Authors: Eric Worre
For years, I focused and depended on my ability to persuade people to join me. Then I graduated to finding a few key leaders I could train to do what I was doing. And finally, I learned the formula I just gave you and began to focus on getting a large group of people to consistently do just a few simple things and to keep doing them. When that happened, everything changed for the better.
Those are the fundamentals. Let’s take a moment to talk about the emotions of inviting. There are four basic rules.
Rule Number One
You must emotionally detach yourself from the outcome. This is extremely important. Remember, our initial goal is education and understanding. It’s not getting a new customer or signing a new distributor. In other words, if you disconnect your emotions from that outcome and just focus on education and understanding, everything gets very simple.
This sounds easy, but it’s difficult to do. All of us come into this business with the hope of recruiting some great people. It’s hard to disconnect from those expectations. But you need to remember, we’re not hunters. We’re not sharks. Our job is to educate people and help them understand what we have to offer. We act as consultants offering suggestions on how people can live a better life.
If you focus on getting a customer or new distributor, you’ll constantly be disappointed and you’ll find your prospects running away from you.
If you focus on education and understanding, you’ll have fun and your prospects will enjoy the experience.
Rule Number Two
Be yourself. So many people become a different person when they start inviting. This makes everyone uncomfortable. Be yourself. Just focus on being your best self.
Rule Number Three
Bring some passion. Enthusiasm is contagious. It’s okay to get a little bit fired up. Get focused. Listen to some music that inspires you. Smile when you’re on the phone. I assure you, your positive emotion will translate into better results.
Rule Number Four
Have a strong posture. This was a big one for me. At first I was so insecure. I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously. But as I watched the professionals, I noticed their posture. They were bold. They were confident. They were strong.
So I decided to be bold as well. I stopped apologizing all the time. Instead of saying, “Yes, I know I’ve had a lot of jobs so far in my life, but I’m hoping this will be the change I’ve been looking for,” I started saying “Guess what? I’m sick and tired of the life I’ve led up until this point and I’ve decided to take charge. I wouldn’t bet against me because I’m serious.” Do you feel the difference?
Be yourself, but be a bolder self. Be yourself, but be a stronger self. Be yourself, but be a more confident self—at least when you’re inviting. I found I could do that for short periods of time at the beginning and, just like building a new muscle, I could eventually do it longer and longer until it became a part of me.
So now that we’ve set the stage, let’s go through the invitation formula. This formula is designed to be used over the phone or face to face. It’s NOT to be used with texting, email, or any other communication tool—just on the phone or face to face. This can work with your warm market prospect (someone you know) or cold market prospects (someone you meet while living your life). I’ll give you examples for both.
There are eight steps to a professional invitation. That might sound complicated, but with a little practice, you’ll find it’s an easy skill to master.
Step One:
Be in a hurry
Step Two:
Compliment the prospect
Step Three:
Make the invitation
Step Four:
If I, would you?
Step Five:
Confirmation #1–Get the time commitment
Step Six:
Confirmation #2–Confirm the time commitment
Step Seven:
Confirmation #3–Schedule the next call
Step Eight:
Get off the phone
Step One: Be in a hurry
This is a psychological issue. People are always more attracted to a person who has things going on. If you start every call or face-to-face conversation giving the impression that you’re in a hurry, you’ll find your invitations will be shorter, there will be fewer questions, less resistance, and people will be more respectful of you and your time.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“I don’t have a lot of time to talk, but it was really important I reach you.”
“I have a million things going on, but I’m glad I caught you.”
“I’m running out the door, but I needed to talk to you real quick.”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“Now isn’t the time to get into this and I have to go, but…”
“I have to run, but…”
Get the message? Set the tone with some urgency.
As for the examples I’m sharing with you, don’t worry too much about the exact words. Just focus on the concept and use your own words. Let people know you’re busy, you’ve got a lot going on and your time is short, but it was important for you to talk with them real quick. And do it with some passion in your voice.
Step Two: Compliment the prospect
This is critical. The sincere compliment (and it must be sincere) opens the door to real communication and will make the prospect much more agreeable about hearing what you have to say.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“You’ve been very successful and I’ve always respected the way you’ve done business.”
“You’ve always been supportive of me and I appreciate that so much.” (Great to use with family and close friends.)
