29 brilliant words!
Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) once famously said, perhaps all you need to know to get ahead, in 29 brilliant words:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
“Tell Me a Story”
Don Hewitt, the Executive Producer of 60 Minutes for 37 years died last week.
Here is the one BIG thing we can all learn from one of the most successful TV producers of all time…
Don’s Motto was “Tell me a story.”
60 Minutes has always been, and continues to be, about – stories. The more successful you want to be in your Shaklee business, the better you need to be at telling a story.
First, you need to be good at telling your own personal story. People want to know why your are so in love with Shaklee products and the opportunity. How did you get here from where you were?
Then you need to be good at telling the Shaklee story. Keep it simple. Make every effort to avoid the hype—the truth about Shaklee is impressive.
Let me ask you a question I’ve asked before on this blog…
When you tuck your kids in at night, do you tell them bedtime facts or bedtime stories?
Don Hewett said during an interview…
“Why don’t others get this? The reason for my success was that all I did was tell stories every Sunday night. There is nothing magical about it.”
Great Product and Faster Horses
Gary Bensavenga is one of the worlds top copywriters and marketers. He recently retired and is now teaching the world the tricks of his trade. When I read this article from Gary, I couldn’t resist drawing analogies to our business.
I have taken the liberty to add the word opportunity to the lines in which he talks about product. Otherwise, it’s pretty much exactly as he wrote it.
Even though it was written to read by copywriters, I think there is a lot to learn here. I hope you will make the connection.
By Gary Bensavenga
If I were on my deathbed about to wheeze my last breath, and you asked me to sum up in a single sentence the most important marketing secret I could bequeath to you before I kick the bucket (or bedpan), here is what I would whisper in your ear, hopefully without giving you anything contagious. More »
Why Stories Are Powerful
If you’ve read much on this blog … you know I believe your ability to tell the Shaklee Story in a compelling way will determine your fate in our business.
You know I also believe being good at telling stories is the ultimate communication skill!
There are real, researched and proven reasons why Story Telling is so powerful. Here is a list of reasons from Jamie Smart. More »
What You Can Learn About Your Prospect From Google
One thing you can be absolutely sure of — your prospects have
problems. They want information that will have them solve their
problem.
The guys at Google and other internet search engines have it figured out.
There are 21 billion web pages on Google. By far, the largest
number of them are information oriented and designed to sell stuff that
solves a problem.
Even an unfulfilled desire is a problem that begs for a solution.
How often have you done a Google search to get information that would help you answer a question or solve a problem?
The more you understand your prospects problem and the more you are
able to offer them a solution to that problem, the faster your business
will grow!
Please remember … they don’t want or need information that doesn’t
relate to their problem. They have too much of that already.
They want solutions!
Train It and Trust It!
Dr. Bob Rotella is one of America’s leading sports psychologist. He teaches the athletes he works with this simple principle … “train it and trust it.”
Doc says we need to be able to go on auto-pilot when the game is on the line.
He uses the terms, “free it up,” and “free flow” to describe what he wants his players to do when they are under the gun.
He says that if we haven’t trained it in practice, it’s hard to totally trust it under pressure … right?
Our goal should be to practice each one of the fundamentals of our business until they become second nature — then — when you have an opportunity to share the product or the business opportunity, you’ll have confidence, free flow and ‘trust!
Under-Promise — Over-Deliver
The biggest mistake you can make in presenting the business is to over-hype and over-promise. All the emotion and hype might work in the short run, but in the long run, it’s a deal killer.
If you’re really good at selling people into the business, you can get people pumped and sky high. The only problem with this strategy is that deep down inside, they don’t really believe you and when the first bump in the road comes along … your new builder goes from sky high to the basement in a hurry. They knew all along it was just a lot of blue sky!
Creating false expectations is a bad idea. If people buy in to your hype, you are both set up to fail.
The best approach is to give your prospect and new business builders a real look at the potential of the business … then let them create their own goals and expectations.
Just tell them your Story … if they buy it, they will make a case for doing the business in their own minds.
