Who Really has the Leverage?

I was asked by one of my coaches, Les Dossey (www.lesdossey.com) who has the most leverage in a
transaction – the prospect or the sales person?  He’s right – the question is trickier than you think.

My response-

Les-
GOOD question!

The leverage a sales person posesses is easier to answer: -personal consulting, solutions and choice.  In an internet age, where sales people and companies still believe that educating a prospect before the sale is how goods and services are sold, information becomes free and easy to get.  Information is not the leverage a network marketer has anymore.  Personal application, personal consulting, “insider” type stuff, is much more difficult for the average prospect to obtain.   The rise of membership sites, and the coaching industry for that insider information and personal consulting is proof of that.

So personal consulting,expertise, assuring a good fit, mentoring, and a human touch is the sales person’s leverage.  Solution to the prospect’s problem,  is the other – especially if the order must go through the sales person, as opposed to self-help, or ordering online.

Choice-  the sales person can choose not to service a prospect (gasp!).

In other words, the primary leverage  the sales person or network marketer has is themselves and their expertise, and connections (upline).  People will pay huge sums of money, or join your team to access that leverage if they believe you.

The leverage a prospect has, at first glance is obvious: money, and being able to choose his/her provider of services.  To the amateur or new MLMer, it seems as though the prospect has all of the power and all of the leverage.  Hence the strong arm tactics, high-pressure closing techniques, begging, and the I’ll-do-anything-to-get-the-sale approach of the vast majority of sales people and network marketers.

But wait- what if the network marketer doesn’t need the sale or the recruit?  Then the prospect has lost that leverage.

Or- if the sales person also has the leverage of choice, choosing who they want to service or partner with, then both parties are equal.

That leaves the prospect’s “Truth” as their only source of leverage.  Only the prospect knows the real reasons why or why not they will do something.  Only the prospect knows how the decision will be made, how much they are really willing to spend.  Prospects can and do obfuscate, mislead, go down bunny trails, even tell the MLMer, “Yes! (call me next week)”, to avoid revealing what they really want.  If the sales person cannot, through honest and genuine means, help the prospect to share that truth, then it’s game over.  98% of sales people and network marketers have no idea that this is the dynamic they are working in.

TRUTH VS. TRUTH The network marketer’s truth of expertise and mentoring, or the access of a successful upline and systems VS the prospect’s truth of the real why, the real budget and the seriousness of their committment.

On the other hand, if the sales person knows how to help the prospect feel comfortable enough to let their guard down, and show their cards, and create a situation with authentic communication, then leverage becomes a non-issue, since both sides are now on equal footing.  

When the network marketer can help the prospect get to that place, then it’s “game on”, and both parties stand to win.

Tags: prospecting MLM, sales prospecting