Here is a myth buster right out of the gate.There is NO MAGIC BULLET to closing a sale. A lot of people ask me, “Tim, what mystical, earth-shattering closing phrase do you say to seal the deal? Facebook Marketing Mastery”
Here’s the secret…
… There isn’t one.
What!? Omg, no! How will I close sales now? NOO…!”
Let me share something with you that is MUCH BIGGER than just anyone closing line. In fact, this is exactly how I funnel my prospects and sponsor them into my business.
It is called Qualification.
Why Is Qualification so Important?
You wouldn’t hire a bum off the street to work at your business, would you?
The same expectations apply to your network marketing business or MLM whether it’s online or off.
Let’s use dating for example. The first few dates are spent getting to know one another. Each person asks the other one questions to find out if there is some spark or connection.
The guy is wondering, “does this girl meet my expectations?”
The girl is wondering the same thing.
Naturally, they qualify one another to see if it’s the right fit.
They ask questions like:
- Cool people are a dying breed. What do you do for fun?
- Are you spontaneous?
- I love to travel. What about you?
They look at non-verbals:
- body language
- eye-contact
- movement
- energy
and so on and so forth.
If he or she doesn’t meet your standards, the dating ends. You aren’t going to date someone who doesn’t meet your standards, right?
I hope not.
Qualifying someone properly is, therefore, a very powerful signaling mechanism that you are a high-value selector. You don’t just let anyone into your life or your business Unique name ideas for digital marketing companies.
This is the psychology you must have to be a closing juggernaut.
I’m going to go off on this topic for a minute and come back to a qualification later because I’m feeling this right now.
Limiting beliefs you need to kill in order to become a sniper at closing.
1. Scarcity:
I used to think that the top earners controlled everything and that there was no room for new guys like me. I was worried that I would run out of leads and there would be nothing left.
My advice to you: SQUASH THAT BULLSHIT.
I went out and proved that to be wrong. Now, I live in a state of abundance. There is enough to go around for everyone (but I am still really competitive). Read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to help you with this.
2. Fear of Rejection
I can hear it in your voice, smell it on your clothes, see it in your mannerisms, and decode it through your Facebook messages.
Fear.
It can walk ALL over you IF you let it.
My first job out of college had me knocking door-to-door selling shitty cable and internet to people. Yeah, it sucked, but I grew thick skin from people slamming doors in my face, calling the cops (get mad much?), and telling me to ‘f-off’.
I let go of the emotional attachment and marched on to the next door because I was so damn confident in my salesmanship that I would close 1:5 decision-makers. I stuck to the law of averages and worked the numbers.
If you put yourself in the same uncomfortable situation enough times then you will master it. Repetition becomes skill becomes unwavering confidence.
There is no way around this one. You just have to do it.
3. Neediness
You just can’t let them go.
They gave you a little tease and peak, showed some interest, and you keep kissing their feet answering all of their questions, but no close.
“I’ve invested all this time already! I just gotta get him! I’ll message him again tomorrow! blah, blah, blah *more whining*”
That is a weak frame. We need to develop a strong frame. An abundant frame.
The first thing to do is drop that lead like a bad habit, and march on.
Remember: You are the selector, we left emotion at the door, adopted the abundance mindset, and focused on the numbers.
Back to Qualification – Intro to Hoop Theory
Good rant.
Here is another one.
This is called Hoop Theory. I picked this up from some cool gentlemen back in the day.
Hoop Theory is getting people to jump through different stages of hoops aka compliance. We want to move from large hoops to small hoops.
Similar to building a yes ladder, we want to progressively build trust and compliance so that moving to the close is expected.
- Large Hoops – Easy to answer questions (what do you do?)
- Medium Hoops – Require more effort (tell me about yourself)
- Small Hoops – More direct statement of interest or intent (Go here and take this action)
With that mindset intact, I am going to show you how I apply qualification and hoop theory to my conversations with prospects.
Step 1: I Open with an Icebreaker and use tie-down questions
Let’s kill the “how did you find me?” question right off the bat. Connect over the commonality of being entrepreneurs.
Use a tie-down question that forces him to respond and put effort towards the conversation, and ask for the friend request to build my network.
This is an example of a large hoop. Sending a friend request is easy, and a short response to my question is easy.
I build small compliance if he responds…
Step 2: I Create a Personal Relationship
Boom! His reply = compliance.
I and his vibe over our businesses. He has a sense of humor and we just shoot the shit like NORMAL people would.
The crazy secret I know.
Most people overthink this and try to perfect every single word. Type like you were talking to your best friend.
I notice this guy has some good momentum in his business. 120 people means he is serious about network marketing. = Qualification points.
I end it with another tie-down question and rapport building question. This is more of a medium hoop because I am asking him to be vulnerable and open up.
Let’s see how he replies..
Step 3: I Look for Hotspots
He lets it all out and now I understand what he values. He wants a good comp plan that benefits new reps.
Then he asks me about my business and how I am helping guys in HIS business.
Perfect.
This is exactly what I want.
Step 4: I Show Value & Position Myself as a Leader
I tell him exactly what I do to help guys in his biz opp. True transparency; don’t be vague. Don’t lie either.
Then I ask him a question that has an obvious answer and it shows how I can GIVE value to HIM and not the other way around.
This is an example of a small hoop. This is very direct and if he is smart he will understand where this is going.
Step 5: I Qualify & Use shit I learned in books like Go Pro
I use the classic “if, then” qualifier. It works like a charm and he even calls it out haha.
Then I build even more qualification to make sure he won’t flake. I get him to commit!
This is where I see a lot of people go wrong.
They are too mouse happy to send over their link. Have you ever sent a link to your prospect and he never clicked on it or watched it? That is because you didn’t qualify hard enough.
Get them to commit to a time and tell them you will follow up in 15 minutes. This will create a sense of urgency and hold them accountable to their words.
Aim to qualify at least 2-3, if not 4-5 times throughout a chat.
Step 6: I Confidently Offer My Services as a Solution to their Pain + Hard Close
He OPENLY expresses that he is looking for help. Now I have an OBLIGATION to offer my services. Now is the time to be direct and set the expectation for what happens next.
I also provide a little comfort telling him I will be there to get him started.
Then I close hard. I assume the sale and then I SHUTUP and I don’t type anything more until I get a response.
This is the same way I would approach it in person or on the phone as well. Don’t freak out and talk yourself out of the sale.
Step 7: Apply Heavy Qualification – Weed Out Flakes
Once again, I qualify hard here. Most people would be happy to send their link at this point.
Not I.
I apply a little psychology with “I trust that I will hear from you in an hour.” This sub-communicates that I value integrity, and I expect him to live up to his words.
No one wants to feel like a liar.
He follows up once he gets home and I…
Step 8: Close with Conviction
Boom. Link sent and I give him action steps to follow back up with me once he is through.
By now I have built trust, value, and demonstrated my role as a leader and selector.
I DENIED THIS GUY: PROOF OF ABUNDANCE
I’m serious when I say that I only bring on serious people to my team. I don’t just take anyone.
You have to value your own time and worth because no one else will.
I didn’t paste the entire conversation. It went similar to the above example, I just wanted to illustrate not being desperate even when he is crying for help.
I know there are people out there who would have just let this guy join and hope he would stick around after going through the training.
Invest your time with people who you don’t need to convince.
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