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Why Won’t They Listen to Me?
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Here is the seven-second version response to “What do you do?” You: I market a product for people who have achy knees when they go up and down stairs, like I used to. Do you know anyone who might like to know about a product like that? Go ahead and read these out loud, and see what your reaction might be if you met someone who said each one in response to your asking them “What do you do?” The results thousands of my students have obtained with this kind of response have surprised nearly all of them. Maybe because it’s such a friendly, non-seller-talk kind of authentic response. They’ve gotten referrals from people they never dreamed would give them any. And they’ve made sales that will warm any heart. I believe that the greatest obstacle to getting good people to listen to someone’s business or product presentation has been the urge to try to impress the other person. For the business presentations, the “Five Worst Things to Say,” while intended to impress, are perhaps the greatest turnoff to a good person, because they know better. Instead they seem to attract those who are weak and vulnerable. This, of course, adds to the drop out rate, since they’re not the right ones for our business. At least, not now. For the product presentation, the urge to impress has led to massive use of seller talk, which everyone says they’d move away from if someone did it to them. So there you have it. Be authentic. Respect your audience—your listener. Tell your story—your mini-movie. That’s what will connect and endear you to them. So now you tell me: What do you do? I’m listening. . . .
Kim Klaver, aka Ms Stud, has been selling things she loves since she was eight. The little Dutch girl with broken English sold more Christmas cards door-to-door in her neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan, than all her friends. In her debut as a professional direct seller, Kim retailed more water filters than anyone in the company’s history—nearly $60,000 worth in her first month. Five years later with another product she loved, Kim achieved the highest position in the shortest time in the National Speakers Association’s history. For the next eight years, she shared her secrets with the entire network marketing industry through her books, audios, and classes. Her web site