How I ‘Close’ My Prospects For Incredible Results

Posted by Willy Lim on 28 June, 2008

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This item was filled under [ Mindset and Attitude ]

This is a great article by Mike Dillard that I got in my email. He outlined 2 approaches to closing a prospect and why one approach is preferred over another.

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

How I ‘Close’ My Prospects For Incredible Results

Written by Mike Dillard

Hey Willy, I was rummaging through the inbox today when I came across a fellow reader with a problem you’ve probably dealt with yourself. Here it is…

“Mike, after presenting my business opportunity, how do I make a successful closure? The prospect seems excited, but won’t make a decision?”

—————————————-

That’s a great question, and below you’ll find my answer. Whether or not you agree with it is up to you, but I’ll just say this…

Last month my primary company held an event in Vegas.

5 of the top producers were given awards on stage.

4 of them were personally sponsored by me. That’s a BIG nod to THEIR talents, and a small nod to my approach when it comes to sponsoring, which is what I’ll be sharing with you below…

Now in my experience, there are two approaches to “closing” in sales…

I’ll call them “guided” and “voluntary”.

Going for a guided close takes place during direct, person-to-person conversation.

That might be on the phone, or at the end of a meeting.

You’re there in conversation with your prospect and it’s decision time. They’ve gone through a presentation, and now it’s your turn to go for the sale and “close” the deal…

Many leaders in this industry have mastered this game. They have a response for every objection. They have a list of their prospects desires, their wish list, and their emotional triggers which they acquired from the previous “interview” conversation.

They will personally “guide” them down a path that leads to a purchase.

If the networker is skilled at the guided close, that prospect is going to “buy” today whether they want to or not.

These guys have become extremely talented sales people, and are usually the top recruiters in their company.

As I began to acquire my phone skills years ago, learning the “direct” approach was just an assumed requirement of the process.

I didn’t know there was an alternative.

If I wanted to sponsor a new rep, I was going to have to learn how to answer objections and close.

As I began to learn “real marketing”, a better option became available which went for the voluntary close - where a prospect “sells themselves” and makes the decision to purchase on their own.

Now both methods use salesmanship and influence. The primary difference between the two is that the prospect is not put on the spot or asked to make a decision by the sponsor directly on a phone call or after a meeting.

There are several reasons I personally believe the voluntary approach is much more powerful than a guided approach, and it comes down to one primary piece of psychology:

“A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.”

Many times during a guided sale, the person is buying for the wrong reason. It usually comes down to giving into the sales pressure which always leads to buyer’s remorse shortly after.

The salesperson gets the prospects emotions flowing and they have no time to think logically which is the recipe that always leads to a sale which is why it’s the primary tool of choice for direct response marketers.

This “heart only” approach is extremely effective, but counter-productive for our industry because we’re not making a one-time sale… We’re looking for the years of commitment it will take to build a successful business.

Unfortunately, once those emotions dissipate and logic sets in, the person may regret the decision they made, and in this industry, they usually end up quitting within days or weeks.

The ideal situation is where the prospects head catches up with their heart in order to make a “whole” decision which leads to a “voluntary purchase”.

You don’t want to convince your prospects to buy, you want them to convince themselves to buy, and then voluntarily make the purchase when the time is right for them.

Once they make their choice, it will be much more concrete and in order to stay congruent with that choice, they will work much harder and stay dedicated longer because “it was their idea”.

Now a voluntary approach doesn’t mean that you’re going to just act all “nice and sweet” and not go for the sale.

You’re still going sell the hell out of them.

But you’re going to do it indirectly through tools and marketing instead of direct personal pressure.

I want to hit my prospects with a new marketing piece every few days whether it’s through email, a letter, a website, a postcard… Whatever.

I’m still going to push those same emotional buttons, and I’m still going to ask for the sale, but I’m not going to do it directly through personal conversation.

I’m going to apply indirect pressure though my marketing which will allow them to come to a decision on their own and then force them to voluntarily “push the buy button”.

It’s this marketing drip-drip-drip process over time that allows their head to catch up with their heart and make the fully committed decision that’s so important in this industry.

Here’s my personal sponsoring process and it’s probably going to be much different than what you’ve been taught. In order for it to work correctly, you will need to be truly believe you are a leader and you cannot come from a place of “neediness”.

You must be completely willing to let a sale go.

1: Lead is generated and a quick introductory phone call is made just to let them know that I’m a real person. I’ll ask them a few questions, BUT, it’s not to build up “ammo” like their finding out their “reason why” so I can bring it back up later when it’s “decision time”.

I ask questions because I want to find out if this is someone I want to personally work with. Honestly, I’m trying to find a reason NOT to work with them or sell them product because the wrong customers/partners will cost you MUCH more than you’ll ever make in the long run.

This qualification process is evident to the prospect through the verbal and non-verbal leadership ques that are expressed during the conversation. Things like energy level, voice level, tonalities, etc…

Now you’re probably wondering what all of those are, but honestly, if you truly see yourself as a leader, you’ll unconsciously start conveying these traits automatically.

2: If I like the person, I’ll give them the address to the business overview via email and then instruct them verbally and in the email to contact me when they’re done.

Because they came though a capture page when they became a lead, they are already in my marketing pipeline.

At this point, the ball is completely in their court.

I NEVER chase people. I’m too busy. And so are you whether that’s true or not. Your business lives in a state of abundance. There is no neediness.

My marketing system will stay in contact with them for me. I don’t have time to make follow up calls and I lose power if I do, but I will give them continual opportunities to contact me through my marketing campaign.

Scheduling follow-up calls and all that crap on your prospect’s terms… Whatever.

They call me and I’ll contact them back when I feel like doing so.

If you’re positioning yourself correctly, they will be excited and feel privileged that you contacted them.

(This is something pretty foreign to most networkers who deal with prospects who never return their phone calls and voicemails).

3: Once they do contact me, they’re going to have some questions which I will answer in a very friendly manner. I like this person and I wouldn’t mind working with them…

BUT, for the rest of the call, I’m silent.

I don’t ask them to get started and I don’t try to keep the conversation going.

Dead spots in a conversation ARE AWKWARD. You want to make them feel off-balance and then force them to fill the dead air.

My attitude is that you called me to ask me some questions which I will answer, and that’s it. Anything else that we discuss is up to you.

Because you’re unwilling to keep the conversation going or try to talk them into getting started, you are in the position of power.

In any relationship, the person who cares the least holds the power.

So I’m just going to answer their questions and then sit there. They’re testing me and my leadership frame whether they realize it or not.

And you know what happens 9 times out of 10 because I didn’t take the bait and start chasing them?

They fill that awkward silence with statements like, “So what’s next? How do I get started?”

Now in order for this method to work, you must TRULY see yourself as a leader and live in a mindset of abundance. If you don’t and you’re just pretending to act this way on a phone call, they will see straight through it.

You cannot pretend in anyway. You must truly live and believe that mindset.

This was only possible for me after I let go of the emotional roller coaster I was on when it came to building this business and just let whatever happen, happen.

Until next time…

Mike Dillard

Magnetic Sponsoring

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