Contacting Your Prospect – 4 Steps of the Sale

Have you ever tried to lure a squirrel or any animal closer to you by throwing out a trail of food? If you put too much food up front, the squirrel would get too full and never follow the rest of the trail of food that lead to the direction you wanted it to go.
Why? Because he thinks he has gotten enough to eat, then on he goes his merry way.
Don’t give too much information about your business right up front. And just because someone responded to your advertisement don’t think they are ready for you to spill the whole can of beans on them. Resist the urge! Follow the steps below, and you will find yourself closing more and more people into your organization.
Words to the wise…..

The Teaser!
We have gotten the attention of your prospect in our teaser ad by highlighting some dynamic features and benefits of your company, products or business model. Our objective at this point is NOT to give them the whole enchilada. Remember the squirrel? We don’t want the prospect overwhelmed at this point.

We have hit some of the power points of your company, the benefits and the reasons why they want to take a serious look at it. When your prospects fill out a form, they know that your opportunity is a home-based business, is a REAL business and that it requires a serious commitment.

When your prospect fills out the form to receive more information, they have given you their first and last name, their email address and phone number for you to contact them. This is a valuable lead that tells you they are interested enough for you to call them.

Determine Your Prospect’s Needs!

Now that they have filled out the form, they want more details about the WHO, WHAT & HOW of your opportunity. Your next objective is to call them as soon as possible and find out what their needs are. A lot of people fail at this point by trying to follow up on their leads strictly by email. Remember, the more senses you can involve in the sales process, the more your odds increase in your favour of making a successful sale.

Your prospect has only used two of his senses at this point; sight & touch (or feel). He has read the teaser ad with his eyes and used his fingers to click on the link in the teaser ad. Now it is time for his hearing to get involved. You might wonder how someone could involve the senses of taste and smell in the sales process. Keep on reading and you will find out.

First determine what your prospect’s needs are by asking him questions. You can’t very well recommend or suggest something to someone when you don’t even know whether or not they need what it is your selling can you? You can’t assume your prospect needs what you are selling. So ask him some pertinent questions before you launch into some presentation.

People don’t buy from strangers. They buy from friends. Don’t make a presentation on your opportunity at this point, even if your prospect starts asking you questions. Stay in the driver’s seat and let your prospect know that you have a definite direction you want to take.

Ask questions like, 
• “Are you working right now?”
• “What kind of work do you do?”
• “Are you working full time or part time?”
• “Are you looking for something to replace what you are doing, or are you looking for something to supplement what you are making right now?”
• “What kind of money are you looking to make every month?”
• “Do you see yourself 5 years from now, working the same JOB you are at right now?”

What you want your prospect to tell you is that they are tired of what they are doing. You want him to tell you with his own lips is that he is sick and tired of his JOB and that he wants more out of life than what he is getting. When you can get him to say that, then you are ready to take him to the next step.

Qualify Your Prospect!
Keep in mind that you do not want to sell your prospect on signing up at this point. He has not yet performed his “due diligence”. You need to peak his INTEREST enough to want to go to the next step. This is where you learn a 30 second presentation that only highlights the power points of your business.

After finding out what your prospect’s needs are, you want to see if he is really serious about changing his financial circumstances. Hit him right between the eyes with a two by four with the most powerful elements of your opportunity. Here is an example of how that two by four might sound like!

30 Second Power Presentation:
“Well let me tell you a little bit about the company, Mr. Prospect. We are a 5 year old company ready to open up our 3rd country, one of the worlds largest markets. Our CEO was a self-made millionaire before he formed XYZ company and teamed up with 3 of the biggest players in the industry.

“We are experiencing phenomenal growth with our online systems and tools that are putting some people into a 5 figure income within a matter of a few months. We’re looking for a few strong individuals who have the desire and enthusiasm to reach these same levels with our team of marketing professionals. Does this sound like something you’d like to find out more about?”

Now that may not be the exact information that describes your company. But you should get the drift at this point. All you are essentially doing is rephrasing what the teaser has already said. Only this time, instead of your prospect reading it, he is hearing it from someone whose voice brings out power and enthusiasm that conveys the fact that this is a rare opportunity that requires his utmost attention.

