This is the title of a recent piece by one of the industry trainers, Wendy Weiss.
In her article, Wendy suggests getting an "I'm not interested" is because your script or its delivery isn't good enough. While that may be partly true, it's not the biggest reason for that reaction.
She writes:
"If you have a compelling script with stellar delivery, you will hardly ever hear the words, 'I'm not interested.' That's because you will actually be saying something interesting!"
She concludes, "Before you ever pick up the phone, have the answer to the question: 'Why should this prospect be interested?' If you have that answer, you will never again hear: 'I'm not interested.'"
Hilton Johnson teaches the same thing...
"If the prospect is not sold on your offer and is just using this as
an excuse to get rid of you, you probably have a weak
presentation..."
And of course they offer programs to help you develop your presentations.
Yes, what you say DOES matter. I myself teach people how to talk to others about their business or their products. I have a whole book on it.
But here's my take on the role of your presentation: It can help you get interest from the few who are of like mind, but it does nothing like guarantee an "I'm interested" from most people.
Even with a good presentation, most people will still say no.
E.g. On the recruiting side, only 1/100 or so say they want to do any kind of 100% commission sales. So no matter what you say, 99/100 will say no. If you sweet talk them into it, they soon drop out, like 95% already do.
On the customer side, perhaps one in 10 or 20 will have an interest in your product or service, regardless of what you say (provided it's true and not full of empty promises).
For example, I eat organic. Nothing a regular store like Safeway or Price Chopper advertises there will ever get me to go into one of those stores. I just prefer organic because I believe it is easier on my body. Right or wrong, that's me. All their advertising and presentations are wasted on me, regardless of how stellar they are.
If Nordstrom is having a shoe sale on size 6 shoes, I won't go. I'm a size 8.
There is nothing for everyone. Mass marketing is very much on the wane. Niche marketing is in vogue and some of the big companies are learning that.
If a person doesn't care about alternatives to drugs and surgery, they won't have an interest in your natural product. If someone doesn't play tennis, they can't be your tennis partner. No matter how wonderful you tell them tennis is.
Moral: Your words are only part of the answer. Bigger is recognizing that even with the best story and script, some people will be a match, most not. Learn to let go of those who are not part of your niche. Learn to do niche prospecting - YOUR niche - the one you know and love. That's where your words will more likely fall on open ears.
Do you really want to do therapy on the rest of the world?
Are they asking you to?
11 comments :
Here's another line from Wendy's article "The big point here is that when you are trying to hook someone, you have to have some sense of what's important to them." At least it includes "what's important to them", yet what stood out for me is "trying to hook someone".
Just further speaks to the fact that until one knows oneself, has clear intentions that are in tune with his/her innate personality (not someone else's) AND masters the art of "not selling", all these pearls of wisdom might as well remain in the shell.
Hi Kim.I agree with you 100%.
Bill Gates, Donald Trump and Warren Buffet could give the majority of people a plan to wealth but the majority are going to say no because they have conditioned there minds that wealth belongs to someone else besides them.You ever wonder why people stay in "dead end" jobs with disrepectful co-workers and bosses and try to rationalize this hell on earth.But Kim these same people spend there last on lottery tickets,trying for the microwave success.Take the elephant.As strong as it is a wring on his ankle has him/her conditioned that they are securely locked down.People are no different.
Take care,
Raven
Yes, how mannnny hourrrs of therapy I've tried to do - having no clue...
Ford finally GOT IT; I'm getting it, finally! with: If My Product..., Kim, New School, NMC - Network Marketing is finally becoming for me what I glimpsed, in the beginning...
THANKS,
Carolyn
When doing a presentation, the odss of the person you are presenting your opportunity to, being the ONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, is slime to none, the odds of them KNOWING THE PERSON YOU ARE LOOKING FOR is extreemly high.
Personally I would rather get a good quality referal than sponsor that person.
I may say after the no, what about the program didn't appeal to you. But the money is made with this statement. "If you where going to do this business, who would be the first person you would talke to? Who would be the second? Who else do you know that could become successful in this business.
Dale Calvert
Supporting Network Marketing Professionals!
http://www.DaleCalvert.com
I have found that unless you have a very good icebreaker to get you past the first 60 seconds of contact with a prospect, you'll be hearing "Not interested" more than you care to hear it.
When a prospect answers the phone, you have absolutely no idea what they were doing. Reading? Changing diapers? Watching TV? Eating dinner? What?
You have to have a compelling icebreaker that will capture their attention, no matter what the rest of your story will be. If you don't get their attention, pull them away from what they were doing and get yourself fully in the "door" so to speak, you just won't get much further.
In the past six years, I've averaged 8,000-10,000 phone calls a year, talking with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people each year. Until I learned a good icebreaker, a reason that this person would listen to me, I had very little success.
I do better now because I have a good icebreaker. Still get "Not interested" about 90% of the time, but at least I get to have a conversation, and usually find out why they're "Not interested."
