How to Minimize Objections Toward Your Opportunity

Objections toward your opportunity cannot be prevented. Some prospects will simply decline your offer regardless of how you present it. However, the probability of these objections from occuring can be reduced by presenting options for your prospects to generate supplemental income. Before we review these options, let's examine the common objections that network marketers receive from prospects:
 
1. “I don’t want to sell anything.”
2. “I don’t have money to sign up.”
3. “I don’t want to join network marketing.”

These objections are why 90-95% of prospects decline home based businesses with a network marketing component. However, the frequency of these objections could be significantly reduced if the following options were provided:

Option#1: Referrals- One option you could provide prospects is offering compensation to them for recommending either your product or services. Prospects can suggest your product/services in the following situations:
 
1. When people ask the prospect where to find products/services that your company provides.
2. When people mention an issue to the prospect that your product/services could solve.
3. When people mention a desire to the prospect  that your product/services could satisfy.

For instance, when I  mention to people that I have a headache, some of them suggest that I buy Tylenol. When I  ask my friends, "Do you know anyone who could help me with my taxes?", they name accountants who they know.

However, you can also recommend a service even when someone does not offer a clue that they neither need it nor want it. For instance, suppose that I am a customer of a website that sells great cards at generally a lower price than most retail stores. I ask my friends and family if they plan to send a birthday card in the current month. If they respond yes, I reply: “I just bought some great cards from this website. They cost less than most of the ones that are sold in retail stores. They give you two cards for free to see if you like it, I can give you the website address.” 

The idea of referring products/services as a way to generate income would appeal to more prospects because it is not perceived as selling. Referrals are done in the natural flow of normal conversations, not out of the blue. Again, you are not trying to convince someone to buy your service, you are merely suggesting services. When you invite prospects to look at your business opportunity and a prospect responds, “I don’t want to sell.”, you can respond, “Selling is an option, but it's NOT required."
  

Option#2: Entrepreneurship- When inviting a prospect to a business opportunity,  a prospect responds, “Is this Network Marketing?”, this option allows you to respond, “Network marketing is an option, but it's not required.” Many prospects who want to be entrepreneurs, simply want to start a business where they rely on their own efforts. They are not comfortable relying on the efforts of others to generate their income. They simply prefer to work alone. Presenting the option to be an entrepreneur without being required to recruit will appeal to this type of prospect.
 

Option#3: Building an Entrepreneurship Team- This option generally appeals to only 5%-10% of prospects. However, it is a great way to leverage income because they represent entrepreneurs who are very serious about at least generating an income that could at least substitute their current salary. This is generally how associates generate six or seven figure incomes. Prospects who have these financial goals should strongly consider building entrepreneurship teams.  Most people are not willing to invest the time necessary to become effective team builders, thus the objection ‘I don’t have time’ means exactly what it says. However, this option should be offered to those who want to pursue this road and have an entrepreneurial mindset. Based on my experience, it is not a good idea to try to convince prospects to join your business. You will reach at a slower rate the prospects who are already willing to build entrepreneurship teams. I would only educate prospects who are unsure about network marketing and would like more information.

In conclusion, I believe that providing referrals and entrepreneurship as options of income generation will reduce common objections toward your opportunity and attract more people to help you leverage income in other ways than recruiting.