Prospecting 4 Wealth

Setting the appointment  for any direct sales associate  should be the number one priority.  As stated in this NETWORKED BLOG  “If you don’t have anybody to tell your story too…Then nothing else matters!” 

One of the common mistakes I make and many seasoned associates will make whether it’s Retail, Direct Sales or MLM is forgetting the whole point of why your talking to this “Suspect”.  All you need to do is set the appointment. When it comes to a sales process where you have to develop your clients outside of building a list or having them walk through the door the first step has to be the appointment.

Let’s help define this a little more by breaking down what a prospect is from what a suspect may be. A “Suspect” is somebody you feel may be interested in yor information and you are going to approach them, call them , market to them to see if they respond in a positive manner.  A “Prospect” is somebody we have engaged and we now know they do not have our service or product (and this is key)  ..and are willing to listen to that information.  So a “Prospect” by definition is somebody you have already set an appointment with,  have presented too and or has told you they are interested and want more information. The “suspect” is the person we are engaging for the first time to set that appointment. 

Many, many people entering and even those already working in the field of marketing and sales get all “keyed up” over prospecting and setting that appointment.  I know I have tripped up many times including  just yesterday where I have let the possibility of a sale come before the importance of setting the appointment.  Once we grasp the idea of what we are doing everyday while chatting with friends, going to the store, making the calls and dealing with existing clients the appointments should come to you almost naturally. This is a mind set however…You have to go into the day with a goal of “I’m going to set X amount of appointments today. Yes, this includes the easy ones that call you directly wanting time with you or those that walk into your office or store front. They can just as easily walk out!  Engage them – Ask the open ended questions – Close the Appointment.  ” Sure, I can help you with that Bob. Let’s go over her and look into it”  Bazinga!  You just set an appointment!

When making those phone calls through the day keep your focus on why your making the call…is it to sell them something over the phone?  YES! Sell the appointment!!  Use a Script to keep things on track. Have a calendar ready with available time slots set aside. Give them an option to meet with you Thursday @ 3:00 or Friday @ 11:00.    – The phone will be a lot easier to manage when you focus on the one product “The Appointment” instead of worry about the “NO” you may get and never get the chance to present the actual product or service. Remember they are just a suspect at this point and your calling or engaging in conversation to see if they may be a prospect… Nothing more, nothing less.

Learn to Earn!

Jeff Beeman

OK  readers today, tomorrow and into the future, here we go.  I’ve let this Blog run it’s course of  static information this past year and am seeing the direct result of that which would be …very low SEO , readership and income.  So what changes can we make to increase those areas of concern?

One step will be a possible change of Word Press Theme but what I really want to do is engage readers and hopefully start some back and forth dialogue.  I’m hoping to add daily content on my own personal prospecting efforts and with that in mind you (the reader)  are invited to comment, make suggestions or ask for advise in the comment section of the pages.

So here we go – Middle of the week between Christmas and New Years. Where are our prospecting efforts at this time?  A few of us may be “Closed for Business” getting some much needed vacation time while others are looking to plan a new strategy or like myself  clean up the rough edges of  projects already in place.  For those that are still out in the field are you finding that setting the appointment for this week is still tough to do with prospects off enjoying family time? Are you actually contacting more people but being put off with the “Call Me Next  Week” Objection? Personally I have been able to contat more people however setting a firm appointment is the issue. Yes they would like to hear more about te information I have but …no urgency to make a commitment.

Plan of action for the day is to allow the appointment to be set into next week however I want the prospect to understand this is a busy week for me also.  I am taking my valuable time to bring you this important information  Mr. Prospect so the end f the conversation could go something like this

… “I will call you again on Monday for our Tuesday appointment and confirm I still have a time slot for you on my schedule Mr. or Ms. Prospect. Should that time slot be filled what would be a good alternative time? “

Now this may seem a little envasive for some direct sales associates however in my field of work I have sporadic walk in clients that need to be taken care of immediately. If I  have a questionable appointment with a “Cold Cold” prospect over somebody walking in asking for my services I can not say “Sorry, please excuse me as I have to run an appointment.  Please come back in a couple hours.”  Who would? Right??

So my thought for today as we work through this week of  – Yes we can get in touch with more people but they because they are on there down time they do not want to schedule anything solid  – is that we make sure we convey our time is important as well.  I will do anything I can to help you Mr. Prospect however somebody else with an immediate need is going to get my attention first.

Learn to Earn!

Jeff Beeman

(This essay was originally published in Hackers & Painters.)

If you wanted to get rich, how would you do it? I think your best bet would be to start or join a startup. That’s been a reliable way to get rich for hundreds of years. The word “startup” dates from the 1960s, but what happens in one is very similar to the venture-backed trading voyages of the Middle Ages.

Startups usually involve technology, so much so that the phrase “high-tech startup” is almost redundant. A startup is a small company that takes on a hard technical problem.

Lots of people get rich knowing nothing more than that. You don’t have to know physics to be a good pitcher. But I think it could give you an edge to understand the underlying principles. Why do startups have to be small? Will a startup inevitably stop being a startup as it grows larger? And why do they so often work on developing new technology? Why are there so many startups selling new drugs or computer software, and none selling corn oil or laundry detergent?

Read More:    How to make Wealth

Having excellent persuasion skills is one of the most important abilities to possess in today’s fast-paced world. We need the support and cooperation of other people to help us in reaching our goals. The saying “No man is an island” is an undeniable truth.
Here are some hot tips to effectively influence and persuade anyone you desire.

1) Enter their world:

You must understand the situation according to their point of view. Set aside your personal interests and concentrate on them. Just pretend that if you are them, what would you do? What would be your opinion? Then take the appropriate action that would be beneficial to them.

Copy them. Observe how they act, how they speak, and how they think. If they rub their forehead while they think, act like them. If they speak at a clear and slow pace, try to do the same thing. This is called mirroring.
In due time, the people you’re mirroring will subconsciously feel more comfortable with you. It’s as if they see themselves in you. However, you must proceed with caution. Do not let them be aware that you are copying them. They might interpret it as mockery and you’ll just get into trouble.

2) Be Friendly and Nice.

Smile to brighten up the day. Make a sincere compliment to raise their spirits. Little things like these count a lot.
Make them feel that whenever they need help or just someone to look up to, you\’ll always be there to lend a hand. They would tend to be more receptive to people that they trust. If you want to ask your boss a favor, do everything you can to please him. Overdeliver and exceed his expectations. Soon, he will notice your efforts and will be more than glad to grant your request.

3) Provide them with compelling evidence.

Explain to them how your ideas or suggestions could be the most effective techniques to implement. Show them undeniable proof that you have the best product by way of testimonials, before and after scenarios, and detailed comparisons against your competitors. Just make sure that all your claims are true and verifiable. Always maintain a good reputation.

4) Meet their existing needs and desires.

People are self-centered. They are initially concerned with their own well-being before others. If you can prove that your proposal will provide more advantageous benefits to them than to your own, then they will probably accept it.
If you could focus more on their interests, desires, needs, and expectations, then you would satisfy their cravings for attention. Moreover, it would show that you really care about them. Mutual trust and respect would be established.

This is the most important thing to remember when persuading anyone. No matter how close you are to becoming like them or how overwhelming your evidence is, if it does not satisfy the “What’s In It For Me?” test, your persuasion efforts will not produce satisfactory results. Always bear in mind how they will benefit from your actions.