Hi guys, today was a non-tech day for me. You know some of those days were you are trying to stay away for the computer because of too much information? Did you ever get that feeling? I like to get some offline Networking times to times and I find it enjoyable. Anyway, for the little time I spent on my computer, I read a couple of articles and one stood up because it related to some offline approach I’ve been using and I’d like to share it with you.
Do you know the Network Marketing saying that says “Do Not Go Prospect, Prospect As You Go“? I love this one because it opens your mind and opens doors for you to talk to people you wouldn’t think of in a first place. For the sake of the example here, let me pick something we do very often: go and eat out to a restaurant.
You know, some people will object that this is the old school way to do it, cold approach, but you know what, you never know where you will find your next superstar, so why avoiding to do it because someone say it’s old school. And everywhere you will find people willing to change their lifestyle. Personally, I love talking to people offline and this is what this industry is all about. And it will change your mindset, you skills and doing things is what will bring you money at the end.
Let’s take a restaurant as an example.
So how do I prospect in a restaurant?
For the example let’s call the waiter “Sean”. So it would go like this. Call him and say:
“Sean, listen. I wanted to personally thank you for your great service tonight, it’s some of the best service I’ve had in a restaurant this year.”
It has to be a genuine compliment. If the waiter sucks, don’t say that and remember you want to find winners not whiners so maybe you shouldn’t be talking to him in a first place. If the service is ok but not great, say something about the waiter’s “focus” or “smile” or whatever you can find. There should be a very important pause here.
What does that do? The genuine compliment will make him feel good and open him up to whatever you will say next. The pause will make him answer something to you. It also puts you in a position of “power” because you are the one who started the conversation and you are waiting for a response. Do not talk first, the first person that talks is in the weak spot.
Let him answer quickly and then proceed:
“Listen Sean, I own a business here in the area and I always keep an eye out for sharp people and you definitely caught my attention today. Let me ask you a question: do you keep your work options open?”
If Sean is really good at what he does in the restaurant, he most likely have a sharp mind and what do you think he will answer? Obviously “yes”. If he says “no” then you have to disqualify him and move on. You could say: “OK then, have a great night” and walk away. If the answer is positive, then continue:
“Good for you, Sean. I think you’ll be glad you do! Tell you what, you’re working right now and I’m busy myself, I’m heading off to meet someone, but let’s do this. Let me get your contact information and I’ll give you a call tomorrow[or when he gets off later the same day] and tell you who we’re looking for and see if we’ve got a match”.
Then you simply write down his information and you’ve just generated a strong local lead.
Why is it such a strong lead?
It is strong because you had a chance to meet personally this person in an environment where you had the power (as a customer) and you leaded the conversation from beginning to end. You also had a chance to see the person skills and personality and how they talk to other people. You already pre-qualified this person on what you could see. Obviously there is much more to ask to fully qualify this person but this is a great start.
And the best part is that it’s not just limited to restaurants. No, you can do this in virtually anywhere. You can talk to people everywhere you go!
I hope you see the power in this approach and that you will not only read this but that you will actually do it next time you go somewhere. Remember, you have nothing to loose by doing it. To learn more in-depth technics on how to talk to people, check out this 1 hour free video interview with recruiting expert Mark Wieser on the techniques on how to talk to prospects.
To your Success,
PS: If you like sponsoring people on the Internet instead, I recommend this awesome course by Mike Dillard called Magnetic Sponsoring where he explained Attraction Marketing and how to have people coming to you asking you about your business. Check out the 7-day Video Bootcamp for FREE. Great content.
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