Everyone is your prospect!
As I was compiling this list, I was trying to think of which lie was the worst. Which one
was the absolute most detrimental to a business? Which one topped ‘em all as the
“whopper of all whoppers?”
I tried to narrow it down, but I just couldn’t bring myself to select a definite winner.
They’re all so bad. I’ll tell you though, this one was a serious contender for the title:
“Everyone is your prospect!”
A similar version of this lie is:
“Everyone wants this, they just don’t know it yet!”
An article found in a popular network marketing publication declares that, “You just have
to believe that everyone is you prospect!”
This insane belief has led to such ridiculous practices as the “3 foot rule” and the “when
in doubt, blurt it out” technique.
Because of this lie, people have the mistaken idea that talking to anyone and everyone
they come within arms length of is an effective recruiting technique.
Prospecting Red Lobster waitresses…employees at Marshall Field’s…gas station
clerks…total strangers at malls…the postman…kiosk stands…the girl at
Caribou…leaving flyers on car windshields…
…These kind of antics have damaged this industry’s reputation almost beyond repair.
They’ve absolutely destroyed any image of professionalism and made it harder for
everyone to sponsor people.
These “street hustler” methods of recruiting have single-handedly placed network
marketing on the same level as some low-life schmuck peddling fake Rolexes in the
minds of most people.
It’s absolute lunacy. Don’t buy into this fallacy. This isn’t evangelism for cryin’ out loud!
Not everyone is your prospect.
One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in marketing is this:
People Who Try To Be Everything To Everybody,
Wind Up Meaning Nothing Special To Anyone.
See, not everyone is looking to run their own business. Contrary to what we’ve been
told, there are actually a substantial amount of people who are 100% content with being
an employee and have no desire whatsoever to change that.
Some people love their job and wouldn’t give it up for a million bucks. Some people
despise network marketing and would rather be buried alive than be associated with it.
Some people despise business in general. Some people think making lots of money is a
bad thing. Some people don’t have the funds to properly run a business. Some people are
absolutely scared to death of anything that involves risk. Some people have plenty of
money and aren’t looking for anything else. Some people just plain old don’t care. Some
people don’t have time. Some people just aren’t cut out to be entrepreneurs and are better
off working at McDonald’s. Some people are perfectly content with where they are at in
life and have no desire to change. That’s fine.
Whatever the case, you do not need to convince anyone to get into this business. It’s a
waste of your time and energy to try and do so.
Please listen very carefully:
No One Is Worth Your Time Until They’ve Shown
An Interest In What You’re Offering And Have
Asked You For More Information.
I don’t care if someone fits the mold of what would normally be considered “the perfect
mlm prospect”: mid ‘40s…absolutely despises their high-paying corporate j-o-b…wants
out of their 9-5…loads of connections…great people skills…sure, they might be a
potential prospect, but they’re not a prospect worth pursuing until they’re actively
seeking a solution to their problem.
It doesn’t matter how qualified you think a person is or how good you think they’d be at
this business.
It’s not even enough if a person does want to start their own business. Until they go out
of their way to get more information on how to do it, they’re just another bystander. Not
a player in the game. They’re not worth going after.
Sure, someone could have great people skills (a waiter for example) but that doesn’t
mean they’re a good prospect.
They could be so violently opposed to mlm, business opportunities or any other way of
making money besides being an employee that it would take a massive barrage of
information to ever sway their opinion.
If someone has a strong belief about something it can take years to reverse that.
It’s not a good use of your time to try and convince someone who disagrees with your
way of thinking.
As a business owner, your job is not to make a convert out of anyone. Your job is to get
the maximum returns possible for your time and efforts. And that means talking with
people who are, for the most part, already on the same page as you.
Well…why not at least prospect them and find out?
For one, as stated before, it gives this industry a tacky, “second-rate” image.
And secondly, it’s a horrible first impression for your prospect. Because you’ve just
shown them exactly how you do business – soliciting total strangers.
And no one wants to be a part of that.
You see, mlm uplines love to tote the fact that these marketing tactics (the 3 foot rule,
etc.) don’t require any money and therefore are perfect for the average person who
doesn’t have a whole lot of extra cash.
Here’s what they fail to tell you: Second rate advertising methods lead to second rate
results.
When you market this way, it shows your prospect that you’re the type of business person
who isn’t professional (or successful) enough to invest in some respectable marketing
methods. It immediately projects a “cheap,” rinky-dink image.
