THE FAVORITE UNCLE PHENOMENON:
How to Conduct the World’s Most Effective 3-Way Calls To Build and Support Your Team.
It’s one of those curious facts of life. If you’re a parent you know that you can talk to your kids until you’re blue in the face, and they barely listen to you. They look at you with blind eyes and listen to you with deaf ears.
It seems like they do their best Hellen Keller impersonation. They become like Tommy: that deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball (from The Who)
But, let their favorite uncle or auntie come over and say pretty much the same things, they listen and react like they’re receiving manna from heaven. It’s as if they’re getting totally new information.
Almost certainly, you have marveled in open-mouthed amazement as you’ve witnessed this phenomenon happen time and time again.
Your prospects and your newest reps can often be just like your children. This is exactly the reason that 3-Way Calls are so very effective and persuasive.
The fact is, your guests may discount or dismiss the information they receive from you. They know you. They may take what you tell them “with a grain of salt”. Your friends know you too well. They remember your failures. They know you may have a lack of experience in being an entrepreneur. Or, perhaps you are brand new to network marketing and don’t have any sort of track record of success established yet.
You see, your job is to find ways to help eliminate skepticism and make the light bulb go on in their heads. It is very difficult to do that by yourself.
However, when the same information is delivered by a third party, your guests are much more easily persuaded.
This principle is not unique to network marketers or to parents either. The legal system has a name for these favorite uncles too. They are called “corroborating witnesses”. One witness may or may not convince the jury, but two people giving the same testimony becomes powerfully persuasive indeed.
WHAT IS A 3-WAY CALL?
Every professional networker knows that 3-Way Calls are the very cornerstone to building a large, strong downline team. Yet, there is woefully little training on how to conduct them effectively.
Perhaps you have been the victim (or even the perpetrator) of some pretty bad 3-Ways. You see, it’s a really simple process, a 3-Way Call, for those of you that have never done one, is simply having three people on the phone at the same time: you, your prospect, and an authority figure. The authority could be your sponsor, another upline rep, or somebody who has already achieved some level of success in your business. Almost always, you are in 3 separate physical locations and you’re connected together through telephone technology.
However, as you may have personally experienced yourself, a fair number of distributors seem to mess up what should be a pretty straightforward business practice.
This report seeks to define a clear system for you to follow in order to become ultra-effective. It will also alert you to where the landmines are which could blow up your presentation or blow your guests right out of the business.
WHO NEEDS TO DO 3-WAY CALLS?
EVERY new rep needs to do 3-Way Calls. That’s because new reps are nervous about calling their contacts. They may be afraid that they’re not going to be persuasive. Since they’re new, they don’t really know what to say or how to say it. They’re afraid of failure.
But it’s not just the newest reps who need to do 3-Ways. In fact, the most experienced and most successful reps in network marketing do 3-Way Calls as a regular part of running their businesses.
They find that it makes the business a lot more fun, and it helps you to build much stronger relationships with those on your team.
In addition to all that, doing 3-Way Calls demonstrates in a very practical way that there’s a support system in place to assist you, your new reps, and your prospects.
Being a good salesman is fine, but it’s not easily duplicatable. Salesmanship is a learned skill that takes time to develop. Your prospects need to realize they don’t need to be good salespeople right away because there are other, more experienced people, who will step up to help them.
This is all about teamwork, not salesmanship. Doing these calls provides immediate, tangible proof to your guests that there will actually be genuine help and upline support in building their teams.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE CALL
Here are a few things to do in advance of any calls being made.
First, select your Calling Partner(s).
It doesn’t matter if your personal sponsor is a good calling partner, or not. Your upline may consist of a long list of talented, experienced reps who have achieved some success in your business. Take the time to learn who the people are in your upline, and get some information about them. Remember, they receive overrides on your production. It’s OK to make them earn it.
You should find out a bit about their previous work backgrounds. Who’s an accountant? Who’s got some sort of medical experience? Who’s an engineer? Who’s had success in traditional business?
You see sometimes you’re going to want to match up people’s backgrounds with each other. For example, if you’re promoting a nutritional line and you’re calling someone who works in some sector of the health field, it would be ideal for your calling partner to also have a similar background.
If you’re calling a corporate executive, you might want to select someone who made the transition from corporate America themselves.
So, find out a little bit about what their traditional work experiences are. It will help you in the long run. Remember, it’s not necessary, or even possible to have your calling partner’s background perfectly match that of your guests, but I’m sure you can see the tremendous advantages of doing it whenever you are able.
