It may seem like an odd question, but it is important to know when you are involved in network marketing. Are you the message, or are you the messenger?
In my experience, the majority of network marketers are the message. What this means is that they are not merely presenting a network marketing opportunity, rather they are the network marketing opportunity. So, when they go out recruiting they are not aware of (or interested in) their potential prospect’s point of view. Since the opportunity in itself is obviously flawless and above all critique, any rejection is taken personally.
As a messenger, you are merely presenting the potential prospect with an option. You are not attached to the option, and you are also aware that not every person is going to be interested (regardless of how wonderful the opportunity may be). You will also be able to present the opportunity in a way that resonates with your prospect. Of course, they may still say “no”, but you will not take that “no” personally, because they are not saying “no” to you.
Michael Dlouhy (the author of Success in Ten Steps) draws a parallel between talking to people as a network marketer for any given company, and talking to a customer as a waiter at a restaurant. The waiter has a list of opportunities (a menu) to offer their customers, and will no doubt suggest opportunities (or dishes) that are exceptionally delicious. As an example, let’s say that the Seafood Salad is excellent today. Some of the customers will trust the waiter’s judgement and order the Seafood Salad. However, for a vegetarian customer, the offered salad is not an option. They will most likely politely decline the offer in favour of a Garden Salad instead. Regardless of whether the waiter knows that the customer is vegetarian, they should accept the customer’s decision without being personally offended.
The art of communication is the language of leadership – James Humes
How do you approach people with your opportunity? Do you do it from your point of view (as a message) or from their point of view (as a messenger)?
People are interested in knowing how your opportunity will benefit them – if at all. The The truth is that they are mostly not interested in hearing about how it has helped other people or even how it has benefited you.
If you approach people (potential prospects or not) as a messenger, then you can spend some time finding out what really excites them, and what they are looking for in life. Once you know a little bit about the other person, you can present your opportunity to them – from their point of view. They may still say “no”, but neither of you will feel particularly bad about that “no”.
The “no” simply means: You presented an option for them to be able to realize their goals, from their point of view, and they indicated that they are not yet ready – that’s the whole story.
There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it. – Dale Carnegie
For a lot of people, being an objective carrier of an opportunity is not easy. However, from experience, I know that it is fully possible to change from being the opportunity, to being the carrier of that opportunity. It all boils down to where your focus is. If your focus is on yourself, and on your dreams and goals, then you will always remain the message when talking to others about your opportunity. If, on the other hand, you are able to focus on the other person, and on what they need and want, then you have succeeded in becoming an objective messenger.
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It is also interesting to note that by removing the focus from yourself (while you are communicating with others about your business opportunity), you can spend less time convincing people to join you, and more time signing up the people who seek you out because they want to join you.
There is no magic in any of this – all it takes is a bit of time to learn how to communicate properly with people. Network marketing is a people business, so by enhancing your communication-skills, you are going to be head and shoulders above your peers in terms of achieving the success you deserve.
