happen?," "How much do you think that is costing you?," "How much time does that take?"
23. Resist the tendency to present. Some advisors get so excited at the slightest hint of an opportunity that they turn on the spigot of information. Hold off, ask a few more questions, and get better information. Then you'll be able to craft an even harder-hitting description of your opportunity, tailored precisely to what the potential business partner is interested in.
24. Learn more about the decision-making process. There could be many behind-the-scenes influences on the decision, especially if you're pitching for corporate business. Ask about anyone else who could influence the decision, such as who has to sign off on it and who might be loath to see it happen.
Making recommendations
25. Only talk about your opportunity after nailing down exactly how you'll solve the potential business partner's problem. That way, you can tailor your remarks specifically and personally for the potential business partner.
26. Get feedback during your discussion of benefits. Ask, "Do you feel that would work for you?" "How do you feel that would solve your problem?" Some trainers might tell you that this gives the potential business partner an opportunity to tell you "no." Precisely. And that's good. Because if potential business partners fail to see enough value in what you've presented, now is the time to find out.
Getting commitment (closing)
27. Remember that this is not the major event in a call. It's the natural, logical validation of the professional sales process up to this point. But you still need to ask. Commitment must be gained on every contact in order to move the process forward. If you plan to pursue follow-up contact and send or fax information, you need a commitment from the potential business partner regarding that material.
28. Ask large. Think big. Buyers often move down from a large recommendation, but they rarely move up from a small one. Of course, you never want to suggest more than is in the best interest of the potential business partner. But always bear in mind that failing to make a large enough suggestion when appropriate actually hurts the client.
29. When in doubt, ask. Do you have a foot-dragger in your follow-up file? Ask for a decision! Get some movement. A "no" today is better than one six months and 15 additional calls from now. Move these potential business partners forward or move them out.
30. If you're going to schedule a follow-up call, get a commitment of some type. Why would you call back otherwise? If they won't commit to doing anything—reviewing your literature and preparing questions, for example—they likely have no interest.
Addressing resistance (objections)
31. You can avoid objections by doing everything else correctly up to this point in the call. When you do encounter objections, resist the tendency to attack out of your own defensiveness. Instead, back up and revisit the questioning stage of the call. The voiced objection is simply a symptom of the real problem. Start by saying, "Let's talk about that."
32. Indecisive potential business partner? Shift his focus from the buying decision to his problem or pain. For example, "Jan, let's look at this another way. What would happen if you did nothing about the situation? Remember, we talked about the fact that your oldest child will be starting college in 10 years. Let's revisit that subject."
33. Avoid common objections mistakes. For example, refrain from using slick, prepared objection rebuttals that tell people they're wrong and intensify resistance. Also, don't give up before attempting to understand the reasons for the objection.
Wrapping up and setting the next action – Book a call from a call
34. Before sending information, know precisely how the potential business partner will evaluate the material. How will potential business partners know whether they like what they see? What criteria will they use? This way, you'll both be clear as to what needs to happen in order for them to take the next step.
35. When sending material, prepare them on what to look for. Otherwise they'll receive a package of materials and say, "Oh, there's a package of materials," and then toss it on top of the mountain of paper. If you tell them to look for the brochure you'll increase the likelihood that they'll actually look at what you send.
36. The success of your follow-up call is directly related to what you accomplished and how you ended the previous one. Never say, "I'll send out some materials to you, and we'll go from there." From where? Summarize agreed-to actions by both parties, including what transpired, what they're interested in, and what will happen next. And set the agenda for the next call. This makes it much easier to prepare for the follow-up call, and it helps you avoid starting calls with the useless question "I sent you the material; did you get it?" or "Whatdidja think?"
Attitude and self-motivation
37. You never have to experience rejection again. After all, what is rejection? It's not an experience—it's your definition of the experience. Ensure that you accomplish something on each call, and you'll be able to hold your head high with a sense of achievement. Remember that getting any decision, positive or negative, is better than shadow-chasing someone who will waste your time with wimpy or misleading statements that falsely suggest there's a chance.
38. Plant a seed for the future. This is a good way to end a call where you fall short of accomplishing your primary objective (it's also a good way to stop experiencing rejection). Give potential business partners something to look for based on what you uncovered during the call—something that just might cause them to call you back. Everyone has been surprised by those written-off potential business partners who later call and become a part of your team. This is a proactive approach to making that happen more often.
39. Imagine every day is the end-of-quota day. I've noticed that business operators tend to pick up the pace and behave like a tornado in a hurricane when they reach the last couple days of a quota period, doing whatever is necessary to squeeze out those last few calls. When you coast, you're going downhill. Get focused on a goal, and pursue it with single-minded determination.
40. Remember that you successfully perform a function that very few people in the world can do well. That function is persuading someone to take action and make a decision, based almost solely on the words and ideas that come from your mouth. It's quite an awesome feat, when you think about it. And do think about it. It takes a talented individual to be able to perform that function well. YOU ARE THAT PERSON. Feel proud of what you do, and always strive to get better!
Gregg Sparks is a Network Marketing Consultant and Lifestyles coach. If you would like help with your Network Marketing business, contact Gregg using the links provided on his Ryze page. http://www.ryze.com/go/cashflowtech
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