Joe, a subscriber writes:
"....Dan Kennedy says it (his book, Prospecting Sucks), covers what to do before you're successful and he says don't "fake it til you make it"...but how do you project that authority...thank you for your time." - joe
Sound advice from Dan Kennedy and a great question from Joe M.
The age old dilemma of 'how do I attract prospective business partners when I myself am not yet _______?" (plug in your own word/phrase. Stuff like like 'successful,' or 'financially free,' or 'worth XYZ dollars,' or 'in a position to show off my rewards.') Ahh, you get the point.
So, the question is: "How do you project an image of success when you yourself (at least in your mind) are not yet successful?"
Uhm. A Toughie. For some of us, this is a dilemma that ranks right up there with these two mind-benders:
* Which came first...the Chicken or the Egg?
* Can't get a job without experience but can't get experience without a job.
Yep, while all three of these may seem like a case for Encyclopedia Brown, let's see if we can work through the gray areas and save $500 an hour (last time I checked, that's what the publisher said he was charging :-)
First, let's all agree that for a lot of people, talking to prospects about future potential just doesn't fit well. You know, talking to your closest friend about 'linear income' verse 'residual income' when you still have a J-O-B and are exchanging time for money (what 'linear income' means). Or talking to your town Doctor or Lawyer about "5 or 6-figure per month royalty checks" when, again, you yourself are still bringing in 3 or 4-figure per month checks. Or talking to a long-distance lead about how they can leave their job within 12 months when you haven't left yours within 12 months.
Yes, what you've just read are the classic "dream selling" scenario's people get into - usually unintentionally - to spice up the offer or make it more appealing. However, for some, it's intentional misinformation to imply: "Hey, look, I'm talking the talk so, I must be walking the walk, right?"
Inevitably, because of this "too-good-to-be-true," rosey-picture type vocabulary (sometimes, sprinkled with half-truths,) the prospect is going to, without question, ask you something like:
"Hey, sounds great. How much are you making?"
Ah, like the doctor who told the kid, "..then don't stomp your feet," when the kid said, "doc, my head hurts when I stomp my feet," you can avoid the "How Successful are you?" or "How much money...?" question by not setting yourself up for it (i.e, not doing what causes it)
So, what causes people to question or ask for proof of your success?
Three Phrases for ya:
Excessive Emotion / Unbridled Hype / Unrealistic Expectations
New in MLM/Network Marketing? Haven't achieved enough financial success to even impress your neighborhood street bum yet? But, you still wanna bring people into your organization that are much more successful and/or smarter than you?
Here's the SOLUTION:
Throw out the marketing hyperbole and souped-up income projections and tell prospects the way it really is. Be genuine, speak the truth, sell/market with honesty and integrity.
"Sue, I've been with the company for 3 months, have 10 committed customers, and 5 distributors who are on track to achieve their income goals within 24 months. You can do this, worse or better. But, certainly my results as of today don't dictate what you can do tommorrow."
- or -
"John, our team has a proven, time-tested plan to earn $______ by finding ____ customers and ______ business partners. This isn't get-rich-quick, it's get-rich-slow so this may or may not be for you. However, I do know at the end of 36 months I'll be where I want to be financially. Can you hang on that long. Can you invest in a long-term, residual-based asset that could potentially payoff in a big, big way 24-36 months from now?"
So the point here is that it doesn't matter where YOU are at in your business-buiulding process. As long as you are being a consistent, predictable, reliable business person who is getting results as you learn, grow, and develop, YOU are already successful.
Here's a even bigger revelation: if you're doing what it takes to be successful in a referral/networking marketing business and the prospect isn't (i.e., he/she is still trading time for money and not yet doing anything to offset that), then, by default, you are more successful than he or she.
If you love the concept Network Marketing, you are successful.
If you are building daily (no matter how small), you are successful.
If you are learning all you can about marketing, human nature, sales, your product line, you company, you are successful.
If you are overcoming obstacles, setbacks, hurdles, you are successful.
If you are advertising and marketing consistently, you are successful.
If you are in a legit, tried-and-true, merit-based Network Marketing company that sells products of real value and you're actually selling them, you're successful.
Get the point ? If you're doing any of those above (or more), you don't have to prove your MLM financial success to anybody. In other words ...
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