Follow-Up is a concept sometimes forgotten in the whole recruitment process. Many people make the mistake of believing the purpose of the first meeting with a prospect is to get them to sign up.
Wrong!
It’s something I’ve seen many times, especially in the early stages for people. Network Marketers often make the mistake of thinking that they have to sign up a prospect at the end of the first meeting. But 9 times out of 10, a prospect won’t sign up after just one exposure. It takes time to educate prospects so that they fully understand the opportunity. And that is why the follow-up is so important. Today, I want to expand on that with a little something I call:
The Four Concepts of Follow-Up
You can have an endless list of prospects and give the best presentations, but if you don’t follow-up with your prospects, you won’t sign anyone up. You have to keep the relationship and the conversation going. Only then will you be able to help your prospects come to a decision.
So, here are 4 tips for following up:
#1 Do What You Said You Would
At the end of your first meeting with the prospect, you should have set up a specific time to get back in contact with them, whether it was a phone call or another meeting. So, if you said you’d call them at a certain time, call them. If you said you’d meet them somewhere, go meet them. If you said you’d set up a three-way call with another leader, make sure you have it set up.
This is just a professional courtesy. When you say you’re going to do something, do it. Your prospects will respect you more if you do.
#2 Set Up Exposure After Exposure
Following up is really just another exposure, and exposures are what help prospects make their decision. The more exposures, the more you are helping them reach that decision. So, when you follow-up, it is essential that you set up the next exposure.
My business took a huge turn for the better when I changed my mindset from “getting” the prospect on the first exposure to just keeping the process going by setting up the next follow-up exposure, then the next and the next, until the prospect comes to a decision.
Remember, your job is to educate your prospects about your opportunity and help them come to a decision. Most often, that will require multiple exposures, and so you need to always set up the next exposure. Otherwise, you run the risk of never getting back with that prospect and having that opportunity drop away.
#3 It Will Take Multiple Exposures
Again, it will most likely take several exposures before a prospect comes to a decision. In fact, it can take an average of 4 to 6 exposures for the average prospect to join. So, following up is not just something you will do once with each prospect.
Be patient as you meet with your prospect several times to talk about your opportunity. Everyone is different, and so they come to decisions at different rates. Don’t get discouraged when it takes one prospect longer to understand your opportunity than another.
Just keep holding exposure after exposure. Keep talking with them about your product and opportunity. Talk about why you decided to join. Tell stories of lives that have been changed. Answer their questions about compensation plans, the company, the product, and anything else. Address their objections and concerns. But most importantly, foster the relationship with them.
Don’t just treat your prospects as someone to get into your business. Treat them as a friend. Ask them about their family and lives. Get to know them. All of your interactions with your prospects don’t have to be exposures where you talk about the opportunity. Invite them over for dinner or get your families together for a day at the amusement park. Be their friend, and they will respect you and listen about your opportunity more.
#4 Condense Time Between Exposures
While it will take time for your prospects to make a decision, too much time between exposures can actually do more damage than good. Life has a way of being distracting. If a month passes between exposures, more than likely your prospect hasn’t been thinking about your opportunity. They may have even forgotten a lot of what you talked about. Each exposure becomes like the first one then.
So, set up the exposures close together. Have a meeting, three-way call, and show them a video all in a week or two. Use whatever combination of exposures your company uses. But do them quickly. This will keep your opportunity on your prospect’s mind, and they will have a chance to really think about it.