It's just a little past 5 am and I'm at my desk writing this email because just like most good ideas, they happen when you least expect them.
As I was dreaming of riding elephants in Thailand on the Discovery Club Trip for Top Income Earners in my Company, I sat up in bed and raced downstairs into my office to jot down my thoughts.
The subject of this email tells it all.
Have you cut your teeth yet?
Have you really put the pedal to the metal, to learn the most important skill in your Direct Sales, Network Marketing or Home Based Business?
No, it's not about driving internet traffic or building a website. It's far better than that.
Let me share a little story with you about Sophia.
As you may know, Sophia is my fiance.
We met only 9 months ago, but after finding out that we share the same birthdate and about a zillion other common interests, we decided to spend the rest of our lives together.
But enough about all that...
The real reason I'm telling you this story, is not to bore you, but to let you in on a little secret about about how Sophia has just enrolled 11 New Business Partners, since January 3rd!
If you are saying, "big deal", you must understand that before this she only enrolled one person, since August!
So what happened?
As I was dreaming of riding elephants in Thailand on the Discovery Club Trip for Top Income Earners in my Company, I sat up in bed and raced downstairs into my office to jot down my thoughts.
The subject of this email tells it all.
Have you cut your teeth yet?
Have you really put the pedal to the metal, to learn the most important skill in your Direct Sales, Network Marketing or Home Based Business?
No, it's not about driving internet traffic or building a website. It's far better than that.
Let me share a little story with you about Sophia.
As you may know, Sophia is my fiance.
We met only 9 months ago, but after finding out that we share the same birthdate and about a zillion other common interests, we decided to spend the rest of our lives together.
But enough about all that...
The real reason I'm telling you this story, is not to bore you, but to let you in on a little secret about about how Sophia has just enrolled 11 New Business Partners, since January 3rd!
If you are saying, "big deal", you must understand that before this she only enrolled one person, since August!
So what happened?
How did she go from enrolling one person in 5 months, to enrolling 11 in just a few weeks?
Did she find some super duper HOT New Lead Source? Did I give her all these enrollments and let her sit back and collect a check for doing nothing? Did all of a sudden, these people just fall from the sky, into her lap begging to sign up in whatever business she was in? Did she advertise online and some networking marketing junkies join without her ever speaking with them?
Actually, none of this happened.
Here is how Sophia did it: She cut her teeth.
That's it! She cut her teeth.
She made a committment to get good at something, quit making excuses, and just got the job done.
She didn't complain. She didn't whine. She didn't snivel around wondering how everyone else who was successful was doing it.
What she did was that she started taking responsibility for her results and started doing something about it.
Are you ready to hear the facts?
If not, delete this message, because they could really wake you up, like they did for me, literally, at 5 am this morning!
OK, here goes:
Here is someone who couldn't sponsor anyone for months making calls then she goes and sponsors 11 in just five weeks! One day, she even signed up 3 in one day!
We discovered that one of the biggest reasons that she was not getting very far in the beginning, was not because of her lack of desire, but because of her lack of understanding the psychology of prospecting.
Believe me, she wanted to be successful, but had no idea what it really took. There were many days, when she felt so frustrated that she wanted to quit.
But she also knew, that by using the "borrowed strength", of those around her that she would eventually figure out the rules of the game if she was willing to get in it and play.
And so she did. And persevered. And never gave up.
This morning, before I got out of bed to come share this story with you, Sophia and I spoke for a few minutes, in the pitch black darkness of our bedroom.
I asked her what made the difference. She told me:
"It was those first couple of weeks when I would do nothing but make calls. I was so focussed on learning to ask questions, listen and develop my belief in what I was doing. The biggest problem that I had at first, was that I didn't have anyone to call, so when I finally spoke to someone, I was so attached to them, that they could hear that I "needed" them and they gave me every excuse in the book and fought me tooth and nail. Once I had plenty of Leads to speak with, all that changed. The less expensive but decent quality leads were better at first, because I was able to go through them, without feeling that if they weren't interested, I wasn't flushing a lot of money down the drain. It was all about having more Leads than time. It was all about not being emotionally attached to a "yes" or a "no". It was all about investing just enough money for me to know I've invested in myself but not having spent too much for my "tuition". The Leads were priced just right for me to really learn the system. But what really began to click for me, was when I began to bring 3-Way Calls. That was the turning point."
What Sophia has just gone through in the past several months, will set her up financially for the rest of her life.
Her success, was buried right there, right beneath her frustration. She just never quit.
Cutting her teeth on inexpensive leads was the key.
She could never had done this, if she only had 10, 20, 30 leads to call per month.
She could never had done this, if she only had 10, 20, 30 leads to call per week.
