How to Become Effective at Prospecting
by Todd Falcone
Over the past few years I have a large number of people
ask me, “Todd…how do I become better at prospecting?” Or,
“Todd, what is it that you are doing that allows you to sponsor so many
new people into your business every month, while I struggle to get in one or
two people every now and then?”
The answer is relatively simple.
First of all, I have called literally thousands of people over the past ten
years. I’ve had plenty of practice. And today, I still call hundreds of
people every week. However, that is not the complete answer. Here’s a more
detailed answer as to how to become more effective at prospecting. How do we
define an effective prospector?? Or, what are the character traits of someone
who we would describe as an effective “recruiting machine”?
Becoming an effective prospecting machine begins with Attitude and
Self-Talk. How do you feel about you? Do you feel confident and
self-assured when you get on the telephone? Are you the leader your potential
prospects are looking for? Those of us that are effective at bringing large
numbers of people into our business have a positive outlook on themselves and
their ability to effectively communicate their message. They feel confident
that they have the ability to attract other quality like-minded individuals to
their business.
It begins with your posture. Posture doesn’t mean
being rude, nasty, mean or abrasive. It means projecting yourself in a
confident, positive, serious manner. When I’m doing business, it’s
not a hobby. I am “deadly serious” about my enterprise, and my
prospects know it. Yes…many of you who know me have heard me say that
prospecting is a “game”. But, let me ask you, do you think Tiger
Woods treats the game of golf like just a game? It takes time, practice and
repetition to get extremely good at anything. It’s a game only in the
sense that our goal is to win, and those that are serious about their business
have no other option other than winning. Prospecting with posture is about you
sending the message that you are the leader, the coach, or mentor that people
are looking for. I have come to realize over time that posture is the
“root element” of attracting the right kind of people to your
business.
Those that don’t have posture are communicating that
they need someone to join them, that they want them in their business, and that
they are chasing them. If you want to get good, don’t chase. You’ve
got to be willing to “take away” the opportunity from your prospect.
It’s a lot like dating. Think about a time when you were very interested
in someone, you showed up at their locker, wanted to take them to lunch, and
generally were pushing yourself on them. What happened? They had no interest in
you and dated someone else. Of course, six months later when you were
“over it”, they now came back to you and wanted to be your boyfriend
or girlfriend. Folks, it works the same way when you are prospecting. If your
prospect thinks you “need” them, they are going to run in the
opposite direction. Conversely, if you show through your posture and attitude
that you don’t need them and that you are the leader they have been
looking for, they often times will join your business.
To become
effective at recruiting and prospecting requires time, action, energy…and
consistency. It requires a commitment over a long period of time.
Prospecting is a process. Learning how to prospect is a process. It is not an
event. It is an evolution. Becoming an effective recruiting machine takes
practice and determination. You must have a willingness to develop and learn,
and the staying power to see it through to the end. Successful recruiters
don’t quit…period. There is no “out” for them. They are
committed, locked and loaded, and guns a blazing.
Massive sorting is
they key to success. We must identify and qualify potential prospects for our
time. Prospects NEVER give me the “runaround”, nor do I ever allow
them to take control of the interview. I am always the one in control. I
don’t sell, convince or coerce. During the interview process, 80% of my
time is spent listening, 20% is asking and answering. I now know why we were
given two ears and only one mouth, and use them accordingly.
It’s
all a numbers game. We are in the business of collecting decisions. Those of us
that have become effective at this game don’t get upset when we get a
“no”. In fact, we see a “no” as a positive. It is a time to
rejoice! We have collected a decision. We don’t take “no”
personally. It’s all part of the game. We’re getting the job done. We
are collecting decisions, whether no or yes. We talk to literally thousands of
people over time about the opportunity.
How many people have you
talked to in the past week, month or year? Think about the numbers…you
have to play the game. For new recruiters, you will make up in numbers what you
lack in skill short-term. As you become better, your results will increase.
Live with it. That is the reality that you are facing. Understand that as you
get better, so will your results.
