Voice of a Well-Scarred Marketer
The Big, Bad, Scary....
by Dave Cottrell Internet Marketing Professional
Dave Cottrell 
Internet Marketing...
Do you know what stops a lot of people from ever going anywhere in network marketing?
Hint: these days it's often small enough to fit comfortably in your shirt pocket.
It doesn't bite, can't think, never scratches, growls or barks; in fact, it needs you in order to even work!
However, to the vast majority of people who dream of MLM success, it's the Biggest, Baddest, Scariest thing they can think of. It has the power to paralyze people with fear, break out into a cold sweat, and even go and hide where they can't see it waiting for them...
What is this Big, Bad, Scary..... thing?
It's called a PHONE.
(Is that you flinching at the mere mention of it?)
One on one voice communication is an essential ingredient in network marketing. Whether the phone of your choice is the one on your desk, in your pocket, or VOIP, it is your most essential tool for success.
Why, then, are so many people scared of it?
Perhaps it is fear of saying the wrong thing, or having someone yell, or getting hung up on... but none of these things can harm you or your business.
Talking on the phone is NOT about selling something (unless you're a telemarketer), but it's about making personal, live contact with another human being.
When you think of it that way, it can be a lot of fun. You are meeting someone new, not trying to sell something to a stranger. In fact, you should NEVER try to sell something over the phone.
Instead, you should be selling yourself. Your goal is not to sign someone up in your business (why would you want to sign up a stranger - he might be a crazy person?!) Your goal is to make a new friend.
To do that, you need to find out something about the person you're talking to, and that person needs to find out something about you.
If the person has made initial contact with you via an online splash page for your business, you SHOULD mention that on your initial introduction, or she'll wonder why in the world you called her. However, once you've made that quick connection, relax and start asking some simple questions (this vital step shows that you care, both about the person you're talking to AND about your business.)
Ask the person what it was that brought them to your site in the first place. Let him answer.
Ask what he found most interesting about your business. Let him answer.
Ask him what appeals to him most about the opportunity. Let him answer.
Ask him if he can tell you a bit about himself and what would make him a CANDIDATE who QUALIFIES to be a part of YOUR business. (Don't ever forget this step!) Once again, let him answer.
Isn't this simple? Isn't this fun? You'll learn to love doing this! At this point in your conversation, the person is either going to try to convince YOU to sign him up, or he's going to start to hem and haw and beat around the bush.
If the person doesn't try to convince you, tell her to call you back when she's got an answer, say that you have to go, say good-bye, and hang up. That's it. Easy. THAT PERSON FAILED, NOT YOU!
If the person doesn't give you a very good reason to sign him up, tell him you'll have to think about it, that you have to go, say good-bye and hang up. That's it. Easy. If that person calls YOU back to try to convince you to sign him up, sign him up! His persistence has just paid off - for him! And you might have a live one in your downline.
If your new friend is obviously enthusiastic about your business, really wants to get started, and is willing to really work at it, then you can take her through your sign up process and get her started in business. This is the beginning of the real work for you, because now you are OBLIGATED to train her, but guess what? The phone part wasn't scary or hard at all!
Admit it... It was fun, wasn't it?
God bless,
Dave
TipsnTools.com
May 24th 2007 03:28
Internet Marketing...Do you know what stops a lot of people from ever going anywhere in network marketing?
Hint: these days it's often small enough to fit comfortably in your shirt pocket.
It doesn't bite, can't think, never scratches, growls or barks; in fact, it needs you in order to even work!
However, to the vast majority of people who dream of MLM success, it's the Biggest, Baddest, Scariest thing they can think of. It has the power to paralyze people with fear, break out into a cold sweat, and even go and hide where they can't see it waiting for them...
What is this Big, Bad, Scary..... thing?
It's called a PHONE.
(Is that you flinching at the mere mention of it?)
One on one voice communication is an essential ingredient in network marketing. Whether the phone of your choice is the one on your desk, in your pocket, or VOIP, it is your most essential tool for success.
Why, then, are so many people scared of it?
Perhaps it is fear of saying the wrong thing, or having someone yell, or getting hung up on... but none of these things can harm you or your business.
Talking on the phone is NOT about selling something (unless you're a telemarketer), but it's about making personal, live contact with another human being.
When you think of it that way, it can be a lot of fun. You are meeting someone new, not trying to sell something to a stranger. In fact, you should NEVER try to sell something over the phone.
Instead, you should be selling yourself. Your goal is not to sign someone up in your business (why would you want to sign up a stranger - he might be a crazy person?!) Your goal is to make a new friend.