She would still be struggling.
She would still be frustrated.
Remember, at first, you must make up in numbers what you lack in skill. The better you get, the better your skills will get. The better your skills get, the fewer numbers you will have to do, to get the same results.
Don't spend $10 on a Lead, if you do not know how to connect with people yet. Just because the Lead is expensive and "pre-qualified", it doesn't mean that these people are going to "pre-buy" you or your Product.
You must learn to cut your teeth, like Sophia did. Get yourself a bunch of decent quality leads, that you won't go broke buying.
A good source of "teeth cutting leads", will not cost you more than 90 cents or $1 per lead.
Get yourself a couple Leads and commit to this process. Partner up with someone in your organization who is at the same level of prospecting and connecting that you are and set some appointments to make calls together.
For a GREAT Lead Source that I've used for years, go to http://www.freshresponsivemlmleads.com/
Just make the same committment that Sophia did, and learn to sponsor New Distributors every week, and get on the fast track to your success!
Bottom line, learn to cut your teeth!
It’s the only way for you to develop the skills it will take for you to succeed in your Network Marketing, Direct Sales or Home Based Business.
Until my next posting,
Aaron Rashkin
For more of Aaron Rashkin's Personal Success Principles, HOT Leadership Tips & Best of the Best Prospecting Training, be sure to visit his Personal Website at http://www.AaronRashkin.com
Did she find some super duper HOT New Lead Source? Did I give her all these enrollments and let her sit back and collect a check for doing nothing? Did all of a sudden, these people just fall from the sky, into her lap begging to sign up in whatever business she was in? Did she advertise online and some networking marketing junkies join without her ever speaking with them?
Actually, none of this happened.
Here is how Sophia did it: She cut her teeth.
That's it! She cut her teeth.
She made a committment to get good at something, quit making excuses, and just got the job done.
She didn't complain. She didn't whine. She didn't snivel around wondering how everyone else who was successful was doing it.
What she did was that she started taking responsibility for her results and started doing something about it.
Are you ready to hear the facts?
If not, delete this message, because they could really wake you up, like they did for me, literally, at 5 am this morning!
OK, here goes:
#1 - Sophia was struggling with prospecting, profusely.
#2 - I could see it.
#3 - I asked her why she really wanted to succeed with her business and we
talked about her reasons.
#4 - I asked her if she was truly ready to make
this work.
#5 - She screamed "YES"!
#6 - I gave her a couple hundred
inexpensive leads and told her not to come downstairs to "hang out" or talk
about them, until she called them all.
#7 - She came downstairs a few times
per day for a quick bite to eat, but days later, she came downstairs asking for
more leads! I showed her where to buy them herself.
#8 - She went back
upstairs to call them.
#9 - Sophia disappeared for a couple days at a time.
I literally saw her for a little while each day when we would meet for lunch or
dinner in the kitchen and she would tell me what was happening during her
prospecting sessions.
#10 - A couple of days later I began getting calls
from Sophia (from just upstairs in our house), asking what to say when the "lead
says this", and when the "lead says that".
#11 - And then I got calls from
Sophia about what to do, when the "lead does this", and the "lead does that."
#12 - After telling her what I normally would do, I began listening to her
make her calls over the phone.
#13 - I heard her becoming a Leader with a
strong sense of confidence.
#14 - I would sneak upstairs to her office door
while she was on the phone without her knowing, to hear what she was saying to
people and how she postured herself on the phone. Boy, she was getting good.
"It's only a matter of time", I thought to myself, with a little chuckle.
#15 - Then, one day, the phone rang...it was Sophia. "I have this guy on the
phone, who has been to my website and has listened to your 7 Minute Overview
Call. Can you do a 3-Way for me?"
#16 - The calls continued to come in like
that. First, a few per day. Then about a half dozen per day. Then a few days,
sometimes 7, 8 or even 10 3-Way Calls Sophia would do with me.
#17 - I
smiled. She's getting it. She's learning how to interview people. Learnig how to
ask questions. How to connect. How to lead. This is good. This is the beginning.
Inexpensive but decent leads; people to speak with. People that would challenge
her. People to say "no, not interested". People to ask, "Where did you get my
name? Where did you get my number?" People to ask "what is this all about?",
People to ask, "can you please stop calling me", "is this a pyramid, a scam" and
just about every other ridiculous question, excuse or statement of
non-commitment in the book!
#18 - Then, one day, I remember it clearly,
Sophia told me how she was doing. She humbled herself to share with me, that
making these calls, brought up every uncomfortable feeling about herself that
she's ever had.
#19 - I smiled.
#20 - We talked about how much she was
growing on the inside because of what she was doing on the outside.
