Do any of you have friends or acquaintances that you haven’t talked to in a long time? Have you ever just thought about them and decided to call them out of the blue? Has anyone that you haven’t talked to in a long time just called you out of the blue? When they do, what do the both of you talk about?
Most people just want to catch up. They want to know where you’re living, how long you’ve been living there, what are you doing for a living, what do you do on the weekends for fun, how’s your family doing, etc…You just want to rebuild that connection with the other person and vice versa.
In network marketing this is basically a follow up. The problem is that most of us pick up the phone, call our prospects and either freeze up or go into a sales pitch.
If you do either of these two, then I would have to point you to “How To Win Friend’s And Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
Now if you have read this book and you’re still looking for some type of guideline to follow, I found two rapport building tools that I stumbled upon that you can follow.
One is called FORM.
Family
Occupation
Recreation
Message
The most important thing about prospecting is your PROSPECT. You want to talk about the things that your prospect values the most which is usually Family, Occupation, and Recreation. Asking about the prospects family and where they grew up is a great way to start the conversation and spark interest.
Here’s example of one of the ways I start a conversation.
Hi, this is Sherman Smith from Mentoring For Free. We met over facebook the other day. How’s everything? Great!!! I just saw that you’re in Baltimore, MD. Did you grow up there? Do most of your family live in the area?
Once you build rapport the next thing you want to do is deliver the message. A great way to transition to the message is to say something like “The reason I called is because you asked about my opportunity” or “The reason that I called is that I remember you telling me that you were looking for other ways to make money.”
Another great tool to use is CAPI.
Common Ground
Affirm
Permission
Information
Common Ground is FOR (Family, Occupation, Recreation) and trying to find something in common with your prospect.
Next, after listening to your prospect, you want to affirm what they just said. For example, you may say something like “Ok, let me get this straight, you’re looking to make extra money because your job is making you take furlough days?”
Once you affirm what they were just telling you, a really important step is to ask for permission which is a step that a lot of people skip. For example “I have something that you may or may not be interested in. Would you like for me to share it with you?”
Last but not least is to share the information
The most important of these is to build rapport with your prospects by focusing on them to figure out if what you have may be what they’re looking for. This is an essential way to establish business partners or to have paying customers.
If you found this information helpful and valuable, please share it with others that may benefit from this information by clicking on the links in the left margin under “Please Share”
If you want further information on the 4 personality types to better connect with your prospects plus more, then I recommend that you download and read the free ebook “Success In 10 Steps” by clicking on one of the links below.
To Your Success,
Sherman Smith
Mentoring For Free
MLM Is About You!!
34 comments
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July 7, 2010 at 5:28 am
Peter R Fuller
Excellent tips Sherman.
Share the information and schedule a follow up.
The thing to remember is that it may take 4 to 7 exposures before someone makes a decision, so do not try to close on the first call
July 7, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Sherman Smith
That’s true Peter about the 4 to 7 exposures. You don’t want to force the opportunity on them on the first call. Thanks for your comment!!
July 7, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Oliver Tausend
Hi Sherman,
cool formula you’ve got. Thanks for sharing. And of course it’s all about the prospect. And I agree to Peter saying that we might need 4 to 7 contacts until he or she takes a decision.
Take care
Oliver
July 7, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Sherman Smith
Thanks Oliver for your comment!!!
July 7, 2010 at 9:46 pm
Anne Duncan
A common concern… to put it mildly. As usual Sherman you get right to the point and show the way. Thanks for you wisdom.
July 8, 2010 at 12:17 am
sksmith
Thanks Anne for your kind words!!
July 7, 2010 at 10:22 pm
steve shoemaker
Good advice here Sherman the fortune is in the follow up and these are great guidelines for building that trust in rapport that are so essential. One thing not to do…I had a gentleman call me one time went through the steps real well I thought but after EVERY sentence he used my name. Don’t get me wrong people love that you remember their name and like to hear sure… but after 50 times it sounds just way to pitchy and creepy just some fyi.
Steve Shoemaker
July 8, 2010 at 12:27 am
sksmith
I see where you’re coming from Steve. I almost sound fake and robotic when marketers do that. When using these two you want to be more casual but yet keep in mind that you’re looking for business partners. Thanks for your comment Steve!!!
July 9, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Anne Duncan
Hi Sherman – a stcky subject smoothed out with your usual eloquence… thanks for the post – Anne
July 10, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Sherman Smith
Thanks Anne for your comment! It’s really appreciated!
July 10, 2010 at 2:29 am
Yvonne A Jones
Hi Sherman,
I enjoyed the two sets of ‘tools’, which can be very effective. The 2nd one I don’t recall reading about before so thank you for bringing that out.
If I’ve not spoken with the person in a while I like to just re-establish contact and try to find out where they are in their life at this point. Then I will do a follow-up call in a few days based on the ‘common ground’ and ‘information’ gathered in our last conversation.
Thanks for sharing those pointers.
Yvonne
July 10, 2010 at 6:28 pm
sksmith
Thanks Yvonne for your comment. I just found out about them about a month ago and It really caught my attention. It really goes with the teachings of Dale Carnegie!
July 10, 2010 at 6:47 am
Charlene
Powerful prospecting info!!! With these formulas, we will never run out of things to talk about when building the initial or reconnection! Great post Sherman!