Just telling someone your name and that you'd been told they were looking for a home business, and do they have time to listen to you talk about yours, will not cut it.
You have to draw them into the conversation, get their undivided attention and tell your story in such a way that you end up asking them a question. How they answer will tell you fairly accurately how the rest of your conversation with them will go.
It means you're going to have to climb out of your comfort zone and really put yourself way out there on that limb where it can be chopped off.
Give me a good icebreaker any day, and even if my story (and product or service) is just so-so, I'll still get through to enough people to make it worth my while.
In the same article, Ms Weiss, says"The big point here is that when you are trying to hook someone, you have to have some sense of what's important to them."
If you are interested in the whole article, I found it at www.mlmwoman.com
It might be a semantic differences but both ladies are looking for people who are interest in their products not on selling size 5 shoes to a size 7.
Thanks for the good feedback.
Can you all see the links in the article to the original articles?
The point is the promises that are being made:
Namely: If you have a stellar presentation, you will get only interested people. If you learn to present the way we teach you, you won't hear 'no' anymore.
I believe that is false. The best you can do is hope not to TURN OFF a good prospect - because if you do, you won't get referrals, either.
There is nothing for everyone. Most stuff we market is for just a few, relatively speaking. It's 1/100 for recruiting, at best. So why pretend that a script will change the attitudes of the 99 who do NOT want to do sales, period, no matter what?
It causes good people to feel like failures. And to nag and nag their contacts until no one takes their calls anymore. Not a good thing.
Judy and Enrique:
"trying to hook someone..." Yes, that is what Wendy Weiss wrote.
There's a big philosophical difference between the old and new schoolers.
Old school: Try to hook them, win them over.
New School: Find people of like mind to begin with, who happen not to have heard about your thing before.
The difference between mass marketing and niche marketing.
Any experienced advertising strategist can tell you that there are four critical performance factors that determine the success or failure of any advertising pitch.
Each has different degrees of leverage. If you get them right, history shows that they can produce the following increases in advertising results:
1. Your layout (how your ad looks) -- up to 50% increase.
2. Your copy (the words you use) -- up to 250% increase.
3. Your offer (your bait and hook) -- to to 2,000% increase!
4. Your audience (targeting where the fish are biting right now) -- up to 2,500% increase!
To ignore 3 and 4, then blame 1 and 2 for your failure, is like saying your car didn't win the race because it was the wrong colour.
Clueless!
Too many of us, when we go fishing for prospects, throw in the entire bucket of worms, expecting the fish to jump out at our feet.
Doesn't happen.
And as for persisting... we just run the risk of getting a worse response than "not interested".
That's "yes... meaning NO!" (the answer you give when you're up against someone who won't take no for an answer).
Then you wonder why you chase your tail trying to get them to buy products, recruit, attend meetings, ANYTHING AT ALL, for months to come.
Hey... people only say "yes" for a perceived benefit. In this case, they already gained the benefit...
They got rid of YOU!
Target, target, target.
John
http://www.profitclinic.net
Of course I'm WAY on board with the niche marketing brain on this. How cool to filter people to you who WANT what you've got, eh?
Something interesting that stood out for me in Kim's post was this line:
"Learn to let go of those who are not part of your niche."
I think there's another 'aha' opportunity for many here (myself included somedays ;-) ...
Learning to let go is more than just about sifting and sorting for our own purposes ... we have to find a way to be attractive to the people we want to talk to, yes ...
BUT we also have to find a way to let go which honors and respects those who aren't interested.
How many of us are still tempted to use fear of loss type posture??
A 'You don't know what you're missing' type of verbiage. A 'let me know when you wise up' tone.
It's that kind of presentation behind the words that we choose that's the most challenging, I think.
We have to genuinely WANT for the other person whatever it is that they want for themselves.
And it's darn hard to keep our personal opinions out of most things in life, eh??
The opportunities to build relationships are abundant ... know, like and trust trumps all in the end.
And besides, it's who THEY know that's the bigger opportunity anyway, right??
Andrea
"I'm not interested" often comes because we try to be too scripted and don't speak in normal conversation.
When I threw old my original network marketing training of "the one asking the questions is the one controlling the conversation" and "answer a question with a question" my sponsoring ratio increased DRAMATICALLY.
Instead of going into my "speil" I started asking questions and actually LISTENING without any agenda or planned response.
The feedback I received was wonderful and people tell me I am "different" than the others they have spoken to. (I guess I've always been "different", ha!)
This is a relationship business. Validate and honor your prospect by letting them lead the conversation. Know when to cover important points, but be conversational.
This can still be done while knowing when to take it away if they aren't right for you.
Above all, you'll come away from each conversation knowing you gave something of value, no matter what the outcome!
EXPECT Success!
Jackie Ulmer
http://www.streetsmartwealth.com
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