Feature
Why Can't I Sponsor People? - Gary Thompson
This is a question I have been hearing for the past 20 years or so in Network Marketing. It seems that before a person joins us in this industry, they have the ability to talk to anyone about almost anything, but the minute they join, they get lockjaw. I truly believe it's because they think this is a hard business. They think about all the things that can go wrong before they ever approach the first person.
Most distributors work the business in their head much harder than they actually work the business. Have you ever caught yourself saying, "I think I will call Joe and Mary, I know they would be interested." Then a little voice in your head says, "You know Joe is a so and so in the such and such department. He's too busy." You go through about four or five more names and run the same story.
Your upline calls you a few hours later and asks, "Is business good?"
You say, "Man, I don't know. I've talked to everybody I know and no one wants to do this."
You haven't made the first call. This is called failing by default. Have you ever marked people off your list who didn't know they were on it? You probably thought you were the only one who ever does these things. Well, I want to be the first to inform you that we have all done them, and we will probably do it again.
The biggest mistake a new distributor makes is thinking that all the other people who are successful in their company have absolutely no fear. I don't care how big a pin the person has or how successful they seem to be, they still have the voice that tries to hold them back. Have you ever heard some of the big stars talk about the butterflies they have before they go out to perform before a crowd? Well, these are the same butterflies you feel when you're ready to approach someone about this business. One thing to always remember: If your business is good enough for you, then it's good enough for anyone you want to approach.
Many distributors are defeated before they ever start their business. The reason is the goals they set that they don't really believe they can reach. So they never begin. One goal-setting method that I've been successful with for the past 20 years is what I call "2/3." Let me tell you a story.
I had been in involved in MLM for only about 18 months. I'd set a goal to reach a level in that business four times and had missed it repeatedly. I went to a meeting on this particular night and a pretty big pin was explaining the business and started talking about goals, describing how and where he had his goals posted. They were on the wall in his bathroom, on his ceiling, on the dash of his car.
After the meeting, I asked him if I could see his goals and he said, "No, they're mine." I explained that I didn't really want to see his goals, but that I thought maybe there was some "magic" way he wrote them down, and that I didn't think I knew how to set goals.
He asked me when I had set my first goal to reach the level I wanted? I said August. He wrote August on the board and put a line through it. Then he asked when was the next date. He did the same thing with all four of my dates. Then he said, "You don't really believe this thing is going to work, do you?"
I said, "I know it works."
He said, "You have to be an idiot not to know it works, but you don't think you can do it . . . do you?" I mumbled something.
Then he said, "Let me ask you, could you show this business to four people a week?"
I thought about the question, and he said, "You're thinking too long. Could you show it to two people a week?" I said yes.
"Any doubt?" I said no.
He said, "Could you add three names to your list each week?" I said yes. He said "Do that."
"Do what?" I asked.
He said, "Let's say that this week you show the plan to two people. You add three new names to your prospect list." He wrote 2/3 on the board. "Then next week you do it again-- 2/3 --then next week you do it again-- 2/3." He did this ten times. 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3, 2/3.
Then he asked, "What do you have?" I gave him the deer-in-the-headlights look, so he pointed to the four missed goals.
He explained, "Over here you have a whole string of failures, and over here you have a whole string of successes. Every time you succeed you feel better about you."
The point of this story is, set a goal that you control. You don't control who will join your program. You only control showing the plan to people. By setting goals you can control, you take control of your business.
I don't believe you should set goals such as "I am going to the mall to make ten contacts," because you put yourself under pressure. If you don't make the ten contacts, it gives the little voice inside your head another reason to tell you how hopeless you are. Just live your life and always be "in business" (your mind ready for opportunity to contact). It will amaze you how many opportunities arise when you are relaxed. People seem to know if you are stalking them. You have a great business, everybody needs what we have, it's just some of them haven't got the message yet. But they will.
Set goals that you control. And don't talk too much. When you are explaining the business, tell them the concept. Find out what they want, and show them how to get it through the marketing plan. Give them some information and send them home. Don't follow them to the car and hold them up another 20 minutes. You can talk them right out of the business. If your company has tapes and information, make sure they have something that builds credibility for the company and the industry. Set a time to follow up and then FOLLOW UP! One of the surest ways to lose a potential distributor is not following up with them.
Those are the four steps for successful sponsoring: 1) set goals you control, 2) don't talk too much, 3) have materials available to help the new prospect make a decision, and 4) follow up. If you will do these simple things, your sponsoring rate will increase drastically.
GARY THOMPSON is a full-time Four Star Presidential in Achievers Unlimited. He and his wife Margaret have been with the company for six years and live in Hope Mills, NC.
Back to top of article
Reprinted with permission from Upline, Thompson Feature - January 1999, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com
Back
|
