The Close

I bet we talk with 2000 to 6000 customers per month in our business. And the most common question we get asked, bar none, is "what per cent of these leads will I close"? In the beginning, I used to recite the industry averages. You know them well.

Or if you are determined to succeed at your business, you will get to know them well. If you dial 100 numbers, you'll reach 30 people. Of those 30 persons, between 10 and15 will listen to a presentation; of those 10-15, 1-5 will join the business. Of the 10 that join, 1 will work it.

Then I realized that my answer was of little to no help to the people asking that question. Now I suggest that they make their first calls with their upline or with one of us. So I evade the answer to that question... always.

Why?

Because after working with hundreds of recruits in 3 different businesses, I learned that most people cannot close. And I think there are 3 very simple answers to why that is a fact.

And it is a fact.

The average network marketer recruits 2 to 3 people (often family members recruited by their upline). And when they quit they do it because are not making the money they expected to make or they are spending too much money or...

But in reality, most never start.

It doesn't have to be this way. But here are the 3 reasons why it is:

1) We overcomplicate the whole process 2)We think we're not selling 3)Because we think we don't sell, we don't learn how

Let's start with the process. Joining my first company was a familiar and very comfortable process for me... It felt as if I were back in school. Immediately I bought all the training materials: lots of books, audiotapes and videotapes.

I used all the techniques that my upline suggested and generally "went by the book(s)".And I taught everyone else to do exactly what I did. But no one recriuited more than 2-3 people. Most recruited no one.

No experience is wasted but those first two years make me sad for only one reason. I recruited many people who could have made a little- or a lot- of money doing the business had I not made it so complicated.

So if it doesn't need to be this complicated, what should we do?

We realize that we **are** selling! And we decide to get good, really good at looking for and listening to people who will fit with our business..... (otherwise known as selling).

When I joined my first network marketing company over 6 years ago, I was told this was not selling. Worse yet, I taught everyone I recruited that it was not sales......we were all "professionals" and somehow "above" sales.

Once I figured out that sales was nothing like what I thought it was I began to close even more folks with a lot less work. But it was too late for the downline that I had taught to rely on me.

These are some very practical tips that have been extremely useful for me.

*The fact that objections mean a high level of interest *The spoken objections are not the real ones, *Most people need the decision made for them.

If a prospect is not interested they will not expend the time or the energy to put up objections.. Many of us fear the objections and believe that our explanation to each objection is important-critically important. Not so.

It took me many useless verbal rabbit trails to learn the wisdom of asking this question before I answered **any** of the spoken objections:

"Ms. Prospect, if we are able to agree that company xyz is not a pyramid scheme and that your understanding of sales can be changed to a process that you would consider fun, are there any other factors keeping you from making this decision?"

Always, out it would come...."my husband", "other people's opinions" etc. When I remembered to use this question, there was never any need to discuss all the others put out there to confuse both the prospect and me.

The third and maybe most critical step is this one:

People will not close themselves.

**We** must learn to ask for the close. How do you do it?

By asking.

Once you begin you will be amazed at how many folks will quite amicably provide the information that you need for your enrollment process. "Ms Prospect, we've discussed your interest in XY and Z. And, Ms Prospect, we've discussed the low risk nature of this decision.(this is NOT a big deal, right?)

Now let's see Ms Prospect, How do you spell your first name? Even if you know how to spell her name, ask her to spell it for you, it will relieve her anxiety because she is in control.. This part is critical. Stay focused......

The worst case? They say "no, I need to know this or that" or "no I don't think this is right for me". But in either case you win because you have saved yourself time.

In summary, decide today to

simplify your process, study sales techniques and do a trial close on your very next prospect.

Happy prospecting!!!

Dr.Lin Wilder is a full-time internet marketer,consultant and writer.
Lin invites you to check her E-Book, Our Fool Proof Prospecting System by clicking here: http://www.amazon.com/Fool-Proof-Prospecting-System-ebook/dp/B00772W2VY

Lin invites you to join her mailing list by sending a blank email to leadzine@aweber.com.