In truth, your calling partner really only needs to have a little more experience and success with the business than you do, in order for them to be effective with your guests.
Next… establish a definite telephone appointment.
Set up a block of time with your calling partner where you can work together to reach several prospects, one after the other, during the time you both have available.
Nothing is more frustrating than having a good prospect on the phone and not being able to reach an available calling partner.
I recommend that you take a notebook and jot down your calling schedule. Or you can put it in your planner, or keep it digitally, but you should have actual times scheduled. It’s never a good plan to wing it, hope for the best, and wind up ambushing your calling partner without any preparation.
PREVIEW your guest’s background.
Before the call starts, take a moment to preview your guest’s background to your calling partner. Help your calling partner be as successful as possible when speaking with your prospect. Tell them what sort of work your prospect does, how you know each other, what they know about the business so far, and anything else you think would be helpful. The more your partner knows about your guest, and what their pain points are, the more likely the call will be successful.
PREVIEW your calling partner’s background to your guest.
When speaking with your prospect, be sure to PREVIEW your calling partner’s background to them. You want to edify your calling partner to your guest. Help your guest to reduce their natural defenses by pointing out whatever similarities you think your guest and your calling partner have in common.
Also, you’ll see that this is where having the correct posture will really help you out. Set the stage properly. You want to indicate to your prospect how fortunate they are to be speaking to your calling partner.
WHAT TO DO DURING THE CALL
Have either your guest or your calling partner already on the phone. Then make your call and connect everyone together. Introduce your guest and your calling partner to each other briefly. Then, BE QUIET.
Do NOT interrupt or say anything that is not absolutely necessary. Let your calling partner lead the conversation and control the call. Interject your comments only when needed. Listen closely. Take written notes.
WHEN YOU ARE THE CALLING PARTNER
Let’s flip the situation around. Let’s say you’re no longer a newbie. You’ve achieved some success with the business, and your new reps are making calls to their prospects. YOU are now the calling partner.
Here’s what you’re going to do.
Have the guest do most of the talking first.
Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. Keep in mind they are likely afraid of being pitched. So, if you let the guest do most of the talking first, where’s the pitch? There isn’t one. As a result, your guests will usually be more relaxed and open with you. You’ll be able to collect valuable information about them. You’ll be able to use some of it in order to gain a stronger connection.
Good opening question
One of the best opening questions to ask the prospect is simply “How do you two know each other?” Even if your new rep told you the answer before the call, ask anyway. It’s a great way to get started.
By the way, if you’re the new rep, please don’t jump in and answer the question. Let the prospect answer.
Pay special attention to areas of interest or points of view that you have in common. Listen carefully as they speak and take some notes. This will also give you an opportunity to determine how defensive they are. If somebody is answering everything in just one-word sentences, you know, their guard is up.
Best way to get the prospect talking
People usually love to talk about themselves, so give your prospect a chance to do that. Simply say “So, tell me about yourself.”
Make sure you listen carefully for the answers to questions like these. What sort of work experience do they have? Where do they live? Where are they originally from? What kind of interests/hobbies do they have? Do they have kids? What do their kids do: school, college, work?
When it’s your turn, begin by telling your story.
Start with those things you both have in common. Do NOT launch into a pitch about the company, products, or pay plan.
FIRST… make a human connection.
Describe yourself and your background in a way that helps the guest see that you both have a number of things in common. Keep your comments fairly brief, be sure to highlight any areas you feel will help you to gain a stronger connection with them.
For example, if they’ve got kids and so do you, talk about your kids. If you’re familiar with the city where they live, mention something about it. If you both have a similar work background, start with that.
Soon, weave the conversation around to your story of how you got into the business and tell them about your success so far. Don’t be too ‘sales-y’. Just be human with them.
Ask EXPLORATION Questions.
Think of it this way. If you want to arrive at the desired destination, you must first know where you’re starting from. Following directions to a particular location will vary depending on your starting point.
You need to know where you’re both starting from before you begin your journey to recruit them to join your company.
Another good question to ask: “What do you know about our business so far?” The way they answer that question can give you valuable information.
Here’s a good follow-up question. “What appeals to you about this?”
Another great question is to ask: “What information are you most interested in getting during this phone call?”
Sometimes they may not know the answer to that last question. In which case you have free reign to cover the topics in any order you like.
Sometimes they have an agenda. They may tell you exactly what they want you to address. When they do that, you would do well to follow their lead and answer their questions or concerns first, before covering any other topics.
Respond with appropriate information.
