When I first started my network marketing business, I had a real fear of approaching people to join the business. Other people called it the “Fear of Cold Calling” and there was an element of truth to that. Everyone has a streak of xenophobia in them, that fear of the strange or alien, and if you are outside your comfort zone, EVERYTHING seems strange and alien.
This phobia was confusing to me at first as I was sure that I liked meeting people, and loved talking to them. My problem was more a fear of rejection of my business ides – and once I figured out the issues, I was able to go a long way to fixing them.
One of my mentors teaches strategies for business. Al says that any business or personal situation can be examined and the various outcomes calculated and assessed. From that point strategies can be devised which can optimise the outcomes. Al believes that the optimum outcome should be a win-win situation for all parties. If you follow that belief to a logical conclusion, strategies should incorporate the other parties wants and needs where they can be deduced, or guessed.
By doing this you gain objectivity, and the entire situation is examined without any bias. This tends to empower all parties, without pressures. The interactions and negotiations will be more relaxed, open and without antipathy.
If this sounds complex, don’t panic. Techniques are available to help set the strategies. I use a chart which some will recognise as a Ben Franklin to identify the various factors at play.
My first step is to identify what I want to achieve from the meeting/call or conversation. I do that by identifying my goals, the emotions I expect to experience, and the expectations I have. This takes practice and some thought, as while goals and expectations are concrete, emotions are tricky little suckers. They affect everything we do, at work, at home, with family, friends – and with our prospects and customers.
More difficult is to work on what the other parties expect, what their goals may. Their emotions should be considered in the context of the possible outcomes.
Imagine this: I am to call a prospect, to see if he will be making an application to join my primary business.
I want to find out if they are going to fill in an application – if they are to help them do so; if the aren’t ready to do so, I would want them to stay on as a newsletter subscriber.
I need to be aware that I could be excited, afraid or disappointed, depending on the possible outcomes.
My positive expectation is that my lead will complete the application, the negative that they are not interested at all, and should they not be ready to submit the application, I would expect that they would stay on the list. I expect they will avoid money decisions, will be suspicious and could even be hostile and rude.
They would no doubt want to avoid commitment, and find out what the call is about without giving anything away. They could be excited about the opportunity, afraid I am going to rip them off, or take advantage of them. They are probably expecting the hard sell to which they would say no, they will expect to learn more about the opportunity, and the may expect that a decision will be needed.
By deliberately, consciously predicting these behaviours I am able to plan for them, and could use surprise or other tactics to break them away from their (probably unrealised) expectations so that we can partake of a negotiation based on mutual respect and acceptance of the other parties’ goals emotions and expectations..
Don Fuller has been happily using this and other techniques to grow his online network marketing business for years. If you want more information on the techniques available to empower your business and your personal development, you cab subscribe to our newsletter by going to his website and following the prompts to his On Line Opportunity or go to Don’s Blog