Who wants to work with a person who advertises their business like that? Think about it.
Do dentists or doctors go around trying to prospect every single person they cross paths
with? Hey there, got any built up plaque you want me to take a look at?
Even if you do happen to hit on someone who has a “business mindset,” they’re not
likely to take you seriously.
Why? Because…
…Who Finds Who First Is Very Important.
When you go head hunting and chase your prospect, the whole operation is doomed to
failure because you’re viewed as a nuisance! When they find you and seek you out,
you’re viewed as an expert.
Positioning makes all the difference in the world.
I remember this one appointment I had with my son’s friend’s mom. She was adamantly
opposed to multi level marketing. The whole appointment with her was about as pleasant
as giving blood. I don’t know why I even bothered doing it. (Oh wait – I do know why!
Because everyone’s a prospect!).
Anyways. Towards the end of our lovely time together, I had given up trying to give a
good presentation and I said, “So what’s your single biggest objection to network
marketing?”
She immediately replied, “Taking advantage of your friends and family.”
I don’t know why but it was at that point during that appointment that I realized how
much I truly hated sitting down at someone’s kitchen table and going through my little
flip chart. And I realized that I completely agreed with her.
I used to get so excited about it. For a very long time I believed that network marketing
was the cure to financial cancer and it was my job to spread the good news throughout
the land. Maybe you’ve thought that yourself. Maybe you still do.
But what finally hit me – after I began feverishly studying anything about marketing I
could get my hands on – was this: Why make it harder on yourself than you have to?
Why expend valuable time and energy trying to force-feed your opportunity down the
throat of someone who’s entirely indifferent?
Why do that when there are millions of people who actually do want to start their own
business? The ones who warrant your attention are the ones who take the initiative and go
out of there way to find out how to do it. These people are prospects.
Another problem with this mentality that really started to wear on me is, if everyone’s a
prospect that means you have to constantly be “on the prowl.”
Anytime you first meet somebody, you’re always looking for that “in.” The “in” that will
allow you to bring up your opportunity. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?
Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about that? To hold a conversation without
thinking of ways to recruit them in the back of your mind? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able
to separate your personal life from your business life?
If that idea sounds appealing to you, keep reading. A little later I’ll talk about how to do
this by having people come to you instead.
As I was compiling this list, I was trying to think of which lie was the worst. Which one
was the absolute most detrimental to a business? Which one topped ‘em all as the
“whopper of all whoppers?”
I tried to narrow it down, but I just couldn’t bring myself to select a definite winner.
They’re all so bad. I’ll tell you though, this one was a serious contender for the title:
“Everyone is your prospect!”
A similar version of this lie is:
“Everyone wants this, they just don’t know it yet!”
An article found in a popular network marketing publication declares that, “You just have
to believe that everyone is you prospect!”
This insane belief has led to such ridiculous practices as the “3 foot rule” and the “when
in doubt, blurt it out” technique.
Because of this lie, people have the mistaken idea that talking to anyone and everyone
they come within arms length of is an effective recruiting technique.
Prospecting Red Lobster waitresses…employees at Marshall Field’s…gas station
clerks…total strangers at malls…the postman…kiosk stands…the girl at
Caribou…leaving flyers on car windshields…
…These kind of antics have damaged this industry’s reputation almost beyond repair.
They’ve absolutely destroyed any image of professionalism and made it harder for
everyone to sponsor people.
These “street hustler” methods of recruiting have single-handedly placed network
marketing on the same level as some low-life schmuck peddling fake Rolexes in the
minds of most people.
It’s absolute lunacy. Don’t buy into this fallacy. This isn’t evangelism for cryin’ out loud!
Not everyone is your prospect.
One of the most important lessons I’ve ever learned in marketing is this:
People Who Try To Be Everything To Everybody,
Wind Up Meaning Nothing Special To Anyone.
See, not everyone is looking to run their own business. Contrary to what we’ve been
told, there are actually a substantial amount of people who are 100% content with being
an employee and have no desire whatsoever to change that.
Some people love their job and wouldn’t give it up for a million bucks. Some people
despise network marketing and would rather be buried alive than be associated with it.
Some people despise business in general. Some people think making lots of money is a
bad thing. Some people don’t have the funds to properly run a business. Some people are
absolutely scared to death of anything that involves risk. Some people have plenty of
money and aren’t looking for anything else. Some people just plain old don’t care. Some
people don’t have time. Some people just aren’t cut out to be entrepreneurs and are better
off working at McDonald’s. Some people are perfectly content with where they are at in
life and have no desire to change. That’s fine.