July 10, 2010 at 6:30 pm
sksmith
Thanks Char for your comment. Yes these tools are very useful. I’ve used them both online and offline. If you haven’t already, check out Michael Clouse’s “Prospecting 101”. It’s a great audio CD.
July 10, 2010 at 7:05 am
Soren
Nice post here Sherman. I was smiling when I read this, because in one of my previous NM business, I was told – JUST TALK with everyone about your business opportunity –
Thanks /Soren
July 10, 2010 at 6:26 pm
sksmith
hey Soren,
A lot of people tell me that. As a matter of fact, I use to do it even though the leaders in my NM businesses told us not too. Boy was I hard headed lol. Anyways, thanks for the comment Soren!
July 10, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Ana | Traffic Generation Cafe
I might’ve been in this business for way too long, but whenever someone calls me with a pitch of any kind, the first this I tell them to do is to drop the small talk:). It’s a business call, so I want to talk about business.
I do the same when I talk to my prospects, because they usually call me. So I get straight to business to see if they are right for my business.
With that said, everyone is different. Some people definitely need to be warmed up first.
The trick is to find out as soon as possible whether they are the right prospect for you; otherwise, it’s the time you could be building your business.
Great prospecting post, Sherman!
Ana Hoffman
Traffic Generation Cafe
July 25, 2010 at 2:51 am
sksmith
Sorry for the late reply Ana, but I know what you mean. Instead of beating around the bush, you want to get straight to the point and not waste any time. Thanks for your comment
July 11, 2010 at 2:38 am
Jean
Hi Sherman,
great post and very informative.
I especially loved the two great tools you set out they make so much sense.
Our Business is in the follow up and that’s something a lot of us don’t do, or can’t do. I think this is where the fear factor sets in.
thanks again for some great value.
Jean
July 12, 2010 at 5:39 am
sksmith
Definitely Jean.. A lot of us still have that fear of rejection, but this is a great way to break the ice, especially since this is a relationship building business. Thanks for your comment Jean!!
July 11, 2010 at 3:49 am
Wayne Wu
Hey Sherman,
Great post, my friend. Making phone calls with prospects is all about building relationships and trust. I too like what Peter said. Never close on the first call. Or any call for that matter. As professional network marketers, we’re here to help our prospects make the best decision for them, not for our own interests.
Later,
Wayne
July 11, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Ryan Biddulph
Hi Sherman,
I like the acronyms, short, punchy and easy to remember.
Listening trumps any other business skill because when you listen you learn about what the prospect is seeking. We just have to fight the temptation to speak our message before listening to the prospect’s concerns.
Thanks for sharing your insight.
Ryan
July 25, 2010 at 2:49 am
sksmith
That’s true Ryan… I see it as this. When you start to speak, you start to pitch. Just as simple as that. Thanks for your comment and sorry for the late reply
July 12, 2010 at 5:35 am
Sherman Smith
Most definitely. We have to look out for their interests instead of our own. A lot of prospects will pick up on it if we doing this for selfish reasons. Thanks for your comment Wayne!!
July 12, 2010 at 7:21 am
Marcus Baker
Great advice Sherman. To be honest I think we worry too much about what to say to people. If we just have lots of conversations even if these lead to nothing we get better at conversations and when we get better at this we will make more sales naturally.
~Marcus
July 12, 2010 at 3:51 pm
sksmith
You’re absolutely right Marcus. A lot of us are “Conversationally Deprived” if that’s the correct term LOL… Either way it goes, the more conversations we have, meaning becoming great listeners, the better we get in building valuable relationships. Thanks for your positive comment!!!
July 14, 2010 at 1:59 am
Cheryl James
Hey Sherman, this is the area that I know I need to work on the most. I had not heard of CAPI either. I am much more comfortable on the phone than in person. These tips will certainly help.
Thanks!
July 14, 2010 at 4:19 am
Sherman Smith
Great Cheryl! I’m glad that you found it valuable!
July 23, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Karen Newman
Great post Sherman! As I point out to my children, we all have two ears but only one mouth for a reason…we should be listening twice as much as talking. 🙂
July 23, 2010 at 7:57 pm
sksmith
Thanks Karen for your comment! That’s great advice to give to your children 😉
July 25, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Mavis Nong
Great advice, Sherman.
One of the reasons why most network marketers fail in their businesses, is that they dont know how to network, they simply cannot connect and they don’t know how to prospect.
They often over-think about what they are going to say and continue to struggle to handle the phone conversation, especially the initial one.
Thank you for sharing this awesome formula.
All the best,
Mavis Nong
July 25, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Sherman Smith
I couldn’t agree with you more. I get those prospects sometimes just here on facebook and all they want to talk about is their business opportunity. This is a big turn to a lot of people, especially with my type of personality. Thanks you for your comment Mavis!!
August 2, 2010 at 3:04 am
Kimberly Castleberry
Great post Sherman! So true that people get on the phone and suddenly you’d think they’ve never spoke to anyone on the phone before! Suddenly that little hunk of plastic/metal is an incredibly scary idea! I love how you make the analogy of connecting the same way we do with a friend we havent seen in some time. How to Win Friends is a book everyone should read a couple times at least, I know I sure needed it!
Kimberly
August 2, 2010 at 4:33 pm
sksmith
Thanks Kimberly,
These are a great way to connect with people in general. It has helped me build better relationship with people whether it be network marketing or at social events. Thanks for your comment!!!