How to Handle "NO" When Prospecting for Your MLM Business

Congratulations, you are in network marketing. You have a vision of your future and you want to get others to see the same vision and help you achieve it, both for themselves and for you. You begin prospecting for your MLM business; you are trying to recruit people into your downline. You talk to people about the business - how great the products are and what a great opportunity there is to create a home-based business. Immediately you see their eyes glaze over and you realize you've lost the prospect almost as soon as you opened your mouth.

What went wrong? It makes so much sense! The products are great, the compensation plan is easy to understand and has the potential for lucrative earnings, why wouldn't anyone JUMP at the chance to do this business and change the way they make a living?

Let's face it, fellow network marketers. Network marketing and multi-level marketing have BAD reputations. Most people have preconceived notions that these businesses are illegal, and right away they associate it with the dreaded idea of a pyramid scheme. These companies have no scruples; they prey on the dreams and aspirations of innocent people, and only the guys at the top benefit.

Now, we who are serious about our network marketing businesses know nothing could be further from the truth. We see the potential for wealth and working the way we want to, not the way we have to when we work for someone else in the typical 9 to 5 job. We recognize that a network marketing business is just like any other business; we realize it takes work. We can readily admit and accept that we are in sales, and we know that in order to perform effective MLM prospecting it must be marketed correctly with real marketing strategies.

This, however, does not change the aforementioned negative preconceived notions by the general public of our network marketing businesses. So, let's talk about how to handle those objections that are arising in their heads before you even finish talking. Let's discuss pattern interrupt.

The NLP (neuro linguistic programming) definition of pattern interrupt is an interruption in a specific flow or sequence, with the main objective of preventing any obvious linkage and neurological conditioning. In the business world, the best salespeople and marketers use this technique on a regular basis. They realize that people often pre-judge situations and formulate their response while the person they are listening to is still talking. MLM prospects do this all the time. Pattern interrupts give you the power to change behaviors, opinions, assumptions and decisions in the blink of an eye, both yours and others, in business and in life.

Let's apply it to our specific issue, prospecting for our MLM business:

MLM PROSPECT: "Why should I join your company?"

The old way of responding would involve you launching into how great the products are, how great the compensation plan is, how amazing the mission statement is that was put forth by the founder of the company, what a great guy the founder is, etc.

Instead, try this: "You shouldn't." Then, pause for a moment. Continue with, "Not until you ask yourself some really important questions, such as, what are your personal and professional goals? Where do you expect to be in five years? Will this opportunity actually help you achieve those goals? Once you know the answer to those questions, then you will know whether or not you should join."

You are saying something that takes your MLM prospect off guard - you interrupt the pattern of thoughts in their head.

At the same time, it allows you to start asking them questions and getting them to open up to you. You will want to hear the answers to those questions, too, because with the information you garner from those responses you are now in the driver's seat, in complete control of what is going to happen next. You can become very selective with whom you decide to recruit into your downline. If they are not very goal oriented or don't have a clear vision of where they want to be in five years, then perhaps this is not the right person for the job. You want a driven person to join your network marketing business who wants to succeed as much as you do. This also helps to eliminate the image that you are needy and will do anything to get someone into your downline, which makes the opportunity all that much more appealing.

Let's look at one more example of a good pattern interrupt.

MLM PROSPECT: "Is your company going to be around for a while?"

The old way would be to prove the company's track record (if you can, if you are not involved in a relatively new company) by giving lots of statistics.

Instead, try something like this: "I don't know, [prospect]. The company is 10 years old, 1 billion dollars strong, and managed by some of the sharpest entrepreneurs in the world. I guess it will be... what do you think?"

You got the exact same information across as what was being presented in the old way, but without your MLM prospect's guard going up.

By using this method in your prospecting efforts, you will get past your prospect's defenses!

I suggest that you take some time to write down the most common objections and concerns you hear (I just gave you two of the big ones) when you are prospecting for your MLM or Network Marketing business. Then, work on developing some scripts with pattern interrupts (and rehearsing them until they come out naturally) so that you can be ready to disarm them when the objections fly. The more frequently you use this technique, the more natural it will become when you speak, and the rarer it will be that you hear "No" when prospecting for your MLM business.