Never make false promises … if anything, you want to under-promise and when your new builder gets greater results than expected, you have created a true Shaklee fanatic.
“Yeah, Sure!”
Gary Bensavenga is one of the worlds great copywriters. He’s an expert on how to use words to persuade and influence people. He says, “There was a time when the two most important words in advertising were “you and yours.” Now, the two most important words may be “yeah, sure!”
Thousands of new network marketing businesses start up ever few years. Millions of new distributors in those companies all claim to have “the best” product and “the best plan.” That’s why the industry is so full of hype and skepticism. That’s why some people are wary when you try to approach them about Shaklee.
People in general are over-hyped. Traditional advertising is not working the way it has in the past. As a buying group, we are more skeptical that ever. If you're gonna say, “we’re the best” — you'd better be able to prove it right there on the spot!
How do you overcome the skepticism? Simple. Be totally committed to the “no hype” zone. Commit that you will never intentionally oversell the product or the business.
Yes … you can still be effective without hype. You can still have passion. All you need to do is tell the truth. In Shaklee, the truth is good enough. There is no need to over-sell it.
Don’t over-promise … and never, ever lie about anything. If you tell just one little lie, and you get caught, your credibility is history. Without credibility … your business is history!
If you don’t have an answer, just say “I don’t know.” Be honest, straight-up, truthful, real, sincere, and authentic.
Do this and very few people will ever look at you and say, “yeah, sure.”
dh
Start With Your Story
People love stories. Most of what we know we’ve learned through some form of story telling. For many of us it all started with bedtime stories—not bedtime facts. That’s why Stories are the best possible way to communicate.
When you talk to people about the product or the opportunity—tell Stories.
First… you want to tell your personal story. Why you chose Shaklee as a career, the success you’ve had with the product or the business, how you got started, some successes and failures, what the tax benefits have meant to you, the other benefits you’ve enjoyed if they relate to the person you’re talking too, and how you see the future for our business, etc.
This is the story you will be telling for the rest of your Shaklee career. Design it and tell it well. Become an expert at telling your story.
Second… weave in stories about the success of others you know. This is a great way to relate someone else’s success specifically to your prospect. This is key. If you’re talking to someone who wants to stay at home with the kids … tell them a story about someone you know who is doing exactly that. If you’re talking to someone who loves sports … tell them stories about the athletes who use our products.
Third… tell the Shaklee Story. Who we are, what we do, where we’re going, why the timing is so good, why the global opportunity is so strong, the Roger Barnett Story etc.
When I came into the business, I listened to a a least a tape a day on someone’s Shaklee story. I knew them cold—and I made them relevant to my prospects. Shaklee superstars come from an amazingly diverse backgrounds …
Gary Burke … a coach
Ross Earley … coaching and insurance
Rocky Pratt … airline pilot
Benny Schmidt … insurance
Jenny Williams … imported stuff from Mexico
Roger Olsen … psychologist and family counselor
Adrian Opitz … the computer business
Carolyn Spargur … a single parent
Ray Debrincat … engineer at Ford Motor
Jim Burke … cancer research
Lee Hershberger … brick layer
Al Hegerman … policeman
Dr. Steven Chaney … professor and researcher
There are literally thousands of Shaklee Stories that you can learn and pass on to your prospects.
Get the idea? They key is to make the story you’re telling relate relate to the person you’re telling it to.
Get into your prospect’s world and your success ratio will go way up!
Why Facts and Figures Don’t Persuade
Facts, Figures and Features will not sell your product or your business opportunity. The secret is to promise a benefit that will appeal to your prospect.
Shaklee is unique in that we have a great history and 54 years of powerful facts that support our product and business success. We’re so proud of who we are and what we do that we want scream it all on our first meeting.
Clearly, this is a huge mistake. Focus on what your prospect wants most and sell it in the form of benefits and stories.
Insurance superstar Joe Gandolpho had this great philosophy …
“I’ll sell you what you want today … after you love me, I’ll come back and sell you what you need.”
