•Tom "Big Al" Schreiter  •Robert Butwin  •Rod Cook   •Jeffery Combs  •Jerry "DRhino" Clark •Greg Arnold  •Artemis Limpert  •Robert Blackman •Dr Zonnya •Ellie Drake - Contributing Editors

Back

Stop Selling and Start Solving
By Robert Blackman
 

The #1 problem that faces EVERY Networker who works through their fear and grabs the phone to "smile and dial" is this:  "You think you're a SALESPERSON!"  You're NOT! Salespeople try to convince.  Salespeople use worn out "clichés".  Salespeople try to "close" their prospects.  Salespeople attract other salespeople.  Stop selling and start solving!

When you're selling you're not being duplicatable.  Nobody likes to be "sold" anything.  People like to have their problems "solved".  Plus, nobody wants to be a "salesperson", do you?  No, you don't.  You want to be YOU--whatever your personality makeup is.  You don't want to "change" your personality just to build a downline.  Neither did I.  I wanted to do this when I got into Network Marketing:  

1)  Replace my income at my job.

2)  Quit my job and come home full time.

3)  Buy my life back.

Yes, like selling your soul to the "devil", we all sold our souls to the "9-5 routine".  It's not a bad routine; it's just not a vehicle where you can spend all day at home doing what you want to do.  You have to go somewhere else and work by somebody else's rules.

Don't get me wrong.  YOU NEED A JOB FOR 2 REASONS:

1)  To finance your Network Marketing business.

2)  To "tick" you off at least once a week giving you a big enough reason "why" you're building your Network Marketing business the first year or two when nothing seems to be happening!

To build a Network Marketing business takes the Ultimate Step of Faith.  Here you are buying products, doing mailings, surfing the web, calling people, reading brochures and listening to guys like me "ranting and raving" on Conference Calls every week, and you're not making a Dime!  All the while, you're used to working 40 hours and getting paid for 40 hours. In Network Marketing you may work your first 40 hours and not get paid a Dime.  That's your first problem you need solved in this business:

PROPER EXPECTATIONS!

Once you know what you're up against then you can logically commit to your business--regardless of what you make your first 6 months to a year.  It took me 12 months to make my first $1,000.00 commission check.  It took me 5 years, or 60 months, or 258 weeks to make 6-figures.  I didn't expect Network Marketing to replace my income for at least 5 years.  What is your expectation?

People don't join pay plans.  People don't join products.  People join because of other people--namely YOU!  People want to follow a leader.  They're trained to do that at work, and if you're a married male, you're trained to do that at home as well!  People follow other people.  If you're not "leading" your prospects to the solutions they're wanting, then you'll be hitting your head up against the wall all the time wondering why nobody is joining with you!

My system is simple:  I make 25-50 cold calls a day.  I used to have a WARM market.  I've called those people already.  It took me about 30 days to call and mail my warm market  letters to those 500 people I already knew.  Four  joined.  None of them stayed in over 90 days.  I needed more leads.  That's why I went to my Cold market.  But, I needed a system of making these cold leads into warm prospects.

Now, I call my Cold market to create more people in my Warm market.  Yes, I call cold leads and eventually turn them into my new warm market leads.  It takes time.  But, it works.  When I call my leads, here is what I say:

"Hi John, this is Robert Blackman from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  John, I show that  a few months ago you showed some interest in learning how to make money on the Internet.  The purpose of my call today, John, is have you already found an Internet business or are you still looking?"

Waiting in the "wings" I have three arrows to shoot out at John, regardless of his response.

The first arrow is my main opportunity.

The second arrow is my lead program.

The third arrow is my Free eBook.

When John says he's still looking or hasn't found anything yet, I say: "John, grab a pen and write down my web address.  I want to give you a FREE eBook that helps explain how I make money on the Internet."  I then give him my ProfitLeads.com address.  I then tell John: "Go there now and download the Free eBook.  Either call me at the phone number listed on my website or I'll call you tomorrow."

When John asks "what's this all about?".  I simply say:  "everything is explained in the free eBook.  Call me when you've downloaded it.  That's how I handle "cold calling".

What about voice mail?

Here's my simple script I leave on voice mail boxes: "Hi, John, this is Robert Blackman from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  A few months you showed some interest in learning how to make money on the Internet.  What I'd like to do John, is send you a FREE eBook that explains in detail how I make money on the Internet.  Grab a pen and write down this web address.  www.ProfitLeads.com/1000.  Go there and download the FREE eBook and then give me a call.  Oh, by the way my phone number is located at the top of the web address I just gave you.  Once you've downloaded the eBook and called me we can determine if we have a "match".  Give me a call when you're ready to get started." 

I don't leave my phone number--ever.  I make them go to the website to get both the eBook and my number.  Plus, I get a notification in my e-mail box when John visits my site and downloads the eBook.  That way, I call John back in 24 hours and say:

"Hello, John, this is Robert Blackman from Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  I received a notice that you downloaded the FREE eBook I told you about.  Is now a good time to go over our Internet program?"  It's clean, it's simple and I don't track people down like a wolf and play phone tag for 3 weeks.  I can't.  Well, I won't and neither will my downline. 

Ever heard a training tape called: "How To Make Money Successfully Leaving Messages And  Playing Phone Tag".  Neither have I.  The reason is, there has never been such a tape made, because playing phone tag DOESN'T work.  You won't do it.  I wont' do it.  Your downline wont' do it.  So STOP doing it.  Get some posture back into your prospecting!  Stop Chasing and Selling people.  Have people come to YOU.  I do.

Here's how my system sells itself and gets people to come to me: Yesterday I signed one person on the phone at the Gold level in my program and made $45.  He got my Free 7 Day Crash Course and I followed up with a phone call and signed him up over the phone!

Yes, that means I took his credit card and social security number and all that jazz--it's easy and it's fun taking orders--you should try it!  I don't wait for them to go back to my website or mail or fax a check to me.  I do it NOW.  I had over 24 new prospects on my 10 pm conference call last night.  They got their from my e-blast to my list which I took a year to build.  I had 2 people in my e-mail box asking me more questions about my program ready to join.  I have 19 messages from prospects who wanted more info.  I had 3 orders arrive in my e-mail box from my website totaling over $500.00.

So, did I SELL yesterday or SOLVE?  My life and business is on "autopilot" thanks to the Internet.  My systems sort and sift and do the selling for me and then what I'm left with is a qualified prospect who's willing to "get after it" with me.  That's it, that's my system.  Simple effective, powerful...And, it will work for you too!

"For over 23 years Robert Blackman has been involved as a full-time Distributor, Author and Consultant to the Network Marketing Industry.  Regardless of the pay plan, the product line or the method of marketing (Direct Mail, Internet or Local Meetings) Robert has made money and more importantly taught his group how to make money."  For more information about Robert and his MLM Training visit: www.MLMMasteryCourse.com