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PMHayes
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Joined: 23 Apr 2008
Posts: 122
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# Posted: 18 Jul 2008 23:15
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I am posting this topic in this forum and one other, out of the many which I frequent. As I've spent time in this community, reading posts, commenting on posts and growing from the exchange of knowledge and ideas that takes place here, I have come to respect many of you for your wisdom and your insight. There truly are some sharp people in here. I never come in here and walk away untouched, not having learned something. My leadership skills have grown tremendously and I believe I have become a better mentor and online marketer having spent time with all of you.
There is a little project I am working on and I would like to have some input from this community. Here is what I am looking for. I would be interested to know what all of you believe to be the three most important skills you must develop in your downline in order to insure duplication and growth of your organization. I realize there are more than that, I just want to see what everyone would pick as their top three. I'm interested in seeing how this shakes out, and hey, it will be fun. So, if you don't mind, let me have your thoughts on this.
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ibuzzmentor
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Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Posts: 48
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2008 10:53
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1. Lead generation and marketing. You are dead in the water if you are in lead poverty and dont know how to generate high quality leads.
2. You need to be a master connector or prospector. I dont care how automated your system is people relate to you. If you stink on the phone you better get better.
3. Closing. So many people dont ask for the sale and leave tens of thousands of dollars on the table.
You need a good upline to assist you but only YOU can do the work and get the experience you need to be successful. If your advisor died tomorrow you would have to figure things out of your own. Be your own crutch. ALL OUT MASSIVE ACTION is what it takes to be successful.
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A8ch
Preferred Member
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 225
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2008 11:45 � Edited by: A8ch
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PMHayes: I would be interested to know what all of you believe to be the three most important skills you must develop in your downline in order to insure duplication and growth of your organization.
These aren't necessarily the most important but they are certainly relevant.
1. An ability to folow directions - If you've developed a winning formula for achieving a specific objective, you'd want your downline to be able to replicate it to ensure they get the same results.
2. An ability to follow up - Too often people miss golden opportunities because they simply didn't follow up properly.
3. An ability to listen - The art of listening is an important tool. If your downline develops this ability, they will observe the many cues prospects will give them that can be opportunities to close.
Hermas
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PMHayes
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Joined: 23 Apr 2008
Posts: 122
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2008 19:47
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A8ch: 3. An ability to listen - The art of listening is an important tool. If your downline develops this ability, they will observe the many cues prospects will give them that can be opportunities to close.
Hermas, I always know I can count on you to say something very profound, usually couched in something very simple. I would love to see you develop that one more, in another post, perhaps. We can ALL learn to be better at picking up the often subtle clues our prospects give us that are indeed opportunties to close. Please, share more on this one. And, thank you. Excellent insight, sir.
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A8ch
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Posts: 225
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2008 00:16 � Edited by: A8ch
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PMHayes: We can ALL learn to be better at picking up the often subtle clues our prospects give us that are indeed opportunties to close. Please, share more on this one. And, thank you. Excellent insight, sir.
PMHayes, you twisted my arm, so here goes. 
I believe the ability to listen is an important skill to develop in general and it can be particularly useful in spurring the growth and effectiveness of a downline.
Listening is not to be confused with hearing. One is active, the other is passive. If you are in a crowded room where there's a party, you can hear the noises of conversation, laughter, the clink of glasses and the many sounds you associate with such an event. You don't have to make any conscious effort to hear these noises. Your auditory system does that for you by default. That's passive.
But, if you want to eavesdrop on a particular conversation in that room, you've now got to focus your attention on the people you are interested in. You must tune in to them, single them out with your eyes and ears, and isolate their conversation. That requires effort and active participation. The overall noise level in the room doesn't change, but you are less aware of it, because your attention seems to amplify the conversation you are focused on.
So listening sharpens your concentration, directs your attention, elevates your conscious awareness, and conditions you to be mentally alert. Good listening can deliver tremendous benefits and help you achieve win-win communication.
Good listening...
- establishes rapport.
- develops trust.
- makes you curious.
- prompts you to ask the right questions.
- fosters understanding.
- creates respect.
- makes people feel appreciated.
- does not finish the other person's sentences.
- does not interrupt.
- puts the speaker at ease.
- creates a connection.
- doesn't allow your mind to wander when the other person is talking.
- is about being aware of what is NOT said (which is sometimes the loudest part of a conversation).
