By Richard Dennis

          Is there anything scarier than calling names off a list? Can't you hear the cynicism? Can't you hear the rejection?

          OK. Now imagine calling cold names off a list and getting NO rejection. (Well, almost none, anyway.) It's possible. I do it every day.

          First, ask yourself, "Why do they not want to talk to me?"

Here are the keys:

          The answer is easy. It's because they don't want to talk to ANY salesperson. Just like you ... you don't want someone calling you up, trying to sell you something, either. As soon as we're in that situation, we know the pressure is coming.

          What creates sales resistance? That's easy. SALES creates sales resistance! Those prospects put up a barricade to you as soon as they hear those telltale sounds of the salesperson. So the key is ... don't make those sounds.

          1. Right off the bat, you've got to say things to them that they don't expect, in a way that totally disarms them.

          2. Focus on your prospect, not on yourself. Immediately get their agreement to find out about them ... information you need in order to see if you and your prospect have a fit.

          3. Immediately get into the Colors questions. Now you are in a conversation with them. You are listening to them, determining their personality type and their deepest motivation and whether that motivation is strong enough to carry them thru to success. You are digging to find the root of their motivation. It takes a very motivated person to stay the course when times get tough. And times absolutely will get tough. You can count on it. Your prospect has to be able to motivate themself, or they will not stand a chance of success.

          When you are with a prospect, THEY should be doing 60% - 80% of the talking. If YOU are talking, then you are selling. Period. And they are resisting. And it all falls apart.

          4. Give your prospect the chance to strengthen their commitment. Whenever your prospect makes a positive statement about your opportunity, ask them "Why do you think that?" or "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" NEVER just accept positive feedback. Always test it. Each time you do that, you are giving your prospect the opportunity to strengthen their commitment ... or to back off. And if they back off, they would have done that anyway.

          So, only very minimally talk about you. Instead, get them talking. Listen to the person. You want the one you can work well with. Otherwise, it's a waste of time & energy. Don't be afraid to disqualify anyone who sounds like they aren't properly motivated. You MUST do that, because you only have so much time - and you must spend it with the REAL builders.

          If their motivation isn't enough, then it will be very easy for them, when things get tough, to just sit down and turn on the TV to medicate themselves. Then they don't have to think about how tough life is anymore.

          Do you know what I mean?

          5. Don't ever ask for the order ("close").

          You'll get maybe 20 possible questions to ask your prospect. As you're talking with them, you can pick & choose which ones make the most sense for that person. It will be rare that you'd ask every question of a person. Keep your goal in mind: you want to spot their personality and get a good understanding of their motivation, so you can decide whether this is someone you can work with or not.

          There is no set script here. If your prospect hears a script in your voice, you are dead in the water. You're in a conversation with them. Get them to talk, to open up, and you will build a relationship and build trust & respect, and you can determine if this is a real good potential business partner for you.

          IMPORTANT: If you've had any sales training, you've been told how critical it is for you to be enthusiastic when talking to prospects. Here's the problem. As soon as you get enthusiastic, you get pegged as a salesperson and the barriers go up. you have very little chance of building a relationship with that person and getting them to open up.

          Again: sales creates sales resistance. To create an environment with no sales resistance, you must have an environment with no sales going on. So don't be enthusiastic. Instead, be confident, but not emotional. Have fun with your prospect, but don't hype your product or service, or you will lose the prospect. Just be factual, and spend most of your time getting them to talk about themselves. You can certainly be enthusiastic about what you hear from your prospect.

Copyright © 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Richard Dennis
180 Hickory Ln.
Monticello, FL 32344 USA