We get paid for production, not
for time we spend in our business. Many novices spend their time getting
ready to get ready, shuffling papers and organizing their office. When the week
is done, they fool themselves into thinking they’ve put in a full-week,
when in all reality they have done nothing. Don’t confuse time with
production. Why do they do this? FEAR. Ask yourself at the end of each day,
“What did I produce today?” Focus only on production…results are
all that count. Here’s a good philosophy to live by:
If you
don’t get paid for doing it… don’t do it! I also do not get
involved in politics. Why? Because I learned long ago that politics and
production don’t mix. And, because we get paid only from production, I
stay completely away from politics and gossip…who said what, she did that,
can you believe what he said, are not part of the producers vocabulary. I am
bringing this up only because that as we grow a larger organization, certain
issues come up that can turn into a political nightmare. This always takes away
from our ability to produce. How do you deal with it? Confront the issue
head-on, diffuse it, and get back to recruiting and building your
business.
Big time recruiters are Self-Motivated. They do it because
they want to. They love to recruit. Making the call is fun to them. They
understand that by doing it consistently, they will get far more than they put
into it. In order to succeed in this game, you have to have the personal
motivation to work through the necessary numbers to get the desired results.
Whatever it takes is engrained in their mind. If it is to be…it’s up
to me. They don’t see their upline as a “crying pillow”. They
are mentally tough and willing to overcome obstacles regardless of what it
takes.
They have a crystal clear vision both in their mind and on paper
of where they are going to be 6 months or 12 months from now. They have written
down, specific goals that they focus on. They have a core belief, a reason WHY
they must succeed.
Effective prospectors are level headed. They
don’t get jacked up and overly excited when a new person signs up or says
they’re going to sign up. “Oh, my gosh…I am so excited, Mary is
going to join my business. She is powerful. She is going to make my business
explode!”
This type of thought does not enter the mind of an
effective recruiter. They are totally on “even keel.” And, the same
goes for when someone says no. They take it with a grain of salt. “OK,
bye, next prospect.” Effective prospectors think prospecting is fun and
effortless. They see opportunity in everything they do. Everything they do
emanates confidence and professionalism. They take massive action all the time.
They understand that regardless how effective they may be, they still play
large numbers. They talk to new people all the time. They are constantly
working on their communication skills and the English language to give them
more power in their words.
They are very good listeners. They hear
closing signals because they listen. They hear the “how” questions
and focus on them. People don’t think of them as great salespeople or
great talkers. They are great listeners and very effective and getting the job
done. Novices tend to hear nothing because they spend all their time thinking
what they are going to say next as their prospect is talking. That is why they
sponsor so few people. New recruiters need to learn to say less, ask, and then
listen.
What are the tools or equipment of an effective recruiter?
- Telephone with headset is a must. Hands-free. Cordless
headset is preferable.
- A tape recorder that allows you to tape telephone
calls.
- Voice mail and answering machine with a professionally
sounding message is a must.
- Planner and phone log to schedule appointments and
calls, and to track your responses, results, number of calls, number of dials,
etc.
- Leads…and lots of them. There are lots of sources
out there. The bottom line is you have to have enough leads so that you never,
ever become emotionally attached to your prospect.
Here is my basic process while prospecting… I have a
very specific agenda, an objective for each call. Personally, I do not follow a
script. It’s the agenda I have in my mind. I don’t follow a script
because I have planned and spent time preparing for the calls. My objective is
to attract quality like-minded people to my business. They do this by following
a specific plan of action. I never shoot from the hip. When I pick up the
phone, I know WHY and WHAT I will be doing.
- Dial the prospect and engage them in
conversation.
“Hi is Joe in please. Hi Joe…this is Todd
Falcone calling you from California. I’m calling because your name was
referred to me as someone serious about starting their own home-based business
and generating additional income, is that correct?” If and only if I get a
definitive “yes” will I continue the call. I am not in the business
of convincing people that they need to be in a business. Either they ARE
looking or they are not. Period.
- Determine if you are catching them at a good time.
“Great…am I catching you at a good time to talk for a few
minutes?”
- Qualify and Interview Them.
