Do Business Well

‘Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.’

Why use a contract? Because you want to get paid! There is no point in getting into a relationship where money is involved and then finding you have done all the work for no money or no proof that the money is being owed. This is especially important if you work as an agent and commission is owed — which could be conveniently forgotten if you don’t get it down on paper.

While the prospect has identified a need for your product or service and you have made a relevant special offer, you may still find yourself without a signed contract. To make that contract materialise, think through again what you’ve done and what is left to do. Continue Reading »

3 Comments »

There are dozens of methods of contacting prospects. The following are the most popular methods:

Over the phone

The quickest and most cost-effective way to get around is by phone. Although this has a down-side — you can’t see the customer, his face or his expressions — the phone should be used to obtain interviews where you can sell the opportunity.

Just bear in mind that a telephone call can be unwelcome. You are intruding on the prospect’s time. So make what you have to say short, relevant and of interest to the prospect. Your phone call must, within seconds, convey a benefit which will be of interest to that prospect.

Do not try to explain networking over the telephone. This rarely works. You want a face-to-face interview lasting just 10 minutes with the prospect to drop off material. If you can obtain that, and the prospect is interested, you can be sure that your appointment will last considerably longer. Continue Reading »

2 Comments »

Research shows that four out of five prospects don’t sign up until they are asked to take a starter file or some initial action. Yet many networkers fail to do this. So nothing happens. You should always bear in mind the ABC of selling: Always Be Closing! Try to persuade the prospect to take action.

Strangely enough, many networkers are hesitant to close. It is as if the prospect has done them a special favour by seeing them. But this is not the case. If the prospect wants to see you, it is because she wants to know more. There is a mutual give and take of questions and information between the prospect and networker, which should naturally lead to the prospect joining up. Continue Reading »

2 Comments »

All professional sales people keep records of their customers. Details of customers, such as names, addresses, phone numbers and other personal details are stored in a variety of ways, for example, in an indexed notebook, contact register, tickler box or on the home/ office computer. There is a very good reason for keeping this information. Your existing customers are the mainspring in developing your customer base, whether through informal word-of- mouth advertising or through referrals (sometimes known as recommendation business).

Whenever you complete a sale, before the customer leaves the home shop, broach the subject of a referral. Let’s suppose you sell a range of healthcare products including vitamins. If the customer is satisfied with her purchase, why should she not share the good news with friends? So don’t just thank the customer for the order and allow her to leave. If you do, you can’t turn that one sale into two or more. Many sales people say something like this: ‘Ms Prospect, thank you for your order. Much appreciated. There is no doubt that these health products make a difference. Many people don’t realise the benefit of supplementing one’s diet with vitamin pills. Is there anyone you know who could use these products?’ Continue Reading »

2 Comments »

What to do if the prospect hesitates to sign up

Your main objective when prospecting is to sign up the new distributor. But sometimes, despite you best efforts, there are still hesitations. You may need to encourage the prospect gently to join your network. How is this done?

Focus on her needs Remind her in a positive way why you are discussing network marketing with her:

• ‘Let’s see, you want money for your child’s education?’ III ‘You have five hours per week that you could give to promoting a small home business?’
• ‘You’re looking for an organisation that can support you
  with training and help you get off to a flying start?’

Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

Listen to what the prospect says and watch her body language. These will indicate how she is feeling. Watch for signs of interest that say, ‘Yes, I want to join.’ For example, the prospect sits up in her chair and leans forward. She pages through the product brochures. She shows her agreement with the points you are making by nodding her head and smiling a lot. She rereads the product brochure and asks questions which indicate she is ready to join, such as: ‘How much money am I likely to make?’, ‘Do I get my money back if I don’t find network marketing to my liking?’,'Do you give free training?

Once you have these interest signals, all you have to do is satisfy the prospect: ‘Yes. You can make a lot of money, from R500 upwards in your first month. The starter kit does come with a buy-back guarantee. We provide free training sessions. When can you start?’ Give her a starter file or get her to sign the sponsor form, and arrange for training as soon as possible. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

One of the most common objections you will get is: ‘I haven’t the time.’ Simply say: ‘I understand you are busy. Let’s draw up a prospect list right now of 10 friends of yours. [Take names, addresses and telephone numbers.] All I want you to do is phone them and let them know I’ll be calling on them. Leave the rest up to me.’

Contact these prospects: ‘Hello. Myrtle Turner? Pat Rogers and I were discussing a business opportunity and she said you may be interested…’ Now do the presentation. Continue Reading »

2 Comments »

There are four main steps to handling objections:

Step 1 When you receive an objection, listen carefully and sincerely to what is being said. Show a genuine interest in what is being said. Maintain eye contact. Don’t interrupt. It is much better that the prospect verbalises the objection completely than to stifle it. If a customer says: ‘I’d like to think it over’ and you don’t probe, you’ve lost a customer. Ask: ‘Mrs Smith, you wouldn’t want to think it over unless you had something that is bothering you. What seems to be the problem?’ Merely sharing the anxiety that leads to the raising of the objection helps lessen it.

Step 2 Make sure you fully understand the objection by repeating it back to the prospect in question form: ‘May I just check this? You feel because our company is new on the market it might be preferable to join a more established company?’ Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

Creating a public image has become an essential part of any sales effort. Advertising and promotion/public relations are usually the means of making this happen.

Advertising is fairly straightforward. You decide where youwant your business to advertise, determine the rates, and calculate the costs. For well-established companies, advertising can be very important, and the business plan should account for how much will be spent.

For start-up and early-stage companies, advertising is often too costly. Fortunately, promotion and public relations are much like home remodeling—they can be done either by outside professionals or by business owners on a do-it-yourself basis. When done in the latter way, the cash outlay can be minimal. Of course, even companies that advertise are well advised to use promotion and public relations techniques. What follows are some approaches for planning your promotion and public relations effort as part of the sales section of the business plan. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »