Talking to Prospects is Easy … Just Talk Like a Normal Person!

How to Talk to Prospects

Most people who get into Network Marketing don’t want to talk to people about their business.

I believe that is due primarily to the fact that we don’t know how to talk to people commercially.

Everybody is always asking “How do I get leads?” and once they get those leads, they ask “How do I talk to my prospects?”

What I found out is that talking to prospects is really very easy!  All you have to do is talk like a real person!

You see, most of us enter Network Marketing thinking we have to act like and talk like a salesman. So we go about watching salespeople and pulling unsavory memories from the depths of our minds of our past interactions with salespeople.

Even though we know we don’t like how the salespeople make us feel, we still believe that is what we are supposed to do. Well, guess what I discovered?  All those salespeople who turn us off or give us that creepy feeling like we are being “taken”, are doing it all wrong!

As a Network Marketer, I have studied successful network marketers and sales people. One of my favorite leaders is Tom “Big Al” Schreiter. Tom teaches us how to talk to prospects so we do not set off the Salesman Alarm.

Here are the 5 super easy tips Tom shared with me at one of his world renowned skills workshops.

• Use the Third Person.

When using third person, practice saying pronouns like everybody, some people, most people, a lot of people, or everyone.

There’s something about saying I or You that comes across as pushy. When people hear a salesman use I, it often feels like the salesman is being arrogant and positioning himself as the authority.

Does a prospect want to think someone else is the authority or that they themselves have enough smarts to know what to do?

Have you ever heard a salesperson say something like, “This is what I have been telling you to do.” or “You need to do this.” ?  I don’t know of any prospect who wants to be told what to do!

Practice using the third person when you talk with prospects. It is often easier and less threatening when we can look at what someone else is doing or thinking. It is less personal and takes the pressure off of making a decision for ourselves.

The other thing using third person does is it offers social proof.

Imagine going downtown and you pull up to two restaurants. One restaurant is full of people with waiters rushing around. The other restaurant has a few tables occupied while some of the waiters are standing around waiting to greet customers.

For most people, they would be drawn to the restaurant that is full of customers. There is an unspoken social proof that “everybody likes the food and service there”. Everybody knows that people subconsciously want to be a part of the crowd.

• Avoid MLM Words

We all have done it! We sign up with our MLM company and are so impressed with all the new official sounding jargon. We just can’t wait to get out there and start using our new found smarts on our prospects!

Did you understand terms like residual income, generational bonuses, BP, autoship, or downline when you first started?

I can easily remember salespeople who launched into using all of their industry specific jargon while leaving me behind! I felt a little stupid because I got the impression I was supposed to know this stuff. More importantly, I felt like the salesperson didn’t care about my needs or interests.

On the flip side, I went to my local Wal-Mart to shop for a computer router.  A nice young fellow came to help me.  He started getting technical on me then could tell I was getting lost.  (Getting lost = no sale)  He wrapped up his advice with “The orange box will meet your needs.”  That I could understand and still remember 6 months later!

Technical terms and industry jargon people aren’t used to hearing can be quite intimidating. Most people don’t want to get into an opportunity if they start out feeling intimidated. Just say what things are using words most people will understand.

• Use Small Words

Here is another way salespeople end up overpowering their prospects. They talk too big. In an effort to sound like that authority figure, salesmen often will use big words some of us would normally have to run to a dictionary to find out what they mean.

As a rule of thumb when talking with your prospects, keep it short, sweet and simple. Use normal everyday words that most people use and understand. You are not making any progress if you make your prospects feel like dummies.

• No Questions

Tom’s other bit of advice is to not use questions. Have you ever heard a presentation where you were asked something like “Now wouldn’t you want to give your children the best of everything?” That ploy may work to sign up some people, but a lot of people may get offended or feel the emotional manipulation going on.

Make statements using third person. The general rule of thumb is to use 2 facts. This will get your prospect nodding in agreement.

• Most parents spend a lot of time at work and commuting back and forth.
• And they often have to miss special school functions because they can’t get the time off.

• Small Bit of Information

This last piece is contradictory to everything most of us have been taught in MLM. The long winded 45 minute to an hour presentation is often standard in the Network Marketing prospecting guide book.

The truth is that these long presentations are overwhelming. Most people’s eyes glaze over by the end and they may say anything just to get out of the room. “Fine! I’ll sign anything! Just let me go!”

OK, this may be a bit of an exaggeration. But we need to keep in mind that when we are presenting a new idea, our prospect can only process small bits of that new information at a time. Giving the entire presentation all at once can be something like asking them to eat an elephant in one bite.

So, take the two fact statements from above…

• Most parents spend a lot of time at work and commuting back and forth.
• And they often have to miss special school functions because they can’t get they time off.

And follow them up with a small bit of information.

• Some parents have figured out how to be at all of their kids’ school functions, volunteer in the classroom, and earn paychecks working from home.

Then you leave it at that. When you use these simple techniques while talking to prospects, you just may find they are more relaxed and not on Salesman Alert.

Most people love the results they get once they start practicing and using Tom’s prospecting techniques. To learn more about what to say to prospects, how to say it, and what you need to do to get those leads, join the free training here.

I always love to hear what you have to say! What have been your 2 biggest challenges in learning how to talk to prospects?

Remember!…Sharing is Caring!…Please Like, Tweet & Share this post so others can benefit, too!

Believe In Your Success, I Do!
Karen Miller
Skype me! karen.j.miller
Tel: 1.541.484.5455 PST

Would it be OK if I showed you how to take the Frustration out of Network Marketing?

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