Suspect vs Prospect

I heard you talked about suspect vs prospect, what the heck do you mean with that, Frazer?

This is key, Jon. I’d like to explain the difference between a suspect and a prospect because, although they might initially seem similar, they differ greatly.

I always recite my dad's wise words who always used to say to me:

“Frazer, if you hand out your business card to someone and they don’t offer theirs in return, that’s very suspect. But when you give someone your business card and they connect back with you by sharing their details, then you have a prospect.”

Do you see the difference? A suspect isn’t actually interested in buying the products you’re selling and is just wasting your time and energy.

Of course, this isn’t just limited to handing out business cards. Adding people on Facebook or reaching out to them on Instagram are also valid ways of prospecting strangers (and identifying suspects.)

You're known for the FAM process, What is FAM?

You see Jon, FAM is the handy acronym to remember the first steps in the prospecting process.

Find → add → message

You start out by searching for potential prospects on social media. This can be wherever and however has your fancy: in groups, on news feeds, or through stories.

Then the next step is to add them and send them a short message. This may almost seem laughably easy but please note that each step is of vital importance and that they must be executed in this specific order.

Finding and adding someone and then simply praying that they’ll contact you won’t work. Why? No, you’ll have to put in work.

You’re the instigator and have to contact every single stranger to let them know WHY you clicked that add button. (An extra advantage to messaging is that you’ll look less like a potential stalker!)

What should I message them then?

This message doesn’t need to be complicated, mate!

A simple “Hey Bob, I saw you also live in Liverpool. I’m looking to connect with people in the area and thought it would be cool to reach out to you. How are things?” or “Hey Bob, I noticed you also like to travel! I thought it would be cool to connect. How are things?” already suffice.

Usually at least one out of ten will message you back but it goes without saying that this depends greatly on you and your skills. The more influence you have and the better your profile looks, the bigger the chance of receiving a reply.

Not happy with these seemingly low numbers? Then I have a little hack for you!

Hack:

If Bob has an active story make sure to check it out and leave a comment or a love heart before sending a message. This makes your message more personal and greatly improves your chance of getting a response.

Tip! You’ll recognise a story as a blue ring around the profile picture on Facebook or a red/ orange one on Instagram.