What Do You Say...
...to "I don't know enough yet"?
Marianne attends every meeting and training in her area. She takes notes and asks great questions. From where you stand, she's more than ready to get her business moving -- she's the only representative you know who has read the entire manual -- but she hasn't taken any action! Why isn't she doing anything?
You decide to ask directly, "Marianne, your business won't go anywhere until you talk to people. Why aren't you making calls and inviting prospects to meetings?"
She replies, "I've never done Network Marketing before, and the products are new to me, too. I don't know enough yet."
What do you say?
Cindy Prince, an Achiever after one year with USANA, is also a Lifetime Member. She lives in North Queensland, Australia.
Marianne may fear rejection or failure or even success. It's important to pinpoint that, but even more important to instill in her the belief that she is ready.
I'd say: Marianne, you know more about this company and the products than the CEO! Let's do a three-way call together so you can relax and listen to how I approach a prospect. We'll do calls this way until you get comfortable with the process.
If her prospects are local, I'd suggest: Why don't you call your top five prospects and arrange a coffee or lunch date. Tell them you have someone you'd like them to meet, and be sure to arrange it in a casual, comfortable atmosphere that is relatively free of distractions. Don't tell them anything more than that, it will all unfold during the course of the meal. All you have to do is introduce us, and then relax and watch how I conduct the meeting.
Jim and Jane Atencio are experienced Networkers and Lifetime Members. They have achieved the level of Executive Coordinator in their first year with Market America. The Atencios live in Georgetown, TX.
Marianne, I felt the very same way when I first began this business. The question I needed to ask myself was: "What's missing, which if I put it in, would make this work for me?" What I found missing was not how much knowledge and training I lacked about the business and the products, it was about using and sharing my experiences with the products. I was then able to build relationships and thus overcome my fear of this business working for me. You already possess all the tools to make this business work for you. Let's approach it as a partnership.
Ten-year industry veteran Nina Sutcliffe recently joined Pre-Paid Legal Services. She lives in Middletown, CA.
Here's how I'd handle it: Marianne, I'm so glad that you shared your thoughts with me -- we're a lot alike! When I began, I wanted to learn everything before talking to people. Then I realized that the only true way to learn how to do our business is by doing our business. No matter how well read we are on a subject, when we actually get started we're going to make mistakes ...it's part of the process. It's like learning to ride a bike: You can read for months and learn everything about bicycles from how they're made to what makes the brakes work, but ultimately the only way to learn how to ride is to get on and pedal! Would you agree?
Remember, all you have to know now is how we invite people to meetings. Your prospect will learn about the products and the opportunity there. Can you set aside about an hour tonight to do some calls? I'd actually like to make some of those calls with you -- that way you'll get comfortable with it quickly. Are you willing to do some pedaling?
Reprinted with permission from Upline, What Do You Say? - February 2000, 888-UPLINE-1, http://www.upline.com