At this point, I
have determined that the prospect is looking for an opportunity. Here’s
the question I am asking myself, “Is this person worth my time?” I am
not in the business of pitching anyone who is willing to listen. I’m in
the business of locating like-minded quality individuals. So, if the person has
said, “Yes, I am interested in making money”, but doesn’t sound
like a quality person, I GAP them. Tell them to Grab a Pen, and send them to an
overview call. I’ll give them my phone number and tell them to call you if
they like what they hear. Now, if the prospect sounds like the type of person I
may be looking for…I INTERVIEW THEM!
I’ll ask them what they
do, how long they’ve been doing it, what they like about it or don’t
like about their job, what type of income they’re accustomed to, what type
of income they would like to be earning, etc. Most importantly….I ask them
WHY THEY WANT TO BE IN A HOME-BASED BUSINESS. We have to find out what their
primary motivation is for seeking an opportunity. We have to find out what is
it other than money they are looking to achieve. What will the money buy them?
Freedom to spend time with their kids, the opportunity to walk away from a
dead-end job, put their kids in a good college, etc.
- Take them through the information gathering
process.
Given that I am this far in the interview process, I’ve
determined that the person has the qualities I desire in my business. I now
simply take them through the information gathering process so they can make a
relaxed and informed decision about joining the business.
“Gosh
Joe…you sound like the type of person I might be looking for in my
business. What I need to do now is get information into your hands so that you
can make a relaxed and informed decision.”
Now, I’ll either
book them on a live call, take them to a pre- recorded overview, or my website.
Take the prospect to whatever it is that you have available to provide them
immediate information.
- Take their temperature.
Once they have
listened to the call, my objective is to determine how interested they are in
joining the business. My favorite way of doing this is by asking one simple
question.
“Great Joe…well that call explains in pretty good
detail who we are, what we do, and how we generate our income. On a scale of
one to ten, one being curious and ten, I am ready to start making money with
you right now, where do you see yourself?
I never settle for curious or
serious. I get the answer that I am looking for. If they are a 5 or less,
I’ll thank them for their time and tell them that they are not the right
candidate for my business. If they are a 6 to 9, I simply ask them…WHY?
They will tell you.
- Three Way Call.
When you do a three-way call
with your upline during this process it is for one reason, and one reason
only….to CLOSE the person. Your upline should know this, and be taking
your prospect to the point of collecting a decision before the three- way is
done. Here are some rules for three-way calling:
A) Prior to placing
the call to your upline, edify them. Make sure your prospect knows that you are
putting them on the phone with a very successful person in your business, a
leader on your team, so they have respect for them before they meet them.
B) Never ever ask your prospect if it is o.k. to call someone
else… just do it!
C) When you call your upline to let them know
you have a person on the line you would like to introduce them to, NEVER, EVER
have the person already clicked back to you. This is your chance to briefly
tell your upline who this person is. Example (Mark…this is Todd. I have
Joe Blow on the line. He has an advertising background, has never been in MLM,
and told me he was an 8 after listening to the 10-minute call).
D)
Never interrupt your upline when on the call. They are the expert. Every time
that you interrupt them you are telling your prospect that your upline is not
as important and successful as you purported them to be. They do all the
talking.
If your sponsor is not helping you collect a decision when
doing three-ways, find someone else upline who will. This is important. The
upline expert should know that their job on a three-way is to help close the
business, not just “chit-chat.”
- Close the business or get them further
information.
At this point, you will either be bringing the person into
your business, or providing them further information that they need to gather.
Many times your prospect needs to see some written information to further
validate their decision. If you have done your job, the close takes care of
itself. There is no specific question, other than, “Great Joe…how
soon do you want to start making money?”
Closing Comments
In order for you to sponsor large
numbers of people you must prospect with posture to large numbers of people on
a very consistent basis. Do a “self-check” to make sure you are on
target. Track the number of calls you are making and the number of people you
are presenting your business to on a daily and weekly basis. It’s really
all a numbers game. However, the better you get at prospecting the easier the
numbers become. Don’t ever quit. Become an animal recruiting machine. Talk
to more people than anyone else around you. Force yourself to make ten more
calls when you don’t feel like it, and then make ten more. You get good at
prospecting by doing it every day and learning from others who are
successful at it.
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