When your prospect answers your question, “YES,” you will want to direct him to take the next step in order for you to determine his level of interest. This is where you want to point him to a Business Presentation Overview of your opportunity – preferably a Live Webinar.
Keep in mind that your “posture” is very important at this point. You must stay in the driver’s seat and maintain control of the conversation and the direction of the entire process. You are qualifying your prospect, and don’t be afraid to let him know it.
What you will tell your prospect next is,

“What I would like you to do, Mr Prospect, is call this number. Do you have a pen? Dial  (800) 555-5555  (800) 555-5555 . You will hear a brief 3 minute overview (or however long your recording is) of the business. If you like what you hear and you want to take this to the next step, give me a call back.
My phone number is 555-555-5555. Can you make the call right now?”

That is a very important question. You want him to make a commitment to you – one of the first of many along the way. Let him know that you will be expecting his call right after he listens to the recording. You will determine his level of interest by whether or not he calls you right back or when he said he would.

Remember, your opportunity is not for everyone. You want to qualify the ones you are going to be working with. Let them know you don’t want just anyone on your team and that you are going to have to take them through a series of steps in order to determine whether or not there is a match for both of you. Any good prospect will respect you for it.

Take Your Prospect to a Higher Level!
Now that you have him on the phone, and his taste buds are watering for the steak, you still have to make it sizzle until you know he is ready for it. This is the time to take it away just a little bit. Most people make a very big mistake at this point and TRY TOO HARD TO SELL THE PROSPECT!

We have 4 out of 5 senses involved now and we are getting very close to a very volatile situation where your prospect could be literally wanting to reach through the phone and past your tonsils to yank the information right out of your mouth. The overwhelming need to find out HOW they could be making a 5 figure monthly income should have them following you through each and every step.

Don’t spill the beans just yet!
When your prospect calls you back, he will want to ask you some questions. Keep him drooling by telling him that instead of hearing it from you, that you would like to set up a conference call with one of the leaders in the company who has been extremely successful in the business. This is where you will set up an “appointment” with him to talk with someone with clout.

This make him feel important and lets him know that he is going to get accurate information right from the horse’s mouth (so to speak). Here is what you tell him…
“Listen, Mr. Prospect, instead of me answering your questions, I’d like to set up a conference call with you, myself and one of the leaders in the company who has made a lot of money in the business. He will be able to more accurately answer your questions and will want to ask you some questions as well (remember, you are still qualifying your prospect).”

“Which time would be best for you, 3:30 pm EDT or 10:30 pm EDT?”
What ever you do, don’t ask, “Would you like to get on a conference call and hear more about it?” You want to maintain a professional demeanor or “posture” through out the process. Stay in the driver’s seat and let your prospect know that you are taking him through a process that is required if you are going to determine whether or not there is going to be a match between you, him and the company.

The Crowning Act!
Before you hang up with your prospect, be sure he has some more tools to work with. Once he has made an “appointment” with you to get on a conference call or 3-way with your sponsor, tell him,

“In the mean time, Mr. Prospect, what I’d like you to do is go to this web site and read all about our company and the business opportunity. You’ll get a number of your questions answered and will have a few more you’ll want to ask when we hook up on the conference call later today (or whenever you were going to get back together).”
Give him your company web site, the Fax on Demand and any other material he can read up on so he has a grasp of the business and the opportunity before you get him on a 3-way with your sponsor or the next conference call. If he makes the “appointment” you set to get on the conference call, you will (or should) close him 90% of the time.

The Close!
If your sponsor, or conference call host has given a compelling presentation of the opportunity and sufficiently answered your prospects questions, it is time for you to close your prospect right then and there. He has looked at the web site, the FOD and listened to a dynamic presentation by a professional in your organization.

I have found that the best way to close your prospect at this point is by asking a question to which the answer is usually going to be, “Yes!” Then I am prepared with a choice close.
For instance, after 3-way calling my prospect on to a conference call, I would say something like,

“So what do you think about everything you’ve seen so far? Is it something you think you could get excited about?After the prospect answers “Yes,” my question would be,
“Great! Which way would you like to get started? Do you want to sign up online or should we just call into the company and you can get your ID# right away?”
Or, I might just say,
“Which way do you want to pay for your distributorship? By check or credit card?”
What ever the choice question you pose, timing is critical. As soon as your prospect begins to give you buying signals, you want to start closing him right away.

