5 Prospecting Mistakes To Avoid

Are you struggling when it comes to prospecting? Do you find that you get ignored way more than not?  If that’s you, you definitely want to stick around as today I’m going to be sharing “5 Prospecting Mistakes To Avoid” and I’m also gonna be telling you ways on how to correct those—so, a more effective way to do it.

5 Prospecting Mistakes To Avoid

#1 – Going straight for the pitch.

What I mean by going straight for the pitch is you’re automatically hitting your prospects with some type of link saying: “Hey so and so, I don’t know if you’ve seen my post with so and so company.  It’s ground floor and it’s totally awesome. I think it would be a great fit for you…check out my link” The vast majority of the people who I sent that message to, never responded (and yes, I have totally made this same mistake in the past). Or I would get a lot of “no, thanks” or “not interested” and so it’s very ineffective. 

So here’s the way to correct that.  What I would do is, instead of sending somebody a message just going straight for the pitch, I would reach out to them, make a friend and start to ask some questions.  One of the best things to get people more receptive and open is to ask them questions and don’t be weird. 

Find out if you can see a need with some of the questions you’re asking. I heard someone say that you have two ears and one mouth for a reason so ask questions and do more listening and you’ll be surprised at how some people will open up.  Just remember to start making it more about them and less about you. 

#2 – You explaining everything to your prospects.

Here’s the second big prospecting mistake to avoid and that is you being the one explaining everything to your prospects.  So someone tells you they’re open and you get sooo excited that you do all the explaining!  Can you remember a time when this has happened?

Remember to always put yourself in the shoes of your prospects. If you’re the one explaining everything to them, your prospects might think: “Oh my gosh, if I decide to join this, I’m going to have to know all this information and that’s just too much.”  

So here’s what I would recommend: Instead of you being the one explaining everything, what you can do is start using tools and resources.  So if somebody’s open, point them to a video that explains it for you or point them to a presentation or call of some sort.  Whatever you have available.  

This also creates a lot more duplication and keeps you from being jibber jabbering. Then your prospects will also think: “Well, I can send somebody to a video, too.” 

You can also ask them how soon they be able to watch a 10-minute video (or however long it is) and then set the follow-up from there.  If somebody says, “I can watch it tonight at 7:00 o’clock,” then tell them you will give a call or follow back up at around 7:15.  

Automatically, you’re setting that follow up and expectation, instead of just shooting them a video and then sitting there wondering, “Oh, when do I follow up?” 

If you’re thinking that you don’t have a video, go to your upline, search on YouTube or create your own if you still can’t find one.

#3 – Being addicted to the outcome.

Have you ever been addicted to the outcome and you get people who say “no” and then it just like sucks the life out of you? Can you relate to that? I know I can and when Ray Higdon first talked about this, I had a big “ah-ha” moment. As a home business owner, it’s so important to stop being addicted to the outcome. 

One of the greatest phrases or quotes spoken to me about prospecting is to “look for people who are looking for you”. There’s always going to be way more people who are not interested in what you offer than are.  That’s totally cool if they’re not interested because if you made a friend or you connected with somebody, later on down the road, their situation may change so don’t let it get you down and out.

#4 – You’re convincing them.

If you go into a convincing mode, that’s seriously the worst thing you could do because it makes you look desperate and needy which becomes very unattractive.  Another quote I heard that goes along with prospecting mistake is the one that I heard originally from Ray Higdon:  “A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.” 

So if you convince them to join, if they don’t see the vision, they don’t see it for themselves, they don’t believe it, they’re not going to do anything with it and you’ve just wasted not only your time but theirs.

In the past I’ve totally convinced people to join and guess what they did? They did nothing!    

If somebody says: “You know, I just don’t think it’s for me” be ok with that. You have to believe that even if somebody else doesn’t see the vision, you’re not going to let it stop you. So you keep looking, have posture, believe in what you’re doing and keep moving on. 

#5 – Not taking the time to learn marketing.

My fifth and final prospecting mistake is not taking the time to learn marketing.  If you get a message from somebody that you don’t know, what you typically do before you respond to them? Chances are, you’re going to go check out their profile and see who they are. 

With that being said, if you aren’t learning marketing and your social media profile and Fan Page is nothing but a pitch fest and infomercial, people will think you’re only wanting to pitch them and it might turn them off.  

To correct that, start investing some time (& possible money) to learn attraction marketing!  This is something that has served me extremely well and I know it can you too!

Also, I’m hosting a masterclass on Monday’s around the 6 Steps to Fast Track Your Way to a Thriving Online Business in 90 Days or Less so grab your seat! 

More Resources:

• {Webinar Replay} How a Stay At Home Mom & Recovering Spammer Quadrupled Her Annual Income in One Year Using a 3 Step Formula. Once you enter your info, the replay will be sent to your  email inbox!
• 5 MLM Prospecting Tips For Social Media
• 3 Simple Social Media Prospecting Tips

The Tools I Use to Build My Business:

• My Toolbox – I have been asked quite a bit about what tools and resources I use so I’ve put together this page just for you!  Enjoy 🙂  

Was that helpful? If so, I would greatly appreciate if you commented below and feel free to share it with anyone who might benefit.

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P.S. If You Aren’t Generating Leads Into Your Business and Your Upline Doesn’t have An ONLINE Marketing Blueprint In Place, Click Here For Access. (Unless you have too many leads already)

See Ya Next Time!