To do that, you need to find out something about the person you're talking to, and that person needs to find out something about you.
If the person has made initial contact with you via an online splash page for your business, you SHOULD mention that on your initial introduction, or she'll wonder why in the world you called her. However, once you've made that quick connection, relax and start asking some simple questions (this vital step shows that you care, both about the person you're talking to AND about your business.)
Ask the person what it was that brought them to your site in the first place. Let him answer.
Ask what he found most interesting about your business. Let him answer.
Ask him what appeals to him most about the opportunity. Let him answer.
Ask him if he can tell you a bit about himself and what would make him a CANDIDATE who QUALIFIES to be a part of YOUR business. (Don't ever forget this step!) Once again, let him answer.
Isn't this simple? Isn't this fun? You'll learn to love doing this! At this point in your conversation, the person is either going to try to convince YOU to sign him up, or he's going to start to hem and haw and beat around the bush.
If the person doesn't try to convince you, tell her to call you back when she's got an answer, say that you have to go, say good-bye, and hang up. That's it. Easy. THAT PERSON FAILED, NOT YOU!
If the person doesn't give you a very good reason to sign him up, tell him you'll have to think about it, that you have to go, say good-bye and hang up. That's it. Easy. If that person calls YOU back to try to convince you to sign him up, sign him up! His persistence has just paid off - for him! And you might have a live one in your downline.
If your new friend is obviously enthusiastic about your business, really wants to get started, and is willing to really work at it, then you can take her through your sign up process and get her started in business. This is the beginning of the real work for you, because now you are OBLIGATED to train her, but guess what? The phone part wasn't scary or hard at all!
Admit it... It was fun, wasn't it?
God bless,
Dave
TipsnTools.com
May 24th 2007 03:28
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Comments
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Beth Schmillen
Hi Dave, That's been my problem. I just didn't want to talk on the phone about my online marketing. At first it was because I wasn't as familiar with the product(s) I was selling... Now I'm with different programs and I feel like I can answer questions about what I do and what questions might come my way. Maybe if it was with a text messenger! those are so small i can't see them clear enough! But I have a new source of people to contact and I think I also have their phone numbers. [Free Leads that are 0-24 hours] wish me luck! Beth May 26th 2007 23:25 |
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Jenny Stewart
Hi Dave Another valuable article for all of us who use the internet and the phone in our work Now that Voip, Skype and a host of other voice systems are available which cut out the previous hugh costs of working with phones - we have a very valuable means with which to communicate with our future friends and future customers/downline or whatever business relationship we are looking for. Speak phone to phone It is the next best thing to being able to meet face to face. Most people who market something like people and use the internet as a way to make contact, (although there will always be a few who would rather hide behind its anonymity) and the phone makes the communcation even closer. The phone can turn a internet business contact into someone you know and we all prefer to deal with people we know. and as you rightly say "When you think of it that way, it can be a lot of fun. You are meeting someone new, not trying to sell something to a stranger. In fact, you should NEVER try to sell something over the phone" But we would prefer to buy from someone we know than a stranger and thte phone brings us closer in business as it does in the rest of life. Saludos Jenny. May 27th 2007 19:03 |
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Kathy Clark
 Internet Marketer, Consultant, Social Media ManageHi Dave, I agree with your comments. I too found that I was avoiding calling the lists I was buying. Why, it was scary? What do I say, what will they say, etc. Fear was causing me to freeze and do anything but call them. Finally, after much encouragement from my Mentor Chuck Bartok. :) I picked up the dreaded phone and made the first call. Wow, it wasn't heavy after all. People were nice and the few that weren't interested were not bad either. It didn't matter. I just made the call, if they weren't home I left a brief message. If they answered, I didn't try to sell them anything. Just introduced myself and found out a little about them and let them know I was putting something in the mail. It is now fun and exciting to make calls. I look forward to finding out who I will meet via the phone now. The fear is gone, conquered by action. Thanks Chuck for pushing, encouraging, and being a friend. Kathy Clark May 28th 2007 02:51 |
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Kathy Hamilton