#21 - We
discussed some new strategies for her posture, her confidence and her attitude.
She began reading books and listening to tapes and cds, every day.
#22 - She
became more by doing more. Buying more leads. Making more calls. Investing in
herself and her future.
#23 - She continued to lead & prospect; sort
through more people, for a few hours every day. She used a technique that I
taught her, called, "Block & Focus".
#24 - It continued, until one day,
she called me to tell me about this really neat guy she met on the phone. "He's
asking a lot of questions, but he sounds really interested. He's been on my
website a number of times. Can we give him a call?".
#25 - So Sophia called
Ray. And then, she 3 wayed me onto the line and patched us all together.
#26
- We spoke with Ray for 10 minutes. He certainly was an interesting guy.
#27
- He didn't get started right away, but it didn't matter to Sophia. She just
kept on making calls, filling her pipelines with more people. Bringing more 3
way calls with a no-care attitude. No attachments to any "yes"or "no". She just
kept on moving forward, determined to succeed.
#28 - Then, on January 3rd,
Sophia sponsored the first of her 11 New Distributors. It was Ray! He eventually
realized what a great team he was joining with Sophia being the leader. Realize
though, that without her paying the price, he would never have gotten started.
#29 - Sophia began to see not just what was possible, but what is probable.
#30 - She rode that confidence until the next one was ready to follow her.
#31 - And then the next.
#32 - And then the next.
#33 - And so on.
Here is someone who couldn't sponsor anyone for months making calls then she goes and sponsors 11 in just five weeks! One day, she even signed up 3 in one day!
We discovered that one of the biggest reasons that she was not getting very far in the beginning, was not because of her lack of desire, but because of her lack of understanding the psychology of prospecting.
Believe me, she wanted to be successful, but had no idea what it really took. There were many days, when she felt so frustrated that she wanted to quit.
But she also knew, that by using the "borrowed strength", of those around her that she would eventually figure out the rules of the game if she was willing to get in it and play.
And so she did. And persevered. And never gave up.
This morning, before I got out of bed to come share this story with you, Sophia and I spoke for a few minutes, in the pitch black darkness of our bedroom.
I asked her what made the difference. She told me:
"It was those first couple of weeks when I would do nothing but make calls. I was so focussed on learning to ask questions, listen and develop my belief in what I was doing. The biggest problem that I had at first, was that I didn't have anyone to call, so when I finally spoke to someone, I was so attached to them, that they could hear that I "needed" them and they gave me every excuse in the book and fought me tooth and nail. Once I had plenty of Leads to speak with, all that changed. The less expensive but decent quality leads were better at first, because I was able to go through them, without feeling that if they weren't interested, I wasn't flushing a lot of money down the drain. It was all about having more Leads than time. It was all about not being emotionally attached to a "yes" or a "no". It was all about investing just enough money for me to know I've invested in myself but not having spent too much for my "tuition". The Leads were priced just right for me to really learn the system. But what really began to click for me, was when I began to bring 3-Way Calls. That was the turning point."
What Sophia has just gone through in the past several months, will set her up financially for the rest of her life.
Her success, was buried right there, right beneath her frustration. She just never quit.
Cutting her teeth on inexpensive leads was the key.
She could never had done this, if she only had 10, 20, 30 leads to call per month.
She could never had done this, if she only had 10, 20, 30 leads to call per week.
She would still be struggling.
She would still be frustrated.
Remember, at first, you must make up in numbers what you lack in skill. The better you get, the better your skills will get. The better your skills get, the fewer numbers you will have to do, to get the same results.
Don't spend $10 on a Lead, if you do not know how to connect with people yet. Just because the Lead is expensive and "pre-qualified", it doesn't mean that these people are going to "pre-buy" you or your Product.
You must learn to cut your teeth, like Sophia did. Get yourself a bunch of decent quality leads, that you won't go broke buying.
A good source of "teeth cutting leads", will not cost you more than 90 cents or $1 per lead.
Get yourself a couple Leads and commit to this process. Partner up with someone in your organization who is at the same level of prospecting and connecting that you are and set some appointments to make calls together.
For a GREAT Lead Source that I've used for years, go to http://www.freshresponsivemlmleads.com/
Just make the same committment that Sophia did, and learn to sponsor New Distributors every week, and get on the fast track to your success!
Bottom line, learn to cut your teeth!
It’s the only way for you to develop the skills it will take for you to succeed in your Network Marketing, Direct Sales or Home Based Business.
Until my next posting,
Aaron Rashkin
For more of Aaron Rashkin's Personal Success Principles, HOT Leadership Tips & Best of the Best Prospecting Training, be sure to visit his Personal Website at http://www.AaronRashkin.com
