I would like to share with you a very flexible and powerful communication tool that can be used in a variety of situations to help you build your Network Marketing and MLM business. It’s called the Personal Introduction.
When people ask you “what do you do for a living?” – How do you normally respond? Do you respond with the title of your job description? For example, I’m a nurse, I’m an office manager, I sell health products, I work with a nutritional marketing company, I’m in the health and wellness industry, or whatever it is I do. What does this mean to the person who asked you? Little bit. She says very little about you!
You also run the risk of immediately scaring people away if you launch a cheeky pitch for your network marketing and MLM business.
So try this instead.
One of the most magnetic ways I know to attract people to you is not to tell people what you do, but to let them know how what you do helps other people. And this is where the Personal Introduction comes into play! It has a variety of uses. As an example, this is how you can answer the question “What do you do?”
“You know how people today are finding it harder to get ahead, with business downsizing, lack of job security, and higher cost of living?”
“Well, what I do is help them start their own business, so they can start taking care of themselves and their families once again.”
“Let me ask you, what do you do?”
Do you see how this paints a picture of how what you do helps others? The very essence of Natural Selling®! Your answer focuses on some challenges that exist in the world that most people are familiar with and can easily identify with, and demonstrates your purpose, which is to help other people solve these challenges. It is also a focused response. It demands that you understand what you do in the context of helping others.
Now, if a person identifies with this and finds it more difficult to make ends meet, or faces a downsizing, do you think they’re likely to want to know more? Most likely, yes”. And do you want to tell them? Yes, of course. Do you want to do it now? You can if you want, but you’d just be presenting what you think they should hear, because you don’t have any point of reference for them.
So my suggestion is to wait. Learn more about them and who they are so you can customize your response. That’s why you ask the question, “What do you do?” at the end of your explanation. Asking a question like this is an invitation for them to participate in a conversation.
By saying how you help others, you will have already created a good impression and will cement it by giving them the conversation. And remember, it’s all in the questions. Contrary to the popular opinion that while you speak, you are in control, the truth is quite the opposite. In effect, you control the conversation by letting go of your need to speak. Ask questions instead.
The Mechanics of Personal Introduction
Let me give you the mechanics to create your own intro. Composed of three parts: problem, solution, question – this is how it works:
Problem
Start your answer with the sentence: “You know how…”. and tag it with generic problems that your business opportunity can solve, problems that everyone can relate to. There are many problems and challenges in the world. Being a problem solver, your job is to discover them and find out what they mean to people. Problems like:
Job downsizing
Lack of job security
Higher cost of living
High taxes
Long travel time to work
Low income
Lack of free time
Finding it harder to make and keep the money
Solution
Show how what you do helps people solve these problems. The key here is to use simple language, not clichés, or the language of the Network Marketing and MLM industry, such as residual income, time freedom, time savings, to name a few. These words have very little meaning to most people and can seem like you are trying to sell something.
You can start this part with “Well, what I do is help people” and then continue with:
“Start your own part-time businesses.”
“Getting their lives back under control.”
“Have time to be with their families.”
“Do the things they want to do.”
“Develop another income.”
“Replace your current job.”
Question
Ask a question to refocus attention on the other person to begin the process of exploring and discovering if they may have similar issues that need solving.
Keep it low profile. The power of your response comes from using simple, everyday language that everyone understands, without jumping out the door and hitting them with your solutions.
We love what we do and can be so eager to help and get the message across that we think we have a hammer and everyone else is a nail. Use the structure above to build your own powerful response: use it and take advantage of it. It has many uses and you will be pleased with the positive responses you get.
This speech has served me very well over the years; I can’t imagine what I would do without him. And I think you will also find that it will serve you well and generate more interest and more leads for your network marketing and MLM business.
