Listen in as I’m interviewed by GURUS Selling System on BlogTalkRadio with Erik Luhrs.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/guruselling/2011/05/13/how-to-use-qualification-to-avoid-desperation-in-sales

When it comes to getting involved in network marketing, most people experience a certain degree of fear. That’s perfectly normal. While the prospect of having your own business is exciting, if it’s your first time considering such an ‘independent’ venture, many pitfalls also come to mind. Stop right now and turn those negative fears into positive actions. Let’s focus instead on the skills you need to succeed.

The skills you need most are “people” skills. This includes an understanding of some very basic principles involving how and where to meet new people, making good first impressions, getting to know them and building the relationship.

How and Where to Meet New People

We all meet new people all the time through our jobs, while traveling, at social events, and so on. Yet, when we think about ‘having’ to meet new people to build a business, many panic at what to do. That’s because meeting new people (more…)

While the qualification process is critical in making an initial sale to clients, it’s not something you can do once and forget about it. In challenging times, you may need to continually re-qualify existing clients. When anything changes, think of them as if they’re new clients all over again. The key element is what they might want or need to change about their current situation. You can never assume you know whether or not they remain highly qualified candidates for your product or service.

Changes that are impacting just one of your clients could be making an impact on all of them. Fastco manufacturing might be a good client when they’re running three shifts each day. But with any change in their production, such as cutting out a shift, or running 24/5 instead of 24/7, their needs may change…and your services may need to change as well. Maybe they’re no longer an ideal candidate for product X that you offer. Getting in there and truly working to serve their needs might show that they’ve become a better candidate for product Y. If you had just let them ride along with product X, they may have been tempted away by a competitor who pointed out a different solution to their needs. (more…)

If I asked a room full of experienced salespeople how many of them qualify their clients, every hand would go up. If I asked that same group to define qualification, the answers would probably vary to the extent that a newcomer in sales would be somewhat confused. If I then asked these experienced salespeople to deliver their qualification sequence to the group, I’d have to guess that many would not be able to do so. Too few salespeople, even veterans, have proven, practiced methods of qualification. And that’s a sad truth. (more…)

When people think about making a purchase, they aren’t likely to compare talking with you to going to the doctor, but you should make that comparison when preparing to talk with clients. People trust doctors. They usually accept the diagnosis and prescription for wellness with few questions asked. That’s because they recognize doctors as experts in their fields.

Your goal is to have your clients see you the same way. When they have an ache or pain related to your type of product, they should immediately think of calling you. That’s because they’ll be confident you have the right prescription for their ills. (more…)