“You have an amazing mind for business and can see things other people don’t see.”
“For as long as I’ve known you, I’ve thought you were the best at what you do.”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“You’ve given me some of the best service I’ve ever received.”
“You are super sharp. Can I ask what you do for a living?”
“You’ve made this a fantastic experience.”
The key to the compliment is, it must be sincere. Find something you can honestly use to compliment your prospect and use it. This simple step will literally double your invitation results. When you start with urgency and a compliment, it becomes very difficult for a person to react negatively to your invitation. People don’t hear compliments very often. It feels good. You will find your prospects will become very receptive.
If you study the pros, you’ll find they are constantly putting people in a good mood through their honest and sincere compliments. It helps to build rapport, it helps to open people’s minds, and mostly, it helps achieve our goal of education and understanding.
Step Three: Make the invitation
This is a situation where one size does NOT fit all. There are three kinds of invitation approaches for the Network Marketing Professional.
The Direct Approach
This is used when you are inviting people to learn more about an opportunity for THEM. Most people use a Direct Approach for all of their prospects. It usually goes something like this: “I found a way for you to get rich! Let me tell you all about it. Blah, blah, blah.” I understand the passion, but really, who’s going to get excited about that, unless they’re getting a call from a millionaire?
That doesn’t mean the Direct Approach doesn’t work. It does. It has an important place in your invitation process. But it should be reserved for people who know and respect you or for people that you know are searching for something better.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“When you told me you (hate your job, need more money, wanted to find a new house, etc.), were you serious or were you just kidding around? (They’ll almost always tell you they were serious.) Great! I think I’ve found a way for you to (get it/solve the problem/make that happen).” This is for situations where you know an area of their dissatisfaction, need or desire.
“I think I’ve found a way for us to really boost our cash flow.”
“When I thought of people who could make an absolute fortune with a business I’ve found, I thought of you.”
“Are you still looking for a job (or a different job)? I found a way for both of us to start a great business without all the risks.”
“Let me ask you a question, off the record. If there was a business you could start working part-time from your home that could replace your full-time income, would that interest you?”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
“Have you ever thought of diversifying your income?”
“Do you keep your career options open?”
“Do you plan on doing what you’re doing now for the rest of your career?”
You can follow these cold market scripts or any variation with the following: “I have something that might interest you. Now’s not the time to get into it but…”
The Indirect Approach
This is another powerful tool to help get people past their initial resistance and educate them on what you have to offer. The Indirect Approach is about asking the prospect for help, input or guidance. I used this approach extensively and with great success when I first started out. Because of my lack of credibility at age 23, I couldn’t get much success with a Direct Approach, so I learned to play myself down and play up to the prospect’s ego. It worked incredibly well and it still works today.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“I’ve just started a new business and I’m really nervous. Before I get going I need to practice on someone friendly. Would you mind if I practiced on you?” (This is a GREAT approach for family and close friends.)
“I found a business I’m really excited about, but what do I know? You have so much experience. Would you look at it for me if I made it easy on you and let me know if you think I’m making the right move?”
“A friend told me the best thing I could do when starting a business is to have people I respect take a look at it and give me some guidance. Would you be willing to do that for me if I made it simple?”
Examples for cold-market prospects:
When you meet someone from another city, state, or country, and if your company does business there, you can say:
“My company is expanding in your area. Would you do me a favor and take a look at it and let me know if you think it would work where you live?”
When you meet someone who might provide good input on your product, you can say:
“I’ve started a business with a product I think makes a lot of sense, but I’d like to get your input. Would you be willing to check it out and give me your opinion?”
The Super Indirect Approach
The third approach is the Super Indirect Approach. This approach is incredibly powerful because it works on a number of psychological levels. In this approach, you tell the prospect they aren’t a prospect and you’re just interested in finding out if they know someone else who might benefit from your business. It’s very effective.
Examples for warm-market prospects:
“The business I’m in clearly isn’t for you, but I wanted to ask, who do you know that is ambitious, money-motivated, and would be excited about the idea of adding more cash flow to their lives?”
“Who do you know that might be looking for a strong business they could run from their home?”
“Who do you know that has hit a wall with their business and might be looking for a way to diversify their income?”
“I work with a company that’s expanding in this area and I’m looking for some sharp people that might be interested in some additional cash flow. Do you know anyone who might fit that description?”