by John Passmore
Just back from the COP and we had 88 people in the room. So all the phone calls, all the texts and emails paid off.
And my friend Nick the mortgage advisor turned up as my guest, true to his word. So as of tomorrow it’s back to the six a day.
The funny thing is that, even if you’re not planning to do six on a particular day, the effect of having done it for so long spills over.
So this morning I had two people ringing me saying they’d received texts from me some days ago and what was it all about.
Then, driving to the COP one of the people I’d invited rang to ask what it was all about – it seems we’d spoken so long ago he’d forgotten. So even though, technically speaking, he wasn’t hearing it for the first time, I reckon that counts.
And then, in the bar afterwards, I suddenly had a thought: More than 60 distributors in the room, I wonder if anyone had given a card to the barmaid?
“Has anyone told you what we’re all here for?” I asked her.
-No
“You mean, nobody’s given you a card? You’d better have mine. In fact, better than that, why don’t I tell you what we’re doing. It takes 30 seconds. Would you like to hear it?”
So now she’d got a card and I’ve got her name, her email address and her phone number.
Now, I know it would be really tiresome if all 60 of us had pressed our cards on the poor girl. But what seems to have happened is that every single one of us had assumed that somebody else had.
Well, now somebody has. I do hope she goes on to make it to Marketing Director. It will be a great story.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
The Day Before The COP
by John Passmore
The day before the COP and the 30-second-thing has given way to calling everyone on the list and reminding them we have a meeting.
Many of these people have had this reminder many times before. Several of them have other things that occupy their time.
But here’s the point: Very, very few of them say they’re not interested – that I’m pestering them. Almost all of them say: “Let me know when the next one’s coming up.”
And I do. There was a time when I could get quite shirty and say: “Is whatever you’re planning to do instead going to make you £50,000 a year?”
I’ve now given up this tactic. Why? Because it’s not going to persuade them to come – and also it gives the impression that to do this business, you have to go around picking fights with people…
So now I say: “That’s OK, I’ll let you know when the next one’s coming up.”
They’re so thrilled to be let off the hook that they reply: “Yes, please do.”
Which means I’m only doing what people have asked me to do. This makes me feel a whole lot more relaxed when I do call them again. For instance I just called a car valeter. I first spoke to on June 17th 2008. My notes tell me: “Text. Car valeter. Half Martini and sent to website.”
And then, three months later: “Lots of no reply”.
Yet now I call him and say: “Remember you were looking at making an extra income with TelecomPlus. Well, I just called to say we’re having a meeting on Tuesday if you’re free.”
And guess what, HE asked ME for the time and the address of the venue. That’s always a good sign. What do you suppose has happened in his life between September last year and now? I have no idea. But what I do know is that circumstances change and in everybody’s life there is going to be some point which is the right time for this business.
And here’s a cautionary tale. At lunchtime I popped into the Tesco café to meet someone who had responded to a text. As an experiment, I hadn’t told him anything about it. He received a text asking if he was interested in extra money and I said: “What I suggest we do is meet up at the café in Tesco’s at 1.15 on Monday.”
What’s more he turned up as promised. In return for his commitment, I had taken the trouble to put on a suit.
So, I bought him a cappuccino and started off on my the 30 second thing.
Quick as a flash: “Is this Utility Warehouse?” he asked.
It turned out he was a member already but the distributor who signed him up had never explained the business potential. Instead he just gave his new customer a DVD – which, naturally, the customer had not watched.
That distributor might be interested to know that his customer not only intends to come to the COP but asked if he can bring a friend.
When I said: “Of course you can, we like to see lots of friends,” he said: “Can I bring two?”
The day before the COP and the 30-second-thing has given way to calling everyone on the list and reminding them we have a meeting.
Many of these people have had this reminder many times before. Several of them have other things that occupy their time.
But here’s the point: Very, very few of them say they’re not interested – that I’m pestering them. Almost all of them say: “Let me know when the next one’s coming up.”
And I do. There was a time when I could get quite shirty and say: “Is whatever you’re planning to do instead going to make you £50,000 a year?”
I’ve now given up this tactic. Why? Because it’s not going to persuade them to come – and also it gives the impression that to do this business, you have to go around picking fights with people…
So now I say: “That’s OK, I’ll let you know when the next one’s coming up.”
They’re so thrilled to be let off the hook that they reply: “Yes, please do.”
Which means I’m only doing what people have asked me to do. This makes me feel a whole lot more relaxed when I do call them again. For instance I just called a car valeter. I first spoke to on June 17th 2008. My notes tell me: “Text. Car valeter. Half Martini and sent to website.”
And then, three months later: “Lots of no reply”.
Yet now I call him and say: “Remember you were looking at making an extra income with TelecomPlus. Well, I just called to say we’re having a meeting on Tuesday if you’re free.”
And guess what, HE asked ME for the time and the address of the venue. That’s always a good sign. What do you suppose has happened in his life between September last year and now? I have no idea. But what I do know is that circumstances change and in everybody’s life there is going to be some point which is the right time for this business.
And here’s a cautionary tale. At lunchtime I popped into the Tesco café to meet someone who had responded to a text. As an experiment, I hadn’t told him anything about it. He received a text asking if he was interested in extra money and I said: “What I suggest we do is meet up at the café in Tesco’s at 1.15 on Monday.”
What’s more he turned up as promised. In return for his commitment, I had taken the trouble to put on a suit.
So, I bought him a cappuccino and started off on my the 30 second thing.
Quick as a flash: “Is this Utility Warehouse?” he asked.
It turned out he was a member already but the distributor who signed him up had never explained the business potential. Instead he just gave his new customer a DVD – which, naturally, the customer had not watched.
That distributor might be interested to know that his customer not only intends to come to the COP but asked if he can bring a friend.
When I said: “Of course you can, we like to see lots of friends,” he said: “Can I bring two?”
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