So here you are, excited and ready to grow your networking business into a huge success! However, as you are prospecting for people in your business, and ask them to take a look or see what it is about, all you get is a “No”. Some would be polite enough to say that they will “look at it later” – but you know that they actually won’t.
It definitely sucks, right?
Admit it, there are lots of times when you just wish to stop chasing people, and move on with the other aspects of your business instead. Prospecting can make you feel drained – and all without getting any results from those efforts.
It is time to accept the fact that the traditional methods of prospecting do not work today. Those were already outdated and out of touch. People nowadays are busy running their own lives, and even notable media channels have shifted their focus.
Today, people want to watch what they want, in their own time. They read what they want – in their own time, and listen to music – at their own time. They don’t have to catch up with the show’s limited time slot – everything can be accessed through YouTube or Netflix at their own convenient time. And this is what you should be applying when it comes to prospecting too!
The traditional way of prospecting requires you to reach out to people. Usually, you do this by visiting their home (the really old-fashioned way) or sending them a text message or direct message on digital platforms. But then again, this does not work anymore. It’s either that you get ignored, or you just get a resounding NO.
So what you do is to attract them to go to you – at their own time, and at their own convenience. This is now known as the Reverse Invite Method. How does this work? It’s by gaining curiosity or attracting some kind of interest or excitement around your business. By doing this, people who are curious or interested enough will message you directly, and ask about your business.
You might have received some queries from friends already, asking about what you do and what your business is about. These are the people who already invited themselves to your business. In some way, they were already alerted or curious enough about your posts, and they want to know more! Basically, using the Reverse Invite Method will free you to stop sending invites – you let the prospects reach out to you instead!
Prospects who reach out are more likely interested to do business with you. In other words, they are already “there” with you on a certain mindset level. All they need is additional information to go with your business plans and projects. You don’t have to waste time finding and reaching out to numerous people without yielding many results. You let quality prospects come to you!
So how should you go about this? These are the following steps:
This is the go-to platform, but you can also other social media networks as well (depending on what works for you). Using Facebook is basic, because most of the people you know are there, and it has all the tools you need to create a business page (or group), and share content on.
You promote yourself by sharing posts, of course. Many networkers also love going on Facebook Live to initiate engagement and conversations. If you are not the video type of person, writing posts and sharing photos is also okay (and it is still effective). Just please realize that people really want to see video now…. So don’t get left behind.
So what do you even talk or post about? How will you entice people to ask about your business? That leads us to the second one.
There are many types of posts that can generate curiosity and attention. If you talk about your business, it would sure sound boring. Successful Social Media stories and posts that have gone viral have one thing in common – they provoke emotions.
Have you noticed that most viral stories are either funny, shocking, sad/disheartening or infuriating? That’s because most people tend to share stuff that appeals to their emotions. And the only way to do this is to tell stories!
If you just talk about the details and mechanics of your business, people will certainly lose interest quickly. However, if you share more about yourself, and you write about your experiences as an entrepreneur, your personal choices, realizations, and life struggles – those are things that many people can relate to their lives. By then, they will start seeing you as a friend, and not just a businessman dealer online who does nothing but share technical stuff on Social Media.
One huge mistake made by many online marketers and entrepreneurs today is when they reveal their products right away on their pages and Facebook Live videos. It’s too in-your-face, and the thing is, most people don’t really care about the product itself.
They will be interested to hear your stories, of course. What your product has to do is to merely complement your story and life journey that you have been sharing with your followers. The product should not be the main star, it should just be a supporting act.
For example, you are selling a weight loss drink online. The product is the drink, of course – but this should not be what you’re selling. What you will be selling is a healthy lifestyle. So you talk about your own weight loss journey and how you maintain a fit lifestyle, share other stories of the same good journey – then pitch in the drink as a complement to that!
Your primary goal here is to get people to ask or engage with you. This is why you should not make the “grand reveal” yet, because that will only lose the thrill and element of curiosity. Just engage and talk about stories and problems first, then show them that they can do something about it. Get them to ask questions or share their own experiences too! Then share with them the solution which now involves your business.
The main takeaway here is that you have to remove the hype of your product or company. Focus on people and stories. Think about your experiences that others might have gone through or are currently going through too. Initiate conversations and engagement instead of selling products directly like an old-fashioned salesman.
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