Whatever the case, you do not need to convince anyone to get into this business. It’s a
waste of your time and energy to try and do so.
Please listen very carefully:
No One Is Worth Your Time Until They’ve Shown
An Interest In What You’re Offering And Have
Asked You For More Information.
I don’t care if someone fits the mold of what would normally be considered “the perfect
mlm prospect”: mid ‘40s…absolutely despises their high-paying corporate j-o-b…wants
out of their 9-5…loads of connections…great people skills…sure, they might be a
potential prospect, but they’re not a prospect worth pursuing until they’re actively
seeking a solution to their problem.
It doesn’t matter how qualified you think a person is or how good you think they’d be at
this business.
It’s not even enough if a person does want to start their own business. Until they go out
of their way to get more information on how to do it, they’re just another bystander. Not
a player in the game. They’re not worth going after.
Sure, someone could have great people skills (a waiter for example) but that doesn’t
mean they’re a good prospect.
They could be so violently opposed to mlm, business opportunities or any other way of
making money besides being an employee that it would take a massive barrage of
information to ever sway their opinion.
If someone has a strong belief about something it can take years to reverse that.
It’s not a good use of your time to try and convince someone who disagrees with your
way of thinking.
As a business owner, your job is not to make a convert out of anyone. Your job is to get
the maximum returns possible for your time and efforts. And that means talking with
people who are, for the most part, already on the same page as you.
Well…why not at least prospect them and find out?
For one, as stated before, it gives this industry a tacky, “second-rate” image.
And secondly, it’s a horrible first impression for your prospect. Because you’ve just
shown them exactly how you do business – soliciting total strangers.
And no one wants to be a part of that.
You see, mlm uplines love to tote the fact that these marketing tactics (the 3 foot rule,
etc.) don’t require any money and therefore are perfect for the average person who
doesn’t have a whole lot of extra cash.
Here’s what they fail to tell you: Second rate advertising methods lead to second rate
results.
When you market this way, it shows your prospect that you’re the type of business person
who isn’t professional (or successful) enough to invest in some respectable marketing
methods. It immediately projects a “cheap,” rinky-dink image.
Who wants to work with a person who advertises their business like that? Think about it.
Do dentists or doctors go around trying to prospect every single person they cross paths
with? Hey there, got any built up plaque you want me to take a look at?
Even if you do happen to hit on someone who has a “business mindset,” they’re not
likely to take you seriously.
Why? Because…
…Who Finds Who First Is Very Important.
When you go head hunting and chase your prospect, the whole operation is doomed to
failure because you’re viewed as a nuisance! When they find you and seek you out,
you’re viewed as an expert.
Positioning makes all the difference in the world.
I remember this one appointment I had with my son’s friend’s mom. She was adamantly
opposed to multi level marketing. The whole appointment with her was about as pleasant
as giving blood. I don’t know why I even bothered doing it. (Oh wait – I do know why!
Because everyone’s a prospect!).
Anyways. Towards the end of our lovely time together, I had given up trying to give a
good presentation and I said, “So what’s your single biggest objection to network
marketing?”
She immediately replied, “Taking advantage of your friends and family.”
I don’t know why but it was at that point during that appointment that I realized how
much I truly hated sitting down at someone’s kitchen table and going through my little
flip chart. And I realized that I completely agreed with her.
I used to get so excited about it. For a very long time I believed that network marketing
was the cure to financial cancer and it was my job to spread the good news throughout
the land. Maybe you’ve thought that yourself. Maybe you still do.
But what finally hit me – after I began feverishly studying anything about marketing I
could get my hands on – was this: Why make it harder on yourself than you have to?
Why expend valuable time and energy trying to force-feed your opportunity down the
throat of someone who’s entirely indifferent?
Why do that when there are millions of people who actually do want to start their own
business? The ones who warrant your attention are the ones who take the initiative and go
out of there way to find out how to do it. These people are prospects.
Another problem with this mentality that really started to wear on me is, if everyone’s a
prospect that means you have to constantly be “on the prowl.”
Anytime you first meet somebody, you’re always looking for that “in.” The “in” that will
allow you to bring up your opportunity. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?
Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about that? To hold a conversation without
thinking of ways to recruit them in the back of your mind? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able
to separate your personal life from your business life?
If that idea sounds appealing to you, keep reading. A little later I’ll talk about how to do
this by having people come to you instead.
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