Well, this is a new one for sure...
Recently, I saw an interesting scenario play out between a network marketing representative and a prospect - it's something I haven't seen happen too often, but I suspect with more distributors communicating with prospects through technology via text messaging and email, it's a scenario that will occur more frequently.
(By the way, if this happens to you frequently you might want to check yourself to see if you're avoiding the phone and staying in your comfort zone with all the texting and emailing instead of actually speaking to your prospects...I'm just saying'...)
Here's how it went down (via test messaging)...
Prospect: "Hey – I forgot what the website was that you wanted me to show my wife, what is it again again?"
Distributor: "www.1234XYZCompany.com"
Prospect: "Okay, thanks. I'm show it to her!
Distributor: "Great! Let me know what your wife thinks when she sees it."
Prospect: "Ok"
...a little time later...
Distributor: "So, did you both watch the presentation?"
Prospect: "Yeah"
Distributor: "Any questions and what did you like about it?"
Prospect: "My wife says it looks like Amway or one of those pyramid things...she's not happy..."
At this point the distributor picked up the phone and tried calling the prospect (something he should have done much earlier in their conversation - specifically, when his prospect sent the first text asking him what the web address was).
But it was to no avail. The prospect was gone. His wife disapproved. It looked like one of those "pyramid things" and they were gone. Prospect lost.
If you've ever had this happen, let me give you some advice right here - don't text message back and forth with your prospects, even if they initiate it.
Texting is NOT for:
- Communicating the main portion of your message with a prospect
- Telling a prospect where to view your presentation online
- Asking them their feedback on what they just watched
If you rely on texting or emailing for those activities, you're just asking for objections to pop up and then it becomes VERY difficult to facilitate handling them.
Networking is a people business - and it's important to understand that texting and the internet are great tools, but they cannot replace the "live" face-to-face interaction that needs to happen to effectively communicate your message about the product or opportunity.
