Following your own Sales Process

Occasionally it’s good to remind ourselves that selling is a process, not an event. Even in MLM. Really understanding the concept can help us take a lot of pressure off of ourselves, as well as our prospective clients/distributors. The more clear you are about the process that it makes sense for you to follow; the more likely you are to avoid having your time wasted by people who can’t or won’t buy/or join you.

For example, let’s suppose a prospect you are working with asks for things (e.g., information, pricing, a presentation, references) prematurely. The more focused you are on your own process, the easier it will be to redirect the prospect to a more appropriate course of action for where they are in the buying cycle.

It might sound like this:

Prospect: What you’re saying sounds good. Why don’t you send me a proposal and I’ll look it over.

You: I’d be happy to provide you more information once I get a better understanding about how the problem/scenario you described is impacting your life. I’d like to get a better understanding of your overall objectives. Does it make sense for us to get together so we can ask each other a few more questions? I’d be happy to customize a proposal after that.

-or-

Prospect: We’re in a hurry to make a decision to get started or buy a certain product. Can you come do a presentation tomorrow?

You: It’s great to hear that you are eager for the next step. Before I conduct a presentation, it’s important that I get a better understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. My intention is not to waste your time by showing you something that won’t be relevant. Would you be comfortable giving me some time so I can ask a few questions about what would be most helpful for you to see in a presentation?

By staying clear about the process you need to follow to be successful, the deals you are involved in will be much more qualified and likely to close. If a prospect won’t work with you to provide you the information you need to be most helpful to them, chances are they aren’t serious about doing business with you. A phrase to remember is “Slow things down to speed them up.” Qualified prospects will work with you at a reasonable pace.

Really spice up your sales technique, it will make a world of difference in your MLM business!! 

Regards

Dirk Smit

http://www.dcinternational.co.za

http://www.mlmtodiamond.com

Are you leading or following?

Are you a leader or a follower? That is a very interesting question especially in the Network Marketing arena. There is also many definitions to leadership. What is your definition of leadership?

I listened to a CD recently about our target market, and while listening I heard that there are many Network Marketers out there that are so consumed about themselves and the me me me factor that they don't care about the people (downline) in their businesses. The example used was this one guy that started a new company and had 40,000 people join into the entire business. Due to governance issues they were forced to close the company down. So the question arose, what about the people? The response? "What about them?"

That is a good example of what Leadership is NOT all about. What is leadership in our eyes? It is the ability to show people with integrity how to proper and excel in their businesses, to care for their well being and to put the person ahead of the business. Network Marketing is a people's business, not a money business. Money is the result of caring about other people. My upline has adopted a great saying, "We are people helping people help themselves." - Rich de Vos.

So learn to lead people, it will really take your business to a whole new level. 

What is really important in your MLM business?

To start off, it is always advisable to only be part of one MLM business. The reason is integrity. If you are part of more than one, you tend to loose focus. And if you loose focus it duplicates down to your team. Remember, you are a leader now, people downline from you will look up to you and watch what you do. Lead by example.

If you really decide to build it, commit fully. MLM works on a delayed gratification structure. Don't expect to make loads of money in the short term. Most of the time the work you put in now will only start paying off in three to four months time. So stay persistent and consistent.

Create a vibe, culture and team spirit. Socialize, have a drink with your team and focus on adding value to there lives. Remember, people join you because you add value to their lives, not because of you products or business. The business is just a vehicle. MLM is an emotional business. Get the business from your head to your heart as fast as you can.

Don't ever quit. A friend of mine who was in my downline, forgot to renew his Amway business a while ago. After reminding him, his response was, "But there is nothing happening anyway". Today, there is over 300 people in that downline that would have been in his business! I recently spoke to him again and he really became ill. He has subsequently rejoined the team, and already have a substantial business below him.

I keep saying this, and I will KEEP saying it until it hits home. MLM is a business. It is not a club or social gathering. People that really build a MLM business are in it for the long haul. If you decide to really build it, then treat it like a business, otherwise it will just be another failed opportunity in your closet in years to come!!

Regards
Dirk

You only fail if you quit!

How many of us have "failed" in any endeavor we have taken on? I have, and not once, many times. My wife can give you nightmare stories of risks and opportunities we have pursued. But did we really fail?

Let's look at it this way. To quote a great leader, "You cannot fail at this thing, you can only give up trying" {Guy Didkott}. How true is that. Let's take when I did athletics. I was pretty good. At school I made both national teams, South Africa and Namibia. However, in my final year at High School, I quit Athletics because I lost the passion for it. But in my second year at college I took up athletics again. However, what a tough year, I didn't even make the college team, so I failed.

This is where we usually quit because we failed. We convinced ourselves that it is not working out. Or worse, someone else told us that you are not good enough. That is what happened to me. I was told that I was not good enough so why try. This however really ticked me off because I have seen what can be done, so the next year I worked hard, did double what others were doing and guess what, I qualified for the Olympics in both the 200 m and long jump.

So why do we quit in our network marketing businesses? The pain of failing is no different here than what it is in anything else we do. However, for some reason it is more accepted to quit a network marketing business then our jobs. That doesn't make sense though. When we have a job we are fighting for someone else's freedom and not our own. With network marketing we fight for our own? But we rather quit on ourselves because we "Failed". Guys, you cannot fail at Network Marketing, you can only give up fighting. How many people work 45 to 50 years at a job and then get retrenched? They actually failed because they don't have any freedom.

Remember, Thomas Edison didn't invent the light bulb in his first year of trying, but with every failed opportunity he said that it is just another way it is not working. So use his inspiration and just keep going.

Go BIG so you CAN go home!!!!