MLM Training - How to Get Prospects Past the Initial Presentation

A network marketer recently emailed my office to seek some MLM training advice for a problem he was having: He could get appointments set-but prospects seemed to disappear after that. Here's the question:

"I can get appointments to meet with people. My call rate is very good with people I know or have met. But I can't seem to get a follow through meeting, to go further. "I'm told that, 'you can't say the wrong thing to the right person or you can't say the right thing to the wrong person.' I'm supposed to find the person 'who is looking' because if they are looking you 'couldn't beat them out of getting into network marketing with a stick.'" -Warren

Great question Warren.

I do agree with the quote-with a few additions and perhaps some alterations. Sometimes the prospect might "be ready" but isn't looking or isn't looking for an MLM business.

Picture a person driving to his job and is pondering that he wishes he could own his own business. Is he looking? No. He's thinking. If you know this person, and you've had the proper MLM training, then you know how to do an effective invite (using the Inviting Formula) and will be able to take this person from "thinking" to looking. Rarely have I seen someone who was out looking for an MLM company. It does happen but not commonly.

Most often your quote is a comment made by speakers from a stage who don't know how to train the specifics of inviting so the quote is a variation to "just do the numbers."

It's very easy to say, "Just do the numbers." It's harder to say, "Let me show you how to do an effective invite call." And, it's even harder to say, "I'll teach YOU how to do an effective invite call."

So instead sometimes a leader's MLM training comes down instructing you to just say, "Do the numbers" and find people who are looking. The other thing is, you need to be the best inviter you can be when you do talk to that person who is looking. So no matter what you do, you're going to have to learn good inviting skills. And by the way, follow through is part of the inviting skills!

As for your follow thru question, I'm assuming that you're using the words FOLLOW THROUGH as I discussed in the MLM training series "Professional Inviter" - which is different than FOLLOW UP.

Follow through is once your prospect has indicated an interest to do the business that you follow through and deliver EVERY THING the prospect requires to get him what he's stated he needs/wants and/or doesn't want-this you would have gotten by using the Inviting Formula.

Normally this is way more than what is in your standard-issue training manual. If you hand the training manual to the new person and the first thing they read is, "make a list of 200 people" and your new person doesn't do it, have you delivered everything the prospect requires? No.

Something is still in their way. Inability to communicate may be in their way; it may be they need a better understanding of what they will be doing; it may be they don't see themselves being a sales person or it may be that they need to fly to the company so they have certainty that it's a real business!

If you've listened to Professional Inviter you've heard my live calls and heard me on the phone with Ruth and Nadira. The moment they indicated that they were interested in the business I moved towards an appointment. If I can't meet with someone locally, I just continue the conversation over the phone. Now both Ruth and Nadira had things that were still in the way of doing the business that I had to help them overcome-and both of them were "looking."

My point is, the key to follow through is not saying "Next" as soon as someone is stuck on something! Help them through whatever they're stuck on. Now I know many people will say that I have the Mother Theresa complex. Well, I don't mind being compared to her because she was a very noble person and helped a lot of people. But remember, my sponsor would not have sponsored me had he not followed up and followed through with me to help me overcome my barriers.

When do I "quit" following through? When they stop taking my calls or they ask me to stop calling.

The speed at which you identify what the person is stuck on is critical. When you first sponsor someone or you have someone who has indicated they're interested-do not let a single day go by that you're not talking to them. Keep them close so you can get them past sticking points.

Also as soon as they start moving, gently (meaning very slowly) ease off so they don't grow dependent on you. This is a topic I'll leave for a later time, but I wanted you to see that some people make the mistake of connecting themselves to their people and never pass them the power to do it themselves - so they never do.

If I could leave you with one key MLM training point as it relates to Follow Up and Follow Through, it would be this: You must have a sincere desire to make your prospect's life better. When your aim and intention is focused on this, your follow up actions will be focused on the right things, and your prospect will respond to your helpfulness and sincere desire to help.

About The Author-- Tim Sales helps network marketers gain the skills necessary to be successful in MLM. His MLM training is based on his personal success of building a downline of 56,000 people. Instantly access Tim's free MLM training and learn the steps to achieve success at www.brilliantexchange.com/mlmtraining

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