 Hello Dave, Wow, this is one of my favorite topics. I really could go on about this forever but I will try and make it brief, You know when I start chatting with someone about business on yahoo or Msn or skype I chat with them by Im ing them. then after about 5 or 10 minutes I ask them to call me or I call them That I want to chat on phone.I think that it is a must to devolpe a business repore on the phone next. I want and need to hear the persons voice.I need to hear there expressions,I want to hear if they have passion for what they do,I like to hear if they have excitment in what they want others to believe or to know about there business.I just really make it a priority to chat on phone,I think it tells alot about the persons Character if you can hear them sharing there business. I think it is a must to have in developing a business repore. Kathy Hamilton/simikathy.com May 28th 2007 04:09 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Chuck, I hope everyone here realizes that you are a person to pay attention to! Your years of experience are a very valuable asset to this community. Your point about never pitching anything is absolutely critical. I've spent many hours on the phone with UNsuccessful downline members who could never figure that out. They would tell me in detail about everything they said to try to convince a prospect to sign up, and when I told them to STOP trying to sell over the phone, their ears seemed to close up. Lol! I've found that the worst people to try to train sometimes are those WITH offline sales experience. They think they know it all and, in actual fact, are wrecking their business. "Develop the relationship;" that IS the key. (and it's fun, too!) God bless, Dave May 29th 2007 11:18 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Beth! Good luck with your new lead source! I hope it's a good one. If you can generate your own leads and especially if you can see them when they are on your splash site, you'd be AMAZED how effective it is to call them WHILE they are still on your site! One company I was with had a great system set up (the owner has now gone on to another project and is one of the most successful young entrepeneurs in the online world, today.) With that system, I received an email as soon as someone signed into the site. I would immediately pick up the phone if someone was on the site and call. The person would usually start laughing in amazement, and virtually every one of them signed up, WITHOUT me pitching them on my opportunity. One thing is most important with your leads: do not try to pitch your business to them! Introduce yourself and find out what makes them tick. If the leads that you're speaking of are not surveyed leads; in other words, if you have little or no information on them other than their addresses and phone numbers, I would suggest that you send them one email first to introduce yourself and to find out if they want to hear from you. This may seem to many to be counterproductive, as most will not reply, but unless you have actual personal permission from your prospects to call them, you will waste a lot of time. It's very important to have some kind of personal connection. It's important that you call each one who replies to your introduction as soon as possible while it's still fresh in their mind. Remember that these people have told you they want to hear from you, and they will be very pleased when you call. Most people LOVE to hear a real, live person. God bless, Dave May 29th 2007 11:36 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Jenny, You have made a very important point that everyone needs to pay close attention to: "Most people who market something like people and use the internet as a way to make contact, " Yes! Yes! Yes! This is one of the biggest reasons why no one should fear that phone! The people you are calling WANT to hear from you! They want the connection of another human voice, and are far more interested in you, as a real person, than your business opportunity. Give people what they want and teach them to do the same. They want a friend, mentor and business, so be a friend first, then a mentor, then let that flow into a business relationship. People who get into business are looking for one where they will be properly taught and guided (mentoring). They need to know that they will get the help they need from someone they can trust (a friend). Remember the formula: Friend + mentor + business Keep them in order, work consistently and persistently and you'll have both fun and success. God bless, Dave May 29th 2007 11:45 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi KathyClark, Using call lists can be a little intimidating to start with (anything new can be intimidating!), but you have a great teacher in Chuck, and it seems you have made that hurdle! The good thing about call lists is that you have enough information in front of you to actually make what some would call a "cold" call. It's not really a cold call, because the prospect you are calling has indicated that they are interested in hearing from someone, and you are that person! All you need to do is to let them know that you are the person they've been waiting to hear from. It's not hard. Some people will practice for hours reciting a script, but just be yourself! Always remember to smile BEFORE you pick up the phone! It may sound crazy, but people can HEAR a smile over the phone! Keep it light. You could say, "Hi, Dave. This is Kathy Clark. I'm the person you've been waiting to hear from!" Simple? You bet. and it immediately opens the conversation in a friendly and non-threatening manner. Your opening statement will either make the connection or close it. If the person says anything negative like, "I don't want to hear from anyone," then say something like "Sorry, my mistake." and hang up. Remember that if the person says, "Do I know you?' that's not negative! You could say, "Not yet, but that's why I'm calling!" The main point is, while it's ok to call people you don't know either from leads you've generated yourself, or from surveyed phone leads you've purchased, never try to sell them on your business, especially on the first call. Always keep it light and keep a smile on your face! God bless, Dave May 29th 2007 12:00 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Kathy Hamilton, You hit it right on the head! If you hear the person's voice, you can hear right away if they are excited or not. (In other words, you can hear if they're passionate about doing something or just kicking the tires.) Working with someone who ISN'T passionate is kind of like trying to drag a thousand pound weight up a dry hill. It's a waste of time. God bless, Dave May 29th 2007 12:22 |
