In Part II of this series, we dealt with the dreaded question that all network marketers hate – “What do you do for a living?” – and came up with great answers that could prompt our prospects to ask: “Oh Really? How does that work?”
So we’ve turned a dreaded question that we hate to be asked into a question that we look forward to being asked.
But the problem is how do we get someone to ask us “What do you do for a living?”.
After all, it’s not very often that we get asked this question by a total stranger. You could starve to death waiting for someone to ask. And you can’t just go up to someone and say “Hey man, can you ask me what I do for a living?”
No, that would be ridiculous…
But what if instead of looking for an opportunity to talk about firing one’s boss, or getting an extra pay check in the mail every month, we could create the opportunity? Wouldn’t that be cool?
How to do it is really simple…
In order for us to create the opportunity to talk about ourselves, we must give others the opportunity to talk about themselves.
People like talking about themselves. People feel good when they talk about themselves, their professions, their likes and dislikes.
Therefore, when you can get another person talking about him or herself, it’s practically a rejection free prospecting technique.
Now, to get someone to ask you what you do for a living, all you have to do is first ask them what they do for a living!
They might give you a long 10 minute spiel about their boring non-network marketing job, but that’s okay, you just have to listen to them, because they’ll inevitably turn around and ask you:
“What do you do for a living?”
If you could just get one person a day to ask you what you do for a living, that equates to over 350 people a year that you could turn from neutral prospects, into GOOD prospects who would be potentially interested in your offer.
You could even tailor your words to them if you’ve listened carefully enough.
But what if you don’t do network marketing full time?
A lot of network marketers have a full time job during the day and build their home businesses part time at night. That’s perfectly fine.
If you’re a bank teller by day and network marketer by night, you can simply say: “I work in a bank, but I also show people how to fire their boss!”
“Oh really? How does that work?”
Why it works!
What’s great about all this is you can start a conversation with a prospect without any agenda. The prospect will be naturally curious and therefore open to what you have to say.
The reason why inexperienced network marketers get rejected so often is because they approach other people with an agenda to sell product or to sell the business opportunity.
When you have an agenda, you have a certain attachment to an outcome (get them into the deal!) and because of that you’re not yourself, you’re not comfortable and the prospect can sense that you want something from them.
Lose the agenda, and you’ll notice a marked difference in your posture, and your success!
Take a ride on a bus!
So the next time you’re on crowded public transport commuting to work, instead of being entrapped in your own little world, ask the guy next to you, “What do you do for a living?” and just have a chat.
I’ll be back soon with Part IV. Stay tuned.
To your MLM success,
Wayne Wu
P.S. I would love your input! If you have an opinion that would contribute to this discussion, please leave me a comment below.
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Related posts:
- Rejection Free “Old School” Network Marketing Part 2 – The Question Every Networker Hates
- Rejection Free “Old School” Network Marketing Part 4 – Turn Prospects Good By Disagreeing With Them?
- Rejection Free “Old School” Network Marketing Part 5 – Discover What A Prospect REALLY Wants In Just 1 Minute!
- Rejection Free “Old School” Network Marketing Part 1 – There Are No Good or Bad Prospects!
- Rejection Free “Old School” Network Marketing Part 6 – How To Make Your Entire Presentation In Just 2 Minutes!
- “New School” has KILLED “Old School” Network Marketing…
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Wayne,
This is great info. It’s crucial to ‘get into conversation’ and create rapport with the other person before even thinking about pitching your opportunity. It all revolves around the law of reciprocity.
Because you cared enough about their life to ask “what they do..” they in return feel OBLIGATED to ask you what you do.. it’s a great strategy
Thanks for sharing,
Talk soon,
Hector Cuevas
.-= Hector Cuevas´s last blog ..Hector’s Daily Blog Post Promotion Strategy In 7 Simple Steps =-.
Hey Hector,
Thanks for visiting my home on the internet. It’s great to have you here. Yeah, the law of reciprocity is ingrained in human psychology. “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours”
Wayne, you make it very simple for people by just defusing the anxiety so many of us feel when talking to non MLM’ers. I’m looking forward to part 4
.-= Charlie Holles´s last blog ..MLM Business Building Tips – Action and Procrastination =-.
Hey Charlie,
Good to see you here again. Yeah, remove the agenda and you’ll feel no anxiety. It’s as simple as that.
Hey Wayne,
That is great that you are touching on this subject. It’s so important to be a great listener. That is one of the key components of being a great communicator. You are doing a great job with this series.
Chat with you later…
Josh
.-= Josh Garcia´s last blog ..How Building Backlinks Made Me Generate Leads, Opt-ins, and Sales =-.
Hey Josh,
Thanks for the kind words my friend. Absolutely, communication is a fundamental skill of this industry – you simply can’t build a business without this skill. And that includes listening.
Hi Wayne,
I think the key thing you said was to “not have an agenda” when talking with cold-market prospects.
Now, if they’ve shown some interest in your business — that’s a different story!
Then you’ll want to have a well-thought-out presentation that has the agenda of helping them make a decision (either yes or no).
Looking forward to hearing more!
.-= Derek Alvarez´s last blog ..MLM Nerve Centers: Why every online Network Marketer should have one =-.
Hey Derek,
Great point. No agenda until they’ve actually shown interest in your business. I’m going to go over how to do a “one minute presentation” in parts 5 and 6. Stay tuned!
Hey Wayne,
Some great suggestions. The method you talked about for people with full time jobs is a great way to “prospect while you are out” rather than going out prospecting.
It is an efficient way to use time rather than designating “additional” time to it.
Thanks for this post.
Wayne Vassell, signing out…
.-= Wayne Vassell´s last blog ..Could The YouTube Keyword Tool Help You Build An Amazing MLM Prospecting System To Get “Raving Fans” Like A Popstar? =-.
Hey Wayne,
That’s it man. Making good use of time while you’re out, not just going out for the purpose of prospecting!
Hey Wayne,
This is a great series you’re putting on here.
It’s important to know what to say and how to say it. The last thing we want to do is come off as salesy.
Have a great day,
Jerome Ratliff
.-= Jerome Ratliff´s last blog ..Tastefully Capture More Leads on Facebook =-.
Hey Jerome,
Thanks for the kind words my friend. Coming of as “salesy” is a big problem for most network marketers. It’s unbelievable that network marketing companies teach their people to act this way.
This goes against the recruiting technique of “Be in a hurry” and “Say as little as possible”. Sigh…I’m so confused.
.-= Seth Miller´s last blog ..The Cold Market can be so cold =-.
Hey Seth,
It certainly does. When you’re “in a hurry” you sound like a sleazy salesperson and it’ll get you nowhere. It’s very unnatural to be “in a hurry” when you’re conversing with someone. It certainly didn’t work for me, and I’m sure it won’t work for most people.
Hey Wayne,
More good tips on getting the conversation started. A lot of people struggle with this aspect of the business. Once they get started, most of them are fine, but it is just the simple act of engaging people that a lot of people are uncomfortable with.
Eric
Hey Eric,
There’s no better conversation starter than asking people what they do for a living!
Hey Wayne,
Like Mark Weiser says “You have 2 ears and 1 mouth, what does that tell you?”
Listening is all important, actually listening! not just waiting for a break in conversation so you can pitch a business. haha
Thanks,
Matt
.-= Matthew Pedler´s last blog ..If You’re Broke, This Is Why… =-.
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