- is about letting the other person be heard and understood.
- is about what the other person is saying and not about what you want to hear.
If your downline develops these good listening skills and applies them to the recruiting process, there's no doubt that you'll see improvement in the number and quality of recruits it'll attract.
Prospects will tell you just about everything you need to know to convert them, if you would only listen. They'll talk about their problems, concerns, fears, failures, dreams and ambitions. And if you are really paying attention, you'll recognize many opportunities to convince them that your program can help them achieve whatever it is they are after.
Hermas
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PMHayes
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Joined: 23 Apr 2008
Posts: 122
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2008 04:03
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A8ch: Prospects will tell you just about everything you need to know to convert them, if you would only listen. They'll talk about their problems, concerns, fears, failures, dreams and ambitions. And if you are really paying attention, you'll recognize many opportunities to convince them that your program can help them achieve whatever it is they are after.
Ok, so how does one truly discern those golden moments when a prospect is basically asking you to close them, to show them how you can help them get what they want? You sound like a commercial (and that's not a bad thing) for Tim Sales "Professional Inviter" series.
I have LISTENED to that series several times and I always find a new gem when I do. So tell me, tell us, how you spot those flags as they are raised. What are you looking for. I know what I am looking for, I just want to hear someone else's take on it, and I happen to respect your insgight. You always give me a nugget to walk away with.
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A8ch
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Posts: 225
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2008 12:59 � Edited by: A8ch
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PMHayes: Ok, so how does one truly discern those golden moments when a prospect is basically asking you to close them, to show them how you can help them get what they want?
It is widely accepted that a prospect will reject an offer about 5-7 times before he or she accepts it, so one can expect to hear "no" several times before getting a commitment. If that's the case, then one may also wonder if "no" really means "no", or even if the first "no" is firmer or more important than the fourth or fifth.
You can train yourself to perceive each "no" as a plea for more information. What the prospect is really saying is: "You haven't convinced me yet. Try harder." That gives you permission to probe further with targeted questions and ferret out the real reason for the rejection.
Example: A prospect tells me she's not interested in my offer because she tried a similar program years ago and things didn't work out.
Here's what I now know for sure:
1. She once said "yes" to a similar offer.
2. It didn't work out.
Here's how I would process that information:
1. Since she has had experience with a similar program, we have something in common to talk about and we can compare notes.
2. I've also got to find out exactly what happened that things didn't work out for her.
My strategy would be to get her talking about her program while listening carefully to how it compares to my mine. (It may not even be as similar as she believes). But, by probing with carefully worded questions, she will tell me what I need to know. I'm looking for any true similarities as well as differences. I need to find out everything she liked and disliked about the company and get her to assess her experience.
Next, I'll zero in on the reason she got turned off. I want to find out what went wrong! When she explains what caused her to change her mind, I'll show empathy because I can relate to her situation. Then I'll want to know what other things may have turned her off. What I'm trying to do here is expose ALL her possible objections.
Before I move in for the close, I'll reaffirm that the "turnoffs" she mentioned are all the reasons she's no longer an active participant. Furthermore, if I can get her to admit that she'd still be in the program if these issues had not been a factor, that would strengthen my position when I move in for the close.
Maybe she reveals that a lack of support and direction from her upline was the major reason for quitting, and that the company failed to provide proper training tools and guidelines to help new affiliates. Whatever her explanation, I will now have solid facts to work with; facts which she herself supplied.
Now it's up to me to use my closing skills and product knowledge to lead her to a decision to join my group. I'm feeling confident that I can persuade her to say "yes" again. I have to assure her that when she joins my group, she wouldn't experience the problems she had with her former company. I must also convince her that she can count on my support throughout.
At this point I address the issues that caused her to quit the previous company. I do that by highlighting the superior training tools my company has in place, and I point out that all affiliates must satisfy certain training requirements in order to progress. I've now removed her fear of being disappointed because of poor support and inferior training tools.
If I've been listening correctly all this time, I would have established a comfortable enough rapport with my prospect that she should be feeling a sense of comfort and trust, and would be much more open to my suggestions and recommendations.
Hermas
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PMHayes
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# Posted: 21 Jul 2008 03:59 � Edited by: PMHayes
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Awesome example, Hermas. You truly amaze me. Please, someone else jump in here. I truly want to know what are your top three skills to be developed in your downline.
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