The C's of Prospecting

cas•u•al pros•pect•ing [kazh-oo-uhl pros-pekt-ing]

(noun) - the process of turning everyday encounters into win-win prospecting conversations.

(syn.): situational prospecting

(ant.): exercising poor people skills in hopes of sponsoring someone

The ability to engage in casual/situational prospecting is one of the most valuable skills for a team-builder to have. Unfortunately, it's also one of the least understood. It's not feasible to address the entire subject of prospecting in a single article, but we can cover a few guidelines and hopefully shed a little light on the subject.

Before we get started though, let's make sure we're all on the same page. When I say situational prospecting, I don't mean walking up to a stranger with an artificial smile on my face, sticking out my hand, and saying "Hi. Would like to be my business partner?"Okay, that's a bit extreme and I ‘m sure no one reading this does that, but it makes a point. Wholesome prospecting is not only about purpose (moving your business forward). It’s also about demonstrating respect for the prospect.

There are number of principles that govern casual prospecting. Most of them fall into one of three categories. I call these categories the three C's and they represent three important traits that we, as professional team-builders, should portray in every prospecting encounter. These characteristics are: congenial, concise, and credible.

Congenial

To be congenial is to be likeable. Developing a large passive income requires an army of volunteers. The operative word here is volunteer. Volunteers are attracted, not bought. They can come and go at will. The better you are at attracting people, the larger your “army”. The question then is: how can we become more likeable? Well, a big part of being likeable boils down to basic people skills; little things that can make a big difference. Here are a few:

• Smile – not an over-the-top plastic smile, but rather just enough of a smile to let the other person know that you’re glad to be alive. Pretend you have some good news that only a few people know about. After all, you do—the good news of your opportunity!
• Focus on the other person. Everyone is their own favorite subject. Don’t resist the system—use it. Since people like to talk about themselves, make the other person your topic of choice. The best way to do this is by asking good questions. Here’s a powerful question to ask: “What do you do, professionally?” (No, that’s not how I start the conversation). When I prospect, the entire conversation is comprised of me asking questions and the prospect answering. Be gentle, take a genuine interest; it’s not an interrogation.
• Show appreciation– People crave appreciation. Offer a compliment (a job well done, a nice car, a cool necktie). Good manners are a powerful and often overlooked way to show appreciation. “Yes ma’am”, “No sir”, and “Thank you” are simple gestures, but they demonstrate respect, something the person may not get everyday. The key is to project sincere appreciation. Look them in the eye, speak deliberately and with measured emotion. It makes all the difference.
• Humor – be careful with this one. Don’t tell jokes, don’t use sarcasm, and don’t be silly. I like to make off-the-wall, spontaneous observations. Humor can knock down barriers faster than anything else, but it’s not a requirement. The rule here is: if you’re not funny, don’t try to be.

There are more aspects to being congenial, but you get the idea. Notice the common theme that runs through all of these points: sincerity. Be sincere. Insincere prospecting is a waste of time—yours and the prospect’s.

Concise

The second “C” is a reminder to be concise. In other words, don’t use too many words. When you say too much you run the risk of making a serious mistake. You can end up saying enough for the prospect to say “no”, but not enough for him to say “yes”. It took a while for you develop you own knowledge and belief. The prospect hasn’t had the same chance. It’s not fair for you to “force” your knowledge in the span of one or two minutes.

Another issue with talking too much is that it violates the first “C”. If you’re doing the talking, the prospect isn’t. The idea is to flow the conversation from greeting, through congenial questions, to an offer. The offer should not be an invitation to join your team. Your offer is simply an invitation to look at (or listen to) a professional prospecting tool (DVD, CD, magazine, sizzle call, etc.).

Conciseness is necessary for effective prospecting.

Credible

The final “C” deals with being credible. You can be as nice as you want, but if you don’t come across as believable, the prospect isn’t likely to be interested. Would you want to follow someone that you can’t be taken seriously? Probably not.

• Avoid verbal exaggerations – Our words can undermine our credibility. Unless you’re praising the prospect, avoid using strong adjectives. Words like huge, enormous, unbelievable, millions, etc. usually backfire and cause the prospect to question our credibility.
• Avoid exaggerated gestures – It is the nature of some team-builders to use sweeping hand gestures or other expressive body language when they talk. The habit is even more pronounced when they’re excited. Tone it down for situational prospecting. Otherwise, the prospect is less likely to relate to you. This too chips away at your credibility.
• Be congruent – This means that your words, actions, and appearance should all be in sync. For example, if you’re offering a significant opportunity, but you’re dressed like a bum, your words and appearance may come across as incongruent, out of sync. Here’s another example, if you aren’t a regular user of your own product, and you’re offering an opportunity based on that product, your words and your non-verbal communication will be out of sync. Often, congruency (or lack thereof) is broadcast on a subconscious level. Incongruence causes subconscious confusion in the mind of the prospect and a confused mind does nothing. Indeed this is one of the most common reasons for prospects to say “no”.

There they are--the three C’s of prospecting. Each of the bullets above warrants a separate article. Perhaps in the future, we’ll put together some other articles to expound on each one.

To many reps, situational prospecting seems a bit mysterious. To others, it can be downright frightening. The truth is that anyone can master the craft. Make yourself an ardent student of personal development, use books and audios to gain specific knowledge on the subject, and practice, practice, practice. Be patient; give yourself permission to take time. The results are worth it.

Russ McNeil is the author of Prospecting Rules!, a highly acclaimed book focused on the in's and out's of situational prospecting. A number of respected trainers and team leaders, like Doug Firebaugh, Michael Clouse, Robert Butwin, and Jane Deuber have enthusiastically endorsed the book. To read the foreword by John David Mann, to hear a clip from Russ’s interview with John Milton Fogg, or to subscribe to Russ’s complimentary ‘how-to’ newsletter, “Prospecting with Purpose”, visit www.ProspectingRules.com

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