Remember this phrase: “Speak into their listening.” That means talk about what they want to hear before you cover anything else. If you cover the topics they want to hear about first, they will listen to you. Otherwise, if you stray away from that, it’s likely they will just tune you out.
If the guest wants to hear about the products, talk about the products, NOT the pay plan, or the founders. If the guest wants to know about the corporate executives, talk about them.
One of the ways people ‘blow it’ during their presentations is to just launch into a ‘pitch’ without having a clear understanding of what it will take to capture the interest of the guest. Give your prospects the information they want first, and then lead them to the other topics you think they’d find appealing, based on what they’ve already told you about themselves.
Ask CLOSING Questions.
Once you’ve covered some of the information they wanted to get from you, and you’ve had a chance to present some of the points you wanted to make, then it’s time to begin the closing process.
Here is one of the best questions to ask at this point. “What do you like best so far?”
You’ve probably heard that question before, but asking it, and letting them answer is not enough. You much cement it in place.
The best way to do that is to simply ask “WHY”?
That’s because it gets them telling you in more detail about what they liked. It forces them to process all the things they’ve heard and then select something that resonated with them.
At this point, you should attempt your first trial close. Say this: “Well, it sounds to me like you’re ready to get started.” Then pause for a moment to see whether or not they respond.
If there’s a positive answer or no answer at all, ask for their mailing address. Find out where they want us to ship their starter kit.
You can also ask which type of Credit Card they’ll be using for their kit: Visa, MasterCard, or something else.
They may not necessarily bite on the first attempt to close. If not, and they ask more questions, answer them and immediately make another closing attempt using different phrases than you did the first time.
You might say something like, “Well, I’m looking forward to working together with you. Let’s get started, OKAY?”
I like using the word “Okay”. It’s what is known as a Reflex Question. People respond reflexively. Okay? OK! Another Reflex Question is “Right”. You say “RIGHT?” They will often reply with “RIGHT!”
What is the next step?
Suppose you have a prospect who is not ready to get started right now. Don’t try to force the issue. Instead, throw the ball in their court and ask “What do you see as the next step?”
Don’t be pushy. Let them lead the way. Allow them to tell you how close they are to getting started.
Asking “What do you see as the next step?” is a great question because you will discover what needs to happen next in order to transact business.
Sometimes your prospect needs to hear from another authority figure. Perhaps they need more detailed information about the product or the pay plan.
Be sure to take notes on whatever the prospect needs so that you don’t let things slip through the cracks.
Another closing question worth asking.
Here’s another closing question that may or may not fit your personality, but many people like using it. Simply ask, “How soon did you want to get paid?”
The two most common responses from your prospect are
“Right away”
“Yesterday”
If you do ask the question, you’ll both have a bit of a laugh when your prospect says “Yesterday”.
This can be a very effective technique when used on people with whom you’ve built some rapport during your call.
WHEN THE CALL IS OVER
After the call is over, there is still a bit more to do. There’s plenty of value to be gained.
Always remember that “The fortune is in the follow-up”. You need to follow up and follow up and follow up and follow up.
Before going on to the next call, the calling partner and rep should take a quick moment and review the call. There’s a lot of value in doing that together. Discuss what transpired. Then decide on the best course of action.
Who’s going to send out the email to follow up? If the prospect needs to speak with someone else, who’s going to make that telephone appointment? Who’s going to schedule a conversation with another authority figure?
This is the time to sort out what needs to be done now, and who’s going to do it.
After your review, go ahead and make another call.
LANDMINES TO AVOID
We’ve covered what to do. Now, let’s talk about what not to do. Here’s where things can go horribly wrong.
Landmine #1: Ambushing your prospect.
This is one of the worst things some people do. There have been times when someone has called me who I haven’t spoken to in a while. We’re chatting for 5 or 10 minutes when out of the blue they’ll tell me, their upline is also on the line. They were silently listening in on what I thought was a private conversation with my friend. I find that outrageously offensive.
NEVER ambush your guest with a hidden upline calling partner. Instead, announce your partner is on the line as early in the conversation as possible.
Landmine #2: Ambushing your calling partner
The flip side is also true. Don’t ambush your calling partner with a sudden 3-Way Call.
Instead, give your calling partner a heads up that you’re likely to be getting them on the phone with a prospect shortly. You don’t want to catch them when they’re busy, running out the door, or enjoying some family time.
Suddenly springing a call on your partner could put them in an awkward position of having to reject you. That makes you look bad with your prospect too.
Wherever possible, set up time in advance. Sure, being spur of the moment can work out sometimes, but in the long run, it’s better to be prepared.