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Chuck Bartok
Veteran Entrepreneur now SharingDave, We all homor you for your personal attention to the Posts. That exemplfies Relationship Marketing... The Key to Success lies in such Simple un-sophisticarted, procedures, almost Dull & mundane. To quote a wonderful Motivator Ramone Williams in 2002. Whne asked the Magic to Success... Ramone Replied: 1. Always be On Time 2.Do what you say you are going to do. 3.Finish what you Start 4. Alwasy always say PLEASE & THANK YOU. These are the word of a man who commenaded $3,000 an hour for Coproate Executive Training. If any one would an 1 1/2 hour recording of Interview with Ramone, IM me. There is $4.94 S&H Just PayPal chaos2cash@gmail.com My problem is, you will recieve MORE Giv More, Get More May 29th 2007 13:49 |
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Chuck Bartok
Veteran Entrepreneur now SharingOOPS, didn't realize spelling was so poor again. Can't co-ordinate mind to fingers. Next time I'll post Audio Postcard, easier May 29th 2007 13:51 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Chuck, I'm back! We were blessed to have been attending my son's wedding in Sequim, WA. It was at John Wayne Marina, on a grassy point, overlooking Sequim Bay, an absolutely beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing Ramone's list! It may be short, but it really nails it well. Many of us fall into the fatal trap of what is commonly known as "rabbit-tripping," or jumping all over the place and never finishing or following through on any one thing. Business is kind of like golf - if you don't follow through, it's not going to go very well, and if you can't play politely, you're going to get tossed off the course! God bless, Dave Jun 6th 2007 04:00 |
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Lisa Lomas
Hello Dave, I too just read your article, I never knew how much of a great writer you were, but I do now. I wish I had a bit of that talent. Talking on the phone has been a hurdle I also had to overcome. Lucky with me being so far away from most calls I have skype and viop like Jenny said there are no excuses really. One thing that helped me was have some call scripts handy, it was a great way to learn to ask the right question, you know the ones....open ended! I just called someone yesterday and they nearly fell off their chair and asked how I could afford it, lol. I was paying 0.017 per minute, I think I could handle that of course. Its a funny world but personal relationships are the core of Internet Marketing. Thankyou Lisa Lomas Home Biz Coach CMU7 Jun 8th 2007 19:33 |
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Dave Cottrell
Internet Marketing ProfessionalHi Lisa, Thanks for your kind words! They are appreciated. Yes, call scripts can be very handy. However, even more important that saying the "right" words is being yourself and putting the person on the other end of the line at ease. It's kind of funny how we forget in our own fear of the phone that the person on the OTHER end of the line is often apprehensive, as well. If we put that person at ease, we're well on our way to developing a successful and mutually beneficial relationship. God bless, Dave Jun 9th 2007 03:49 |
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Jenny Stewart
Hi Dave, What a lot of truths are coming out here! and i love your comment "Business is kind of like golf - if you don't follow through, it's not going to go very well, and if you can't play politely, you're going to get tossed off the course!" How true - if you cant be polite to people on the phone - as they can never see you face to face - you wont find it easy to do business with them!! No trust built there!! I have just had PROOF of the importance of phone contact. As you know I use the internet to advertise AND SELL our products (our hand painted angels - shameless plug for Alas y Cia Granada!) People outside the world of internet marketing DONT TRUST the internet and they hvae gooid reason not to. It is full of people hiding behind their computers who would NEVER dare to do what they do on the net face to face.There are propoortionately far more liars and con artists on the net in business than there are offline!! In a very pleasant conversation with a client - who WAS a potential client - she told me straight out - that if she hadnt spoken to me direct - she wouldnt have sent the money for the angels she wanted to buy, but once she had received my call - she realised that we were a real business with a real product AND WERE ACCESSIBLE. She even ordered more stuff without having received her first order on the strength of it. and now she HAS received her first order, has no regrets. What more can i say - You are right Dave - the phone is valuable and necessary - and the proof of the pudding is in the eating and not the promises.,!! Love Jenny p.s. I am delighted that the wedding went well and hope there wasnt a dry eye in the house! Jun 9th 2007 07:44 |
Amen Dave,
There are some members of this site that have
learned how to overcome the 10,000 pound monster--The phone.
We have incorporated in our Trianing system very simple practice steps to become a Phon Maniac.
One of the main points is to never pitch anything...develop the realtionship and very quickly , your phone rings with requests for your Product...
Our system has generated 20%+ conversion to Cash Customer for Most who apply the Attitude and follow proved systems.....
Keep up th good work
May 24th 2007 06:56