Closing Tips – Sell the SIZZLE!
When you are pouring on the spices while the steak is sizzling, you are always asking your prospect questions to which the answer is always yes. You want to ask leading questions, open-ended questions, and questions that get the prospect to imagine themselves as though they are already a distributor.
Here is the secret to acquiring the “posture” you need in order to maintain control and stay in the driver’s seat throughout the entire process with your prospect. Listen closely and never forget it!

SPEAK IN TERMS AS THOUGH IT ALREADY EXISTS AND IT WILL BE SO!
…or said a little differently,
SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE! 
How does this work?
You simply put a magic word into your presentation to custom fit it to anyone you are talking to. For instance, your prospect asks you, “How does a distributor become a Platinum?”

Instead of speaking in the third person vernacular to your prospect, PUT HIM INTO THE PICTURE SO HE CAN SEE HIMSELF DOING IT!
“Well, Jim, how *YOU* become a Platinum is by…” Get the picture?
SPEAK IN TERMS AS THOUGH IT ALREADY EXISTS AND IT WILL BE SO!
Most people, even so-called great sales people, will say something like “Here is how a distributor becomes a Platinum. *THEY* do this and *THEY* do that and blah, blah, blah…”
Do you think for a minute that your prospect is getting any help seeing himself as a Platinum Executive as long as you keep talking about someone else called “THEY”?
If you will put *YOU* into the every part of your presentation, and SPEAK IN TERMS AS THOUGH HE IS ALREADY AN XYZ DISTRIBUTOR, then 9 out of 10 times he will literally become an XYZ DISTRIBUTOR (providing of course you have sufficiently given him all of the benefits of becoming one).

Remember, you are not selling anything. You are helping your prospect find all the morsels of information that lead to the logical conclusion that it is him that belongs in the picture you have been painting of a successful  distributor with your company.
While you are using this Secret ask questions like, “What attracts you most toward this kind of business?” or “So, how do you see yourself in this business?” or “How many people can you think of who you would approach to join your organization?” or “Can you think of 4 people who would make strong Executives on your front line?” Put your prospect in the picture.

These are what we call “Trial Closes”. For every “Yes” or affirmative answer you get to your question, the closer you are to when your prospect is going to ask you, “So what do we do next?” or “Where do we go from here?” In case you didn’t know it, this means he is ready to fill out the paper work!

Don’t laugh, you would be amazed at how many people don’t realize what a buying signal is, and when asked this question will ask the prospect, “So you want to sign up?” in utter amazement. Of course he wants to sign up! You have put him into the picture you have been painting all along the way by telling *HIM* what *HE* is going to be doing and how *HE* would be conducting business and how many times people will be calling *HIM*.

You’ll be tickled pink to know that when you do this several times, your prospect will begin using first person vernacular also. His questions will start out like, “So how often do we get paid?” or “Would I be working the local market or internationally?

That’s the biggest buying signal in the world! Recognize it and capitalize on it. When you hear things like this you need to start thinking about getting on the phone and 3-way calling your new distributor into the company to sign up. And all because you did one very simple thing. You put a little 3 letter word in your presentation of the business opportunity and built it all around your prospect.

YOU SPOKE IT INTO EXISTENCE! 

Before your prospect gives you the ultimate buying signal, there will always be several other more subtle buying signals he will give in the form of questions like, “What kind of lead generating systems do you have?”
What he is asking is, “How would [I] get prospects to present this opportunity to when [I] come on board?” If this is what you hear instead of the more subtle form above then you will answer the question with the word “You” in the sentence. “We have several co-op ad campaigns you can participate in that are exclusive to our group. You will always have leads to work with as a part of our team.” Or, if you have painted the picture with him in it, he might say, “Do you have leads for us to work?” Now that’s not a subtle buying signal. That’s a blatant buying signal.

Be assured that this will happen 9 out of 10 times if all other components of an exciting and informative presentation are there.

IN SUMMARY:
We just went through the 4 logical steps of the sale:

ATTENTION 
INTEREST 
DESIRE 
CLOSE

If you will take every single one of your prospects through this process you will find them taking the steak right out of your hands. After all, it is *YOU* who has made him want it so much by painting *HIM* in the picture.

Good Luck. (BTW if you follow this process with enough prospects, you will not need luck)

Jon Leuty.

 

Share on Facebook