Landmine #3: Talking over your prospect
Have you ever had somebody pitching you on their deal and they don’t let you get a word in edgewise? They go on and on and on. How annoying is THAT?!?
In fact, they are committing the most serious mistake any salesperson can make… and that is, pitching without knowing enough about your prospect.
I can’t tell you the number of times that people have called me with what’s supposed to be the latest, the greatest, the hottest deal – ever!
But, they never had the thoughtfulness or the courtesy to ask what I was up to, or what projects I may be involved with. They never even asked if now was a good time for us to chat.
Please, do not launch into a presentation with anyone until you’ve had the opportunity to find out a little about what’s going on with them first.
Landmine #4: Giving unwanted information
Here’s another common mistake many reps make. That is delivering unwanted or irrelevant information.
If your prospect wants to talk about the pay plan, talk about the pay plan… not the products. If they want to talk about the products, don’t tell them all about the company’s founders.
Don’t go off on tangents. Deliver the information your prospect wants first. Otherwise, they will likely just tune you out, and your presentation will fall on deaf ears.
Landmine #5: Breaking appointments.
Be dependable. Do what you say you’re going to do. Do not break appointments. It damages your credibility. Why should people trust you with big things, if they can’t count on you for basic courtesies, like showing up on time for your appointments?
This is true for you whether you are the rep calling guests or the calling partner working with new reps. Do not let your new rep down by blowing an appointment. It’s hard enough to build a team without showing your reps you can’t be counted on to keep your word.
Keep a written appointment schedule. Don’t trust things to only your memory.
Landmine #6: Taking call waiting.
One of the most disrespectful things you can do to a prospect during a presentation is to take another call in the middle of your presentation to them.
Nothing shows your prospect just how UNIMPORTANT they are to you worse than doing that.
Do NOT take call waiting. If someone else calls you during a presentation, ignore it. Let it go to voicemail, or let them send you a text.
The only exception is if you have a good reason to believe you’ll be getting an emergency phone call from one of your relatives, then be sure to let your prospect know in advance that you may be getting an important call you’re expecting.
Landmine #7: Not taking written notes.
There’s an old expression that is absolutely relevant here: “A short pencil is better than a long memory.”
Look, if you’re talking to 10, 15, or 20, prospects, I will tell you that the information you collected from them is all going to start to blur together.
Who did you talk to? How were you supposed to follow up? When did you say you were going to follow up? What are the next steps you agreed to provide to your guest?
On top of that, how can you possibly keep track of what they told you about their goals, their family, their reasons for wanting to be involved, and so on?
Keep good notes. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a pad and pen or some kind of digital note-taking. You’ve got to have good notes on each conversation in order to be completely effective.
IN CONCLUSION
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this report.
You now know what to do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER each call. You also learned what NOT to do, and that can be just as important.
Keep this guide handy whenever you do your 3-Way Calls. Use this report until you are able to follow these steps without having to think about them, and they become second nature to you.
There is absolutely NOTHING better than conducting effective 3-Way Calls for building and supporting your downline organization. Period.
Now in his 4th decade of producing attention-getting results, speaker, trainer, published author, and Guinness World Record Certificate holder.
Matt DiMaio is also the creator of the popular YouTube channel: “Be Smarter Faster” where he teaches accelerated learning skills that have helped tens of millions of students and gained an enthusiastic worldwide audience.
Since 1980, he has continued to research, teach, and publish the very best tips, tactics, and techniques that enable students of every age to learn everything and anything faster and better.
Living up to the adage of “Practice what you preach” Matt often recalls the names of everyone in his audience, even when there are hundreds.
Matt got his start in Network Marketing way back in 1976 and has worn many hats in our profession since then. First, as a top personal producer, he became a popular in-demand trainer, was a corporate officer for a handful of companies, he’s consulted with a number of startups, and today is the “Ghost Writer” for 2 highly respected industry legends.
Often called “The EnterTrainer” for his dynamic and humorous approach, Matt’s philosophy is to “Laugh and Learn Your Way to Success”.
He has spoken for audiences as large as 10,000 attendees and at some of North America’s most prestigious venues, including, Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Toronto Convention Center, New York’s Waldorf Astoria, Nassau Coliseum, and even at The Super Dome.
Check out Matt’s popular YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/BeSmarterFaster where he has surpassed 162,000 subscribers and over nine (9) million views of his educational training videos.
Get Matt’s FREE VIDEO REPORT: How To Triple Your Memory Power (without Association, Mnemonics, or other common tricks) http://StartRemembering.com
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