Barbara Silva on Offering Your Opportunity or Services

I’ve just started receiving information from Barbara Silva. She has offered some excellent teleclasses on coaching, and now I’m getting her newsletter. Today’s issues confronts “The Sales Pitch: When Do You Offer Your Opportunity or Services?”

 
One of the difficult things I have found in MLM is making the transition from selling products to introducing my opportunity. Having been in sales for over 20 years (and being one of the least pushy reps I know), there’s the same desire in my MLM not to come off as too pushy?
 
Using attraction marketing is so much easier and more enjoyable than traditional “warm list” MLM because prospects are asking you for help! It’s easy to connect with clients because they are eager to receive what you have to offer.
 
Knowing when and how to bring up your opportunity or product offer, however, can be a challenge.
 
 Barbara teaches the “no-sell selling” approach. In its various forms it’s known as conceptual selling, relationship selling or natural selling. She just calls it “Romancing the Sale.”
 
I really like her dating analogy to figure out whether you are looking for a “one-night stand” or a lifelong partnership. Here are her definitions:
 
 The One-Nighter
The one-night stand sale is focused on making the sale as quickly as possible and then sending the customer off on their merry way. This tends to be our instinctive approach – get the money in pocket as fast as possible.
 
The Life Partner
When looking for a life partner, however, instant gratification is delayed. Instead of “scoring” on the first date, you have to take the time to learn about your customer’s needs, wants and expectations.
 
When you decide to find a life partnership, there are several phases that you go through. Again, it fits just as well with dating as it does with MLM.
 
The Getting-To-Know-You Phase
 As you are making your first interactions with your customers, you are finding out as much as you can about them. You want to connect with each person as an individual and help them feel they are the only one for you.
 
It is okay to let them know that you belong to such and such company and if they are interested down the line, you can give them information. Using this kind of language lets them know you are not about to put the pressure on. You don’t want to rush things at this time.
 
The Courtship
Concentrate your time on the 20% of your prospects who are willing to take some sort of action to learn more about you and your offers. Never be pushy and only bring to their attention items directly related to their specific situation.
 
Breaking Up
Don’t write off the other 80%, but don’t spend a lot of time on the telephone trying to motivate them to buy or sign up. If you have someone who is continually putting demands on your time, wanting you to call and give advice or send them free samples without ever holding up their end of the partnership, you may have to “break up” with them.
 
Giving something for nothing for too long begins to look like you don’t place value on your own time and services. If you don’t place a value on yourself, how is your prospect supposed to see you as valuable?
 
Making It Official
When you have earned your prospect’s trust and confidence by establishing your honest desire to help them, you can take things to the next level. When your prospect is ready to become your customer or your team member, be sure you over deliver on your promises. If you do, you will be off to a long and successful relationship.
 
If you'd like to learn more from Barbara, you can check out her book, “Romancing the Sale: How to Build and Maintain Highly Profitable Customer Relationships That Last” at www.romancingthesale.com